Gearing up for Student Vote Canada, more than 7,000 schools across the country have been diligently preparing to cast their ballots. We have so many amazing teachers who are champions of Student Vote in their school. We’ve collected some of their stories about the Student Vote program – check them out below!
Neeta Kumar-Britten, a treasured teacher and CIVIX Ambassador from Nova Scotia at Ferrisview Elementary, always makes the most out of Student Vote. Neeta has been participating in Student Vote since the beginning.
“I have been involved in every Student Vote ever!” Neeta says. “It is my favourite thing to do as a teacher.”
Neeta has held three different Student Vote programs at her school this year – an impressive record held by her and a few other Nova Scotia teachers! For this federal election, her and her grade held a Google Meets together to watch their all-candidates debate. They also spent time discussing levels of government, their priorities for this election, and what it means to be Canadian. They held their school-wide Student Vote on April 25.
Michele Cumberland has been participating in the Student Vote program for eight years now. She and her students at Holy Cross Independent elementary school have been preparing for their vote this year by making candidate posters, checking out Vote Compass, and holding an All Candidate Panel. “Students are very engaged in what goes on in their everyday lives and want to ask candidates questions like, ‘If you’re elected, how will my life improve?’ and ‘Do you support lowering the voting age to 16?'”
Michele sees the direct impact that Student Vote has had for her kids. “This experience is helping them recognize their voices as important and their roles as active, informed citizens,” she says.
At Shannon Leggett’s Brockton School, Student Vote is in full swing. Students are using all the resources at their disposal, like the Vote Compass, Pollenize, and the party leaders debate.
“Student Vote gets people talking about the election,” Shannon says. “When students had to complete Vote Compass in their Social Studies and Advisory classes, some discussions occurred about those issues. As well, some students went home and talked to their families about the issues, which encouraged their family members to vote and become more involved in their communities.”
One of Shannon’s students, Saliha Shajani, feels that Student Vote helps combat voter apathy in young people. “When I cast my first vote, I felt powerful!” says Saliha. “Even though it was just one vote, it was great that I was able to express my opinion”
This year, teacher Jeffery Phaneuf is turning Ursuline College’s cafeteria into a polling station. He and his students prepared for the vote by creating posters for candidates for all the schools to see. On the five days leading up to Student Vote Day, announcements will be made featuring one candidate each day. On Student Vote Day, more than 1,200 kids voted!
At Grand Rapids School, Mary Canlas says her Student Vote has been an incredible opportunity for her pupils. They’ve had 77 students cast ballots, and students acting as Poll Supervisors, Deputy Returning Officers, and Information officers.
“This event was more than a mock election,” she says. “It was a powerful reminder that democracy is alive in our school, our community, and across Canada. Students learned that voting is not just a right,
but a responsibility.”
