Jun. 17, 2018
Sameer H., and Alex D., students at Centennial High School
Through their work with the Werklund School of Education’s Youth Activism Forum, Centennial High School’s Sameer H. and Alex D. celebrated the publication of authored chapters in Dr. Shirley Steinberg’s Activists Under 30: Global Youth, Social Justice, and Good Work on May 12.
At the Werklund School of Education’s Youth Activism Forum in the fall, members of Student Council were given the opportunity to develop and decide what they wished most to focus on throughout the upcoming year. As co-presidents of Centennial High School’s Student Council, Alex and Sameer worked diligently throughout the 2017-18 year to support their stated goal of providing “equitable opportunities to all students.”
Centennial High School Student Council this year organized:
- A student vote through CIVIX; created an in-school scholarship to provide support for post-secondary pursuits regardless of grade point average;
- Organized a clothing swap to ensure both environmental responsibility and equitable opportunities for students in their school;
- Organized and sponsored Blackfoot language classes to actively support reconciliation,
sponsored a poster competition to remind all in the school that we are all treaty people and thus part of reconciliation;
- Provided opportunities for Grade 9's to preview a day of high school to reduce anxiety and stress; and,
- Hosted a multiculturalism week to celebrate and highlight the diversity in Centennial.
Activists Under 30 provides a unique view of youth activism, highlighting the work done by youth activists around the globe in addition to voices of youth activists as they “address their own activism, goals, identities, and needs. Reflecting on the accomplishments and challenges of their year as leaders in our school, Sameer’s and Alex’s chapters, “The Future Will be Found in Walking Together” and “Dear People My Age” provide insight into, and a moment of introspection for, their work as youth activists, why activism is important for high school students, and a message of empowerment for others.
