Holy Redeemer has always prided itself on the work done by their students, not only in school, but in their community as a whole. More than that, HRH is extremely proud that one of their students, Maya Dalueg, is now being recognized provincially for being accepted into the Minister of Education’s Youth Council.
Dalueg, who is currently in grade 11, was one of 40 students from across the province to be selected to the prestigious Council. “I was inspired to apply for the Minister's Youth Council for a few reasons,” she says. “My first reason was my curiosity and hopes in learning more about our education system since it actively impacts my everyday life. Since this does largely impact my life, I wanted to provide my personal experiences within our education system and in doing so, from a rural perspective.”
The application process was lengthy, consisting of various questions which included her involvement in the community, unique perspectives she could provide, the various leadership roles she has had, and what she is passionate about with regards to the education system. “A few months later I was selected out of the approximately 200 that applied for a zoom interview. Another 2 months go by and I received my acceptance letter.”
The Council’s first meeting was held in October in Edmonton where they covered topics such as the education system and the students. “We had presentations regarding leadership to advise us throughout the weekend as well as a presentation on indigenous teachings,” Dalueg says. “We received a tour of the legislature and were accompanied by MLA Sinclair. We spent some time discussing and learning about the stakeholders in our education system and brainstormed common issues we see within our school and what stakeholders could play a role in assisting with this issue.” Beyond this, Dalueg’s group discussed mental health and connected it to all levels of our education system and community support.
“The most interesting workshop we participated in was by Alberta Health Services on tobacco, vaping, synthetic nicotine and cannabis use in and around schools. We reported on what we find is most commonly used, what location in terms of a school where it is most commonly found and the effects we are seeing it has on our peers. I believe all of our discussions were insightful and it was interesting to compare my educational experiences to others around the province.”
Dalueg is no stranger to being involved in school and community activities as she has been on the Edson Youth Council for the past several years, is an avid-volunteer of the March 4 A Cure Program at HRH, can be seen performing on stage in HRH’s plays, and works as a lifeguard at the Leisure Centre, on top of maintaining high achievement levels in her her classes. “Maya has all the attributes for being an excellent leader in our school and community,” says HRH Teacher Peter Taylor. “She is highly respected by her peers, and we can always count on her to bring her well thought out ideas to the table in such a mature manner. Our community should be very proud to have Maya as our representative on this Council.”
When asked what Dalueg hopes to bring to the table, she says she plans to bring up the discrepancies between rural and urban areas. “Coming from a rural area of the province and from a smaller school, I believe I am knowledgeable in this area. Through talking to other students at the last meeting I learned that almost all urban schools offer AP classes which in turn help once you get to university. At my school and many other rural schools, offering these courses is unheard of. We recognize this could be due to lack of staffing and hope to create incentives for rural work opportunities. Throughout the duration of the term I want to continue working towards opportunities for rural students. At the end of our last meeting, myself and other rural students had the privilege to express these concerns in a briefing note addressed to the Minister of Education.”
Dalueg will continue her work with the Council as the school year progresses, with her next meeting scheduled for the end of January via Zoom.