Northern Ontario High School Students in Forum for Young Canadians
AMK Forum for Young Canadians participants with MP Carol Hughes while in Ottawa. Suppled photo
Forum Participation Connects Young Canadians with Politics says Hughes
Ottawa – Participants in the Forum for Young Canadians program leave Ottawa with insight into how our political processes work which helps create politically literate communities across the county, according to Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, MP Carol Hughes.
Hughes met with participants from Kapuskasing District High School who are spending a week in the nation’s capital studying politics and public affairs in action. The program aims to engage young Canadians in ways that classrooms and textbooks are unable to.
In addition to political savvy, the 15 – 19 year olds participating in the program get a chance to meet with peers with a shared interest in politics and helps them build an issues-oriented social network.
“I think it helps these individuals see that there are a lot of young people across the country who share their passion,” said Hughes. “This can be particularly important for young people from smaller towns who might not have many options to discuss these subjects among peers.”
Danielle Crump, Alexandra Hall, Kaylin Laflamme, and Amanda Valliere all from Kapuskasing, as well as Smooth Rock Falls’ Samantha Yang met Hughes at a reception for Forum participants where they discussed the program and their time in Ottawa.
“Forum does a good job of helping these students get a taste of how Ottawa works,” said Hughes who has nothing but good things to say about the program and its participants. “For some it will help them decide what they want to study after high school and may set them on a path they hadn’t anticipated before participating in the program. I’ve met a number of young people over the years who are clearly on a path to becoming leaders. I think Forum helps them see a bit of that in themselves.”
For more information on Forum: www.forum.ca
