Delegates to the Canadian Student Leadership Conference performed an afternoon of community service on Saturday, the last day of the conference. College of the North Atlantic journalism students Courtney Connors and Stephanie Tobin caught up with some of them. For more coverage of the conference, please visit the journalism students’ website, The Troubadour.
Speaker motivates students to aid fire victims
By Kathryn Anstey
“My biggest goal is to go on stage without an ego and be as sincere as possible.”
You may not think you would hear those words from a public performer, but Justin Boudreau is a different kind of entertainer.
Boudreau is a professional keynote speaker who presents sessions to students called “BE YOUnique,” which teaches the students that being “cool” is not important. According to Boudreau, being yourself is the coolest thing you can be. He tells students to be certain of themselves and to not compromise who they are to try and fit in.
On Saturday, Boudreau presented a keynote session at Corner Brook High School to the students and teachers who are taking part in the Canadian Student Leadership Conference 2011. One of the students, Mathiane Vachon-Gravel, always leaves Boudreau’s shows feeling inspired and energized.
“He was very inspiring. I’ve seen him 4 times now. Every time there is something new and exciting, he is always emotionally moving,” said the 16-year-old high school student from Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Near the end of the show, Boudreau told a story about a young girl from Slave Lake, Alta., who attended a conference at which he performed a keynote session not long before the fires that would wreak havoc on her hometown. She e-mailed Boudreau after the fires and thanked him for his inspiring words. She also asked if he could help her community to get back on its feet. Boudreau said her message touched his heart and he was so moved that he had to take action.
When Boudreau finished the story, he asked all of the schools attending the conference to donate $100 to help the residents in Slave Lake. Boudreau pledged that every school who donates will have their name placed in a raffle, and the winning school will receive an all-expense-paid, day-long session with Boudreau. He said the winner will be announced at the end of the conference.
Boudreau said he has been involved in motivational speaking for eight years. He is former high school teacher who, after he left his teaching career, set out to travel the world and find out what his dreams were. On his travels he met a mentor who inspired Boudreau to become involved in leadership camps. Boudreau was so impressed he moved to San Diego to work on a one-year apprenticeship with his mentor. Boudreau said he learned what it takes to be a motivator and a leader.
“It’s easy to make these sessions into a show, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to inspire the students.”
Parents learn patience, perspective from child with autism
Corner Brook – Patience and perspective are qualities that leaders need, and sometimes these qualities can be achieved in coping with life’s tests.
Brent Dickson, an Alberta teacher who spoke at a workshop in Corner Brook on Thursday, says he learned patience and perspective through his son, Jake, who has autism. Dickson spoke about his experiences before some young people at the Canadian Student Leadership Conference.
Dickson did not at first say that Jake was born with autism; instead he started the workshop by saying that Jake was his first-born child. When he was born, Dickson and his wife had big plans for him, simple things such as playing on a basketball team and going to college.
Then Dickson and his wife noticed some things Jake did that concerned them slightly. Jake would walk on his toes as a child. If there was something he was watching on TV that he liked, he would sit, kicking his legs and flapping his arms.
It also worried Jake’s parents that he was not not hitting some of the milestones most children hit, such as walking and talking by a certain age. What really tipped off Dickson and his wife was a story they were told one day of Jake sitting in school playing with only one toy all day long. So Dickson and his wife took Jake to see their family doctor.
This was in the year 1996, and autism was not well-known. The Dicksons’ doctor had not seen a case of autism before, so she told Dickson and his wife to not worry and that children develop at their own pace.
So Dickson and his wife took Jake to a different doctor, who realized Jake had autism but had also never seen a case of autism and could not tell Jake’s parents what to do. Dickson and his wife were referred to a pediatrician, but the referral turned out to be of not much help to them either.
Dickson’s wife did some research on autism and found out all she could about it. Meanwhile, said Dickson, his plan was to pretend it had not happened. Dickson told the conference delegates that the experience was sort of like a death in the family.
