by Nanette Soucy

With the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, 104 students from across Canada were made to feel on top of the world. While the foothills of Banff, Alberta, can dwarf much of its surroundings young people of all backgounds were made to feel important, powerful, and were instilled with a passion to change the world during the second of a series of four conferences held by the Students Commission, Feb. 8-14.

Optimistic? Perhaps. Students realized that they have many mountains to move.

"If you're going to change things, you're going to have to fight for it," says Neills Kristensen, one of three Grand Falls students who attended the conference.

Nanette Soucy and A. Neills Kristensen, veterans of the first conference held in Kemptville, Ont., in August of 1998, went as staff, accompanied by Melanie Senechal, a delegate. The goal of the Students Commission Sharing Resources 2000 program is to engage 2000 youth in 2000 community-based projects aimed at fighting child poverty in Canada by the year 2000.

On Nov. 24, 1989, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passed a resolution that: "this House...seek(s) to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000. "Statistics show that since this resolution was made, there are now more than 500,000 more children and youths living in poverty on teh streets of Canada. Fired up by these facts, students have come up with hundreds of projects ranging from simply discussing the issues with peers to taking the awesome step of obtaining a grant and building a safe haven for disadvantaged youths out of an old warehouse.

Guest speakers such as Sheila Baxter, BC Poverty activist and author of books such as "A Child is Not a Toy" and "Still Raising Hell", Ben Wicks, famed cartoonist for Toronto newspapers, as well as Pytor Hodgson, a representative for Alberta Youth In Care were joined by a few delegates and staff who had experienced the trials of poverty first-hand. Inciting the students to believe that love is first and foremost in helping others, and that no matter what obstacles lay in their path, there are many ways around them.

"We need to stop focusing on why we can't, and figure out how we can," stated Hodgson on the difficulties of getting the public to pay closer attention to a cause that all too often remains under wraps.

The delegates compiled a 50-page report, clearly outlining their cause, and what they discussed during their week at the conference, including vision statements, recommendations and action plans. Created by youth for youth, this report is meant to help delegates as well as local officials create their own project ideas and integrate them into their communities.

Project coordinator Francis Letendre, who was part of the Students Commission full time staff, expressed his astonishment at the youths' clarity in outlining their plans for a better tomorrow. "I understand now what the youth (want)."

The completed report was presented to representatives from the Alberta division of the Optimist Club and its representatives from other youth-oriented organizations on Feb. 13, 1999.

The Sharing Resources 2000 project, initiated and run by the Students Commission, is funded by the delegates raising money and services in their communities as well as by the Optimist service clubs, the Millennium Bureau of Canada, TG Magazine, the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Xerox and others.