The Citizen, 2006-01-26, Page 20Making a difference
Students for Social Justice at St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School faced the committee of
the whole at Huron County council to request support for their resolution that clean drinking
water is a human right. Back row, from left: Stephanie Scholten, supervising teacher, Alecia
Drummond, Rachel Scholten, Ms Weirnink. Front row, from left: Mary-Anne Carter, Keltie
Sabin, Tara O'Reilly, Kathleen Hosang, Brittany Becker. Missing from photo are Dave
Devlaminck, Anna Thomas, Amanda Feeney and Ms. Kappler. (Heather Crawford photo)
MVCA website gets attention
2006
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PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2006.
High school students out to make
a difference, lobby council
By Heather Crawford
Citizen staff
Anna Thomas and Amanda
Feeney are'two Grade 12 students at
St. Anne's. Catholic Secondary
School who aren't afraid to admit
their goal is to save the world.
The pair are part of Students for
Social Justice, a group which
gathers to discuss serious social
issues around the world and at
home.
Recently, several students from
the group made a presentation to
county council's committee of the
whole about the lack of access to
clean drinking water around the
world.
They asked Canadian
municipalities to assist in the
group's effort to have the federal
government recognize water as a
common good and access to
drinking water as a basic human
right.
The presentation was made on
Monday, Jan. 9 and council
approved the request.
"It's really nerve racking,"
Thomas said about making the
presentation as well as plans for
more presentations to different
municipalities within the county.
"But [after the presentation I would
think] 'I just spoke to people who
are going to take my ideas and then
they are going to go home and think
about what I said.' It's an amazing
feeling."
Getting other students interested
and involved in issues that affect
people around the world is not
always easy.
"I think you can say something is
bad and donate money specifically
to help but political action is more
than that. There is good and there is
bad and you have to decide where
you stand," Thomas said.
Feeney said she feels young
people are more interested in issues.
that are more serious.
"When tht 'cause .is something
serious .like child soldiers then
[young people get interested
because] it's something we don't
have to deal with and we realize how
lucky we are. It's not taxes or
healthcare or something we've been
hearing about but never had to have
an opinion on. It's something big,"
Feeney said.
Stephanie Scolten, the teacher
supervising and leading the group,
said the students did most of the
work for the presentations
themselves.
"They got the research going. We
presented them with some options
and things we thought maybe they
should look at," she said.
"Certainly at our school our
teachers taught us a sense of the
world-as a whole and what affects
one part usually affects another,"
Thomas said. "If you don't look
around at examples of what is
happening around the world then
you don't know what's the best
example for us."
The girls' passion towards the
issue of clean safe water around the
Continued from page 19
probation after pleading guilty to
impersonating someone to avoid a
provincial offences act charge.
William Sorbara was stopped for
speeding on McNaught Line April
27.
He said he had left his driver's
licence in his brother's car but
presented a 12-year-old licence and
world is obvious when talking with
them.
"[It's upsetting to] think about all
the places where water is actually
privatized and you have to pay for it
at these outrageous prices," Thomas
said Man alarmed tone. "I mean one
in six people don't have access to
clean water, which if you look at the
room we are in you can just number
them off and that many people
wouldn't have access to clean
water."
"When any [student] can just walk
down the hall and take a drink from
the water fountain which is perfectly
good water and then we buy bottled
water because we don't like the
taste," Feeney added.
"It is so ridiculous because we
have this wonderful, wonderful
water and yet we waste it, we buy
other water when other people don't
have it," Thomas said.
Thomas and Feeney are planning
on continuing their concern for what
is happening around the world well
after graduation.
They both plan on attending
university in the fall. Thomas would
like to study English literature and
philosophy while Feeney would like
to study political science.
As for the Students for Social
Justice they would like to reach out
to more campaigns.
"We also need to do more things
in the school," Scolten said. "We're
reaching out to the community.
We're global and local. So it's not
just child soldiers, it's also this
water issue that is globally and
locally an issue."
"We have to take it one step at a
time," Feeney said. "Because we
have to wait until this is done. There
is a lot to be done. Each presentation
is a big buildup and it's really nerve-
racking at the time and then you get
out and you have to do it again."
Both girls say they are grateful to
have found a group •that shares their
passions for making a difference in
the world.
"These kind of groups actually
give you the resources [to take
action] because we both always
thought something should be _done
but when we actually have the
resources it's a very satisfying
feeling knowing that you can do
something and that you have the
choice. Having a group like that is
really, really beneficial," Feeney
said.
"When we're in our meetings [we
usually agree on the same things].
That's the kind of environment we
were in and that's why when we
went out we were pretty nervous
because what if these people don't
agree," Thomas said.
But she didn't let herself worry
too much. "I think [if you give
people] hard-hitting facts they can
connect the dots for themselves."
Somehow in the midst of studying
for exams, getting into university
and being teenagers; these girls are
finding a way to, make a difference.
"Changing the world is such a
cliché," Thomas said. "But I mean
this is how it's done."
birth certificate to the officers. The
documents actually belonged to his
cousin.
Sorbara told police he had tried to
mislead police because his licence
had been suspended as a result of
fines.
He was given a conditional
discharge and placed on 12 months
probation.
Guelph man on probation
after impersonating relative
Continued from page 1
and pollution, he said require long-
term approaches and financial
support helps the authority maintain
its ability to assist municipalites
with these issues.
Other work done by the
conservation authority is in the areas
of clean water, productive soils,
healthy forests and conservation
education.
He spoke of the My Land Our
Water Service which uses air photos
of properties in the watershed for a
number of purposes.
There have been many hits on this
website, he said.
"It is definitely being used and we
plan to market that service more in
2006."
Offering more details into the
budget, Beard said this year MVCA
was dividing the budget into
operations ($1.2 million) and
programs ($945,000).
The total levy is $702,458.
In passing the motion to approve
the levy, councillors expressed
support of the conservation
authority and its work.
"It would cost us a lot more if we
had to pay someone to do what they
do," said councillor Jim Campbell