At this point in the workshop, Dickson got all the students to put their pointer fingers up and to stand up and to find a buddy whom they did not know and to sit next to that person. He then had the students face their partners and tell each other their names, where they were from and the coolest thing that had happened at the conference.
Once the students had made their new friends, Dickson told them that they were all now a family. The next thing he had the partners do was tell each other something that happened to them when they needed courage.
Dickson then went on to talk about how people tend to think that people with autism can be cured with more and more therapy.. Dickson and his wife hired consultants and therapists to help teach Jake necessary every day skills. In spite of all their efforts, Jake can never have complete independence. Even though it is difficult on Dickson and his wife, Dickson said that there are some cool things that came out of their situation.
One thing is Jake’s personality. He loves life and does not care what anyone thinks. He is also a bit of a comedian and will say bizarre things. Because he finds what he said so funny, other people will laugh along with him. He is also very verbal and will sometimes repeat lines and phrases. This tendency is known as echolalia.
Dickson told the students about an incident that happened when his family was attending church. A young man was being sent away as a missionary after having a hard time and turning his life around. The young man’s mother was giving a speech when four-year-old Jake yelled out, “I am Sam, Sam I am.”
Dickson carried Jake out of the church, and his wife was very embarrassed, but the mother who had been speaking approached them afterwards and said the outburst was great and that things had been getting too serious in there.
Dickson said Jake doesn’t worry about anything, that he lives in the now. Dickson then had the students take an oath that they would never forget the past, plan for the future but live in the now.
Dickson’s next point was that he learned patience from Jake. Jake likes holding and touching things so his parents have to keep things hidden, and when they want to travel they have to plan ahead in order to do so.
Dickson told the students about the time they took Jake to Disneyland and how he hadn’t wanted to leave the hotel in Dylan, Mont. Because they had to leave, Jake threw a fit. As they were driving, they had to pull over and let him get out and pace to calm down.
Dickson then had the students stand and face their partners again and tell each other about a time when they needed great patience.
Dickson told the students that he also learned perspective from Jake.
“Everyone feels like they have a full plate, but the truth is, everyone’s plate is a different size,” Dickson said.
When it came to Jake, Dickson and his wife had to figure out what was a big deal and what wasn’t. Dickson and his wife also met a lot of people with whom Jake bonded and was helped by. Dickson said that Jake still talks about them.
For one last time, the students were asked to face their partners and share with each other a time when someone helped them in a difficult time. The last thing Dickson had the students do before they left was to take out their imaginary lightsabers and like Jedi, cross the lightsabers and then bow to and high five each other.
When asked what inspired him to share this story with others, Dickson replied that he really enjoys talking to kids and that his is a story that he finds unique. He also mentioned that what really surprised him was how many people come up to him afterwards and talk to him about how they also have family members with autism.
Students find inspiration in art
By Linda Downey
Anna Novah, development and project coordinator of the organization Painting a New World, led a workshop at the Corner Brook High School during the Canadian Student Leadership Conference on Thursday.
Taking part in the workshop were 15 high school students from all across Canada.
The students started the workshop by sharing their names and where they were from – as well as what has inspired them so far during the conference. The students were candid and open about their experience.
Leanne Roberts said she has been inspired by “the people that (she) has met and how cool they actually are,” said Leanne Roberts from Newfoundland. “I was nervous when I came here”
Alexia Armato from Montreal said, “What inspires me is being with a group of people who think the same way I do – people you can be yourself around.”
Another student said, “How Rick Hillier inspired me and all the things that have happened across the world and how lucky we really are and try to remember every day that I got it good.”
Sonja Beck, an art teacher from Corner Brook high school, is inspired by seeing the leadership qualities of the students. It is so important to let them lead and for the teachers to provide them support from behind.
After sharing insights into the week and the inspiring comments from the students, Novah switched her focus to her organization, which can be found online at paintinganewworld.com. The two founders, Agnes Jorgensen and Andre Chatelain have given their life to art. Their message is how lucky they are to be living in Canada and that they can paint freely that there is nature around to paint.
Other artists do not have these freedoms. Jorgensen and Chatelain wanted to give back, so they have built art centres all over the world and throughout Africa. Works of art are brought back to Canada and sold, and the money is then sent back to the art centres.
