Sa-Hali and Westsyde Secondary Students Embrace UNESCO Values

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Students at Westsyde Secondary and Sa-Hali Secondary schools have been learning about leadership, sustainability, and human rights through their experience with UNESCO Youth Leadership clubs and conferences.   

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) works to empower schools and young leaders to uphold the UNESCO values of being inclusive, caring, safe, and sustainable.

Sa-Hali and Westsyde are both officially recognized as UNESCO schools. The UNESCO Associated Schools Network has over 10,000 associated schools in 180 countries around the world. UNESCO schools promote the ideals of UNESCO including valuing rights and dignity, gender equality, social progress, freedom, justice and democracy, respect for diversity, and international solidarity. Staff, teachers, and students in UNESCO schools are committed to education for sustainable development, global citizenship education, and inter-cultural and heritage learning.

At the beginning of May students from both schools attended the UNESCO Anglophone National Youth Conference with students from all over Canada.

Sa-Hali Secondary School

Story provided by Tiffany Hedges and Nichelle Penney

Students Tori Beeds, Kaitlyn Monteiro, Owen Clark, and Keiden Fletcher attended the UNESCO Anglophone National Youth Conference at Ecole Olds Secondary School, alongside educators Jim Beeds, Tiffany Hedges, and Nichelle Penney.

There were several thought-provoking presentations, including local professor Bertrand Bickersteth discussing anti racism by imparting historical knowledge of Canadian settlement patterns. Anti-ableism was also discussed with a speech by a Canadian Special Olympics athlete and gold medal winner, Cory Johnson.

Activities included a focus on fast fashion and repurposing used textile materials through a Repair Cafe, participating in a drumming circle, a history of the sitar instrument and intercultural understanding, a cultural sharing seminar and a nature walk with a local Indigenous leader who discussed the importance of land connection and understanding how we can positively interact with the land.

Student Tori Beeds remarked, “My favourite part of the conference was experiencing the repair cafe and the presentation on discourse and the history of black settlement in Alberta. I would like to host a repair cafe at my school. It was empowering to see a school that was so successful in implementing the UNESCO goals through student leadership and engagement.”

Kaitlyn Monteiro, another student stated: “The conference was an amazing chance to be a part of and I was so glad I got to experience it. I learned a lot and have widened my knowledge with others and hope to share what I have learned.”

Westsyde Secondary School

Story provided by Domenic Comita

This year, Westsyde Secondary (WSS) was officially recognized as a UNESCO school, one of only 10 schools in British Columbia to reach this prestigious distinction. Staff and students at WSS have worked hard to uphold the UNESCO values and goals through events and initiatives such as the Empty Bowls Fundraiser, The Butterfly Project (which raises awareness for the 1.5 million lives lost during the Holocaust), Earth Week, and recognizing other monthly International events at the school.

Grade 12 student Owen Clark and Grade 10 student Keiden Fletcher are both members of WSS UNESCO Club who meet every Friday and help plan and organize leadership projects and these important school events. Recently they both attended the UNESCO Anglophone National Youth Conference.

At the conference they participated in a drum circle, medicine walk, Indian classical music presentation, a performance about Indigenous culture and residential schools, repair cafes to learn about sustainability and the impacts of fast fashion, hands-on arts and crafts, coffee house talent shows, and many other activities. They also learned about the history of human rights, how to be an ally, and how disabilities can be made into possibilities and from various keynote speakers.

When asked what they gained from the conference, Owen shared, “I took away that people from all around the globe and our nation are working together towards the UNESCO goals… There’s a lot of people out there in UNESCO that want to make changes in the world and together you can help them make change… through UNESCO, I feel like you can actually make a difference.”

Keiden shared that his experience with UNESCO has provided opportunities to develop “leadership abilities and a sense of understanding and trying to understand other cultures.” When reflecting on WSS being recognized as a UNESCO Associated School he shared, “It's a big accomplishment.”