What makes these students unique is that their ideas don’t simply go into a suggestion box. They go right to the Minister of Education.
Tropea is one of 63 students who represent the Catholic, French and public school boards as members of the province’s Ontario Student Advisory Council. Established in 2008, the council is open to students from Grade 7 through 12 who go through an application process before ministry staff select the candidates.
“The Ministry of Education believes that students have the right to be heard and given the opportunity to be consulted about decisions that impact them,” said Gary Wheeler, ministry spokesperson.
“All partners, including students, have an essential role to play in improving schools and the education system as a whole.”
Tropea, the Catholic representative from Thunder Bay, says it is important that the adults who formulate education policy and the curriculum give students a spot at the table.
“If you’re sitting around a table with a bunch of people who haven’t been to high school in years, and with times changing so much, they are never going to hear a student’s voice,” she said. “They are never going to get a (student) opinion on topics like mental health awareness. There was such a stigma on that when they were in high school that it wasn’t even an issue and now it is such a big issue.”
Tropea is passionate about raising mental health awareness.
“Suicide rates are climbing. When I was at the meeting in Toronto recently, every single student at that meeting could have given at least one example of being directly affected by someone in their life who has had a mental illness,” said the Grade 11 student from St. Ignatius High School.
“Catholic or non-Catholic, you are affected by it. Without being educated in these fields of illness then you are never going to be able to help people the way that God asks you to help people.”
Tropea said she feels her high school is doing a great job at spreading mental health awareness and supporting students currently suffering. But she said more can, and needs, to be done — and done earlier.
“We feel that getting students educated at an earlier age on mental awareness would be beneficial for all students because getting them educated before they hit high school is pretty much the only way you can educate them early,” said Tropea.
Next school year the council will speak directly to the minister on two occasion and will have several other opportunities to weigh in via virtual communication. Tropea intends to raise the subject of spreading mental health education to students in elementary school.
The council will meet again in August to finalize recommendations they’ll be making in the 2013-14 school year. Tropea hopes to benefit from the experience in several ways.
“I hope that it will help me make friends, make memories and also make me feel like I can actually make a difference in this world,” she said. “I have the chance to address things and hopefully make a change which is so inspiring and such a good opportunity for someone my age.”