The Students Commission Conference with the
Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement
Conference Program
Plenary Sessions:
During the conference, adults and youth attend and participate
in Plenary sessions with youth speakers and a question and answer dialogue with
the audience. Key concepts are introduced through various large group interactive
activities. Expect it to be lively, loud, emotional at times and energizing.
Youth Discussion Teams:
Youth delegates and facilitators meet in their discussion
teams to share their ideas and experiences of the problems, causes and solutions
to the issues they have chosen (eg. mental and physical health, violence, drug
abuse, relationships etc.).
Adult Workshops:
While youth delegates are meeting in their discussion teams,
adult delegates meet in a workshop format led by experienced youth programmers
and researchers from the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement.
Team Production Sessions:
Adult and Youth Teams work together on Tools and
Action Plans for community projects to take home. Applied Theory and Practice.
Optional Activities:
Our program is intense. Past conference delegate evaluations
have recommended a break with optional activities that allow for networking
opportunities, casual conversation and recreation and relaxation. In the afternoons
and evenings, there are Optional Activities and Casual Workshops created by
participants in the areas of sports, drama, drumming, dances, song writing,
video production, press release writing, and napping!
Evaluation:
With the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement, funded by Health
Canada, Brock University and Wilfrid Laurier University, The Students Commission
conducts on-going research on the impact and outcomes of our Commission conferences.
Results are being published in academic journals, and summaries are available
at www.engagementcentre.ca.
Learning Process
At The Students Commission, the emphasis is on process and youth empowerment through achievement. The role of adults is to facilitate the process of discovery, self-confidence and skill development.
Youth:
* learn respect for individual differences
* learn to work together
* end ignorance through communication
* learn by doing
* discover they can make a difference
* gain confidence by making their voices heard
* become empowered through achievement and adult respect
Diversity
The Students Commission starts from the premise that every youth has ideas
that can make a difference if they are given the framework and the tools.
We
specifically seek out a balanced youth group representing various levels of
academic achievement (vocational, basic, general and advanced levels), representing
various family income levels, representing varying ethnic groups, linguistic
groups, varying levels of articulateness and varied personal interests.
tgmag@tgmag.ca
Copyright © 2005
Tiny Giant Magazine & The Students Commission