Two students from the Battlefords area have been recognized on a national level for the work they've done to address racism.
Emily Simon, a student of John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford, and Kiona Moosomin, a student of the school on Mosquito First Nation, were among 10 young people receiving awards at an Evening of Champions reception the evening before Saskatchewan We Day in Saskatoon.
Emily's former teacher, Kelly Waters of St. Vital Catholic School in Battleford, said this week, "I find it ironic and interesting that it was two girls being recognized for their unwavering support of the treaty project in the face of genuine racist issues since, historically, females would not have been involved at this level of the treaty negotiation process."
Emily told the Regional Optimist the award was a surprise. She knew she had had been nominated by her teacher, but, for what, she didn't know.
"I don't like surprises," she laughed.
She was finally able to get the information from her teacher just before the reception.
"I was pretty shocked and was pretty happy about it," says Emily.
It was while she was a student in Grade 7 at St. Vital Catholic School that Emily became involved in the project for which she was nominated. This year, though she now attends Grade 8 at John Paul II Collegiate, she also took part in St. Vital's We Scare Hunger campaign, a program about which she has always been passionate. She plans also to get involved in various endeavours at her new school.
In her nomination, Waters stated, "As a teacher of Emily's, I have watched Emily be an unwavering force of support for Free the Children and Me to We campaigns in our school and beyond since first exposure to them six years ago when she was only in Grade 2. Even at that young age it was clear she understood the message of how some people in the world need help, fearlessly embracing the belief that making a personal effort towards change in conjunction with encouraging others to do the same will indeed effect change."
In describing Emily, she wrote, "I know she has succeeded in contributing to the understanding of complicated local and global child poverty issues within our school and beyond. She affects everyone she touches with her passion for making the world a better place; if they are not inspired to stop and pitch in, she at least gives them pause for thought by sharing information as to why her efforts, and the group efforts of students, are important and do indeed impact change."
Kiona is also being honoured for affecting change and addressing racism through the treaty project between her school and Emily's.
Kiona told the Regional Optimist, "I felt excited when I first got the email. I felt like I couldn't breathe."
She felt honoured, she said.
"It's so heart warming and it had such a great effect on me."
She added, "Having my mom by my side made it worth getting the Caring Canadian Award."
Kiona also said, "We did this treaty to combat stereotypes and racism. But one person I want everyone to know about is my grandpa. His name is Anderson Moosomin. He told me to make myself a role model, never say you can't. But that's the main person in my life."
Kiona and Emily's schools' senior-level students signed a co-created treaty, titled Joining Nations, negotiated between Mosquito's Grade 7 and 8 class and St. Vital's Grade 7 class in May of this year.
It was a history-making treaty. According to organizers' information from the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, no treaty between students of different schools had ever been struck before.
Both schools had been involved with Free the Children and We Day the previous fall and became interested in that organization's initiative promoting aboriginal awareness.
Students at St. Vital had been active in Free the Children for several years and came up with the idea of partnering with a First Nation reserve school. Everyone was enthusiastic about the idea and contacted Free the Children to find a willing partner.
Through Free the Children, they found Mosquito School.
What motivated the students at the beginning of the process was a desire to put an end to the racism and the bullying they were witnessing.
Students came together on the wording they wanted to see in the treaty. They wanted provisions to protect all the students from bullying and belittling, as well as provisions to share knowledge and to gather together at least twice per school year.
The final draft was presented to the Office of the Treaty Commissioner for review before the signing ceremonies took place. A total of 18 different representatives, including students from the two schools, signed copies of the four treaty documents at the ceremony at Mosquito School.
Kiona's and Emily's awards were presented Nov. 6, the evening prior to Saskatchewan We Day in Saskatoon. Held at the SaskTel Centre, approximately 15,000 educators and students gathered for the annual event tying Free The Children, Me to We and We Act together as a platform to empower a generation. The movement to shift the world from "me" to "we"-from a focus on the individual to the power of community - is headed by co-founders and brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger, activists, humanitarians and social entrepreneurs.
Waters, whose school had four other students at We Day, said it was even more appropriate that Emily and Kiona had been honoured, since empowering women was one of the themes emphasized at We Day this year, especially in developing countries where many women are encouraged to marry young and are discouraged from seeking an education.
Waters said We Day offers support to youth aiming to make the world a better place along with the message that they have the power to make it happen. From this year's We Day's ideas, a new project is underway at St. Vital.
"Many of my students were especially intrigued by placing special emphasis on providing a goat to a family in a developing country, said Waters.
A goat can provide milk, which can be consumed or sold, which in turn may provide income to buy a chicken that will lay eggs to eat or sell, said Waters. One goat could also turn into a small herd, which has the potential to further make a difference for a family.
"One student at our school, Jordan Heinz, was so inspired by the idea of providing goats that she is organizing the canteen for our school's upcoming fundraiser Fun Night as a source of financial support for the goat project," said Waters. "The Fun Night also supports local children in need by raising funds for the Empty Stocking Fund."
In February, she added, St. Vital School will continue with its annual tradition of selling poverty hearts to support the Battlefords and District Food Resources milk program for local children, as well as its support of global needs for children through Free the Children.
There is also a commitment for St. Vital and Mosquito Grade 7s to connect and examine the treaty created last year to honour its intent and continue to build relationships and break down misconceptions and racial barriers, said Waters.