One way that students and their teachers can get involved and at the same time build strong leadership skills is by taking part in painting a mural. The theme of this year’s mural project is ‘Saving our Marine and Coastal Biodiversity.’
The theme is especially appropriate given the conference is being held this year in Newfoundland and Labrador, a beautiful Island surrounded by marine life.
Presenter touts benefits of social media
By Megan Harris-Edwards
Social media is a good way for young leaders to get their message out, a Corner Brook blogger told delegates to the CSLC on Friday.
Tom Cochrane’s presentation was entitled ‘Getting Your Message Out.’ Throughout his presentation, he spoke about how to get your message across and the easy ways to do it.
Cochrane created and administrates the CornerBrooker.com, which is a social media site that people can visit to find out what’s happening in the area and talk about it. Tom started up the website about a year-and-a-half ago with some of his friends. The website now receives about 700-1,000 views per day.
Cochrane believes that blogging sites such as WordPress, which he uses CornerBrooker.com, represent the direction that media is heading. He said a lot of people are starting to get information about their communities and countries through blogs.
“A lot of people are reading blogs online. A lot of people are taking news that news organizations put out, digesting it, compacting it and then kind of spitting it out into this really easy to understand format,” said Cochrane
Former CSLC delegate returns as presenter
By Lynn Daley
Jamie Rooney was one of the student participants in the 2006 and 2007 Canadian Student Leadership Conference. This year, Rooney had an opportunity to contribute to the 2011 conference.
“I made it a goal and then it became a dream of mine to come back to CSLC as a guest speaker.”
The conference enables students from around the country, who have stood out in their own community, to learn additional leadership skills to take home. Rooney recalls his previous experiences when he attended.
“I remember it being a place full of energy, people who are outgoing and charismatic and that’s why I am so happy to be here,” Rooney said.
The workshop Rooney conducted was called The Art of Overcoming, and its goal was to use personal stories on the themes of reaching out to people, and contributing to those who give us so much. One of Rooney’s first stories was about a five-year-old girl from Africa.
“I use this story to talk about the theme of reaching out to people regardless of ethnicity, skin colour, religious background or cultural differences – learning to have that courage to start up a conversation with others, break down barriers and get to know them so they can express themselves.”
The second half of the workshop was around the theme of contributing to those who give us so much.
“My best friend and I did a bike trip across Canada starting in the east coast and going to the west coast,” Rooney continued, “This story demonstrates the theme of accomplishing things not just for your own sake but to contribute to those important people and the special people in your life and around the world.”
The people who have been the most influential in Rooney’s life are his mother and his best friend.
“My mother said she would support me take those small steps towards my goal was really world changing for me it really meant everything to me,” Rooney said.
The future looks very bright for this young man whose passion and contributions will continue.
“I will keep giving back to those people who have given me so much,” Rooney said.
Ranting and roaring at CSLC
By James Churchill
The hallways of the Pepsi Centre in Corner Brook were filled with excitement and smiles as both the students and chaperones were trying to find the traditional Newfoundland music session, which featured the musical trio A Crowd of Bold Sharmen.
Inside the session, almost 50 people listened attentively, singing and dancing along with three members of A Crowd of Bold Sharemen: Jim Payne, Fergus O’Byrne and Gerry Strong. During the session, Strong played the flute and other wind instruments, Payne played the guitar, sang and played the accordion, and O’Byrne played the banjo and drum.
The band started the session by playing a traditional song called The Ryans and the Pittmans. This song gave the audience an opportunity to sing along, dance in their seats and learn a very popular chorus of the song: “We’ll rant and we’ll roar like true Newfoundlanders.” This refrain was heard outside the room by people walking by.
A Crowd of Bold Sharemen also gave a few lessons to the audience, who mostly originated from outside the province, about traditional Newfoundland and Labrador culture.
The trio translated such Newfoundland terms such as punts, lassy buns, mudder, and blowing a gale.
