Youth in Action summit comes to Aylmer
Laurent Robillard-Cardinal
D’Arcy McGee High School welcomed hundreds of National Capital Region students on February 10 to take part in the Youth in Action summit. This special event aimed to help students learn about human rights, the plight of refugees, the environment, and much more, all from specialists in the field working for various organizations.
The day started with the first Keynote speaker Ryan Hreljac, Founder of Ryan’s Well Foundation which builds water wells across the world in developing countries. Following the hour long speech, students continued on with the first breakout session. Students could choosefrom a dozen 45-minute workshops on a whole range of related subjects.
For example, one workshop on homelessness featured three speakers, one researcher and two workers in the field. During the workshop they talked about poverty, policy and people. The speakers confident the end of homelessness could be achieved in a decade, also addressed the perception of homeless individuals and the reality of shelters. They illustrated that the homeless population consists of many different people from various backgrounds and that it’s not simply “one face”.
The speakers informed the dozen students present that 45% of the homeless population are women and that half of homeless people are employed. Students also participated in activities to give them an idea just how difficult it is to live within a budget similar to that of a homeless person.
The final event was a speech by keynote speaker Hilary Homes, who works as Amnesty International’s Campaigner on International Justice, Security & Human Rights, the Arms Trade and MENA. Over the years, Homes has worked and volunteered with various organizations, such as the Canadian Red Cross, the United Nations Association and War Child Canada.
The conference is aimed at creating awareness among young people about important local and global humanitarian and environmental issues.
