{"id":15817,"date":"2017-08-01T16:02:33","date_gmt":"2017-08-01T20:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/?p=15817\/"},"modified":"2024-11-01T16:41:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T20:41:29","slug":"finding-our-future-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/giving-life\/connecting-with-charities\/finding-our-future-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Our Future Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charity Spotlight: This blog post is part of our charity spotlight series and was provided by Marie-Mich\u00e8le Laferri\u00e8re, Executive Director of the Forum for Young Canadians, as part of our ongoing charity spotlight series.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Every spring on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, something amazing and transformative happens. It has little to do with parliamentary business and everything to do with the future of our country.\u00a0 We call it the Forum Experience.<\/p>\n

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Nicholas\u2019 Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"Nicholas Scarcelli has packed a lot of leadership into his 16 years. As a high achiever and successful student, he\u2019s used to having a voice and commanding attention. Team captain in sports, president of his elementary school student council, vice president of sales in a Junior Achievement company\u2014he\u2019s done it all, and thanks to his passion for politics, in grade 8 he earned a spot in the Legislative Page Program at Queen\u2019s Park in Toronto. That experience gave him the chance to observe how Ontario\u2019s government functions. But according to Nicholas, none of these life opportunities compares to the week he spent in Ottawa at Forum for Young Canadians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the<\/em> program,\u201d said Nicholas, now a grade 10 student from Oakville, Ontario. \u201cI really wanted to learn about federal politics. This combined everything I could have wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enthused about the inspiring, hands-on nature of the program\u2014sitting in actual senate seats, meeting all sorts of inspiring leaders\u2014 he describes the Parliament Hill learning experience as very different from anything he\u2019s ever done before.<\/p>\n

Never did he expect to be speechless. But he was.<\/p>\n

Perhaps his most indelible memory would be witnessing Member Statements by his peers from across the country. Just as MPs make one-minute statements on matters of importance in the House of Commons, Forum teens spoke up about real-life issues and challenges they\u2019ve faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was sitting there thinking, \u2018Wow these people have so much more to talk about,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt opened my eyes to a lot of things I had never heard about, to quite a few different problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming from an affluent community, this was the first time Nicholas had been exposed to young leaders just like him\u2014bright, capable people\u2014whose life circumstances and priorities were vastly different. The opportunity to hear about these first-person experiences, particularly Indigenous issues, was eye-opening for the young leader. Nicholas was able to see firsthand how Canada\u2019s system of government is about representing real people beyond procedures and podiums. He gained a new perspective on why public engagement and political action matter. In his words, \u201cI\u2019ve taken a lot of mental notes on different ways of leading,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Our History of Building Our Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For 42 years, Forum for Young Canadians has worked to ignite a spark that inspires bright, ambitious and engaged teens aged 15-19 into leaders of today and tomorrow.\u00a0 Non-partisan, bilingual and inclusive, Forum\u2019s weeklong program allows young people from all walks of life to experience Canada\u2019s government in action.<\/p>\n

\u201cForum has taught me more about myself and our country in a week than school has taught me in 13 years.\u201d \u2013 Deema, ON<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Since 1975, the Foundation for the Study of Processes of Government in Canada has sought to demystify the political process, and to ensure that student voices are heard. Through the Forum for Young Canadians, its flagship program, the Foundation provides young people 15 to 19 years of age direct access to the history, procedures, and energy of Parliament Hill. It also creates a collaborative community of engaged young leaders. This is an opportunity for students to network, practice a second language, and apply learned skills into meaningful community action. In fact, many of today\u2019s political leaders made their debut at Forum.<\/p>\n

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Forum by the Numbers:<\/h2>\n