Payne talked about what life was like in rural Newfoundland before electricity. He said people would pass the time by telling folk tales, particularly Newfoundland ‘Jack” stories. It was a time when the fishery was a much bigger part of the province’s economy and culture, as fathers would pass on their fishing experience to their sons. The Jack stories were based on these exchanges.
Payne also said most Newfoundland songs have navigational directions in the lyrics, which make the Newfoundland music unique to the provincial culture.
In a purely instrumental segment, the trio played music composed by Newfoundland composers such as Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit. The music created a sense of peace and relaxation for everyone.
Toward the middle of the session, Payne talked about the importance of rhythm.
“Everything that we do has a rhythm, most particularly walking.” He went on to talk about how walking has a 1-2, 1-2 rhythm. He showed the audience by hopping up on a chair and doing the rhythm with his feet.
As the trio launched into another song, O’Byrne joked, “If Jim [Payne] can get up on the chair and dance, so can you – but no body surfing.”
The band concluded the session with a discussion session.
One of the chaperones in the audience was Elena Whyte, a teacher at St. Lawrence Academy, who said the Newfoundland and Labrador school system will introduce a new course that will promote Newfoundland culture while focusing on music history.
“Passing on stories from generation to generation was a very important part of our history and culture,” said Whyte.
Be optimistic and passionate, Hillier tells delegates
By Kathryn Anstey
CNA journalism program
On Tuesday, students got to attend their first keynote session of the week with guest speaker Rick Hillier.
Hillier was once the Chief of the Defence Staff for the Canadian Armed forces. He was also the only Newfoundlander to achieve such a high status in the forces.
So being promoted to such a high position must have taken a lot of leadership skills, some of which Hiller spoke about with students today. Hillier spoke of the importance of optimism and passion in leadership and how important it is to think individually.
A photo slideshow accompanied Hillier’s speech and while some of the photos were a bit hard to look at, they got the point across that if people can live through hardships like losing limbs, mothers, fathers and children by using these skills, then you can survive your own hardships and help others along the way.
Hillier ended the speech by telling students to be yourself and just be who you are and always remain individual.
Workshops a mixture of excitement and co-operation
By Johnathan Fitzpatrick & Gage Miranda
CNA journalism program
Students scrambled into various classrooms for workshops at Corner Brook Regional High during the Canadian Student Leadership Conference (CSLC) on Wednesday.
The CSLC has filled this Newfoundland high school with an incredible mix of excitement and co-operation between students and advisors.
When we first opened the doors at Corner Brook Regional High, the corridor to the main hallway was impassable. A few moments later, the students were off trying to find the classroom in which their workshops would take place.
Even with the amount of excitement throughout the student body, there was still an apparent fatigue in both students and staff alike. The amount of work that the staff and volunteers are putting into this event is to be admired; an event this large doesn’t come together all by itself and the people of Corner Brook have played an integral part.
Almost every room that we came across had some sort of workshop taking place, whether it be “leaderships and institutions” or “working together gets results.”
It is plain to see that the students are not only having fun, but they are also experiencing things that they may never have had a chance to if it wasn’t for the CSLC. Along with the workshops, there were also a lot of small booths set up all across the school. These offered the students a chance to see some of the history and traditions of Newfoundland and Labrador and to understand why teaching these traditions is important to keeping the history of our province in the minds of our youth.
Each day, there are a number of events that take place dealing with leadership. Along with the workshops, there are also keynote speakers that the students will be able to listen to. These speakers range from pop/contemporary singer Chantal Kreviazuk to the former premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Danny Williams.
The students are really responding well to these events.
“So far its been fairly decent,” said student volunteer Zach Gillette of Corner Brook. “I’ve met a lot of new people, and the overall experience is awesome, it’s just mind-blowing how nice everybody is from different places.”
It is easy to see why these types of events have become so prominent across Canada. It allows students from all walks of life to be able to experience the multicultural society that makes our country a standout on the world stage. From native rituals in the Pepsi Centre to workshops in the high school, the CSLC has organized an amazing experience for these youth who will eventually become the leaders of our country.
Exchanging words – and beads
