Samara's "Profiles in Civics" is a new blog series exploring civics education in Canada. Through Q&A discussions with educators, innovators, students and non-profit leaders, our goal is to shed light on some of the common challenges and exciting developments in this important field of study. 

We begin today with Bill Conconi, executive director of the Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors. Mr. Conconi was instrumental in the development of Student Councils 2.0, a national initiative that works with high school students to develop new and improved models for student councils. Launched in January 2011 with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Student Councils 2.0 currently runs pilot projects in 12 schools across Canada.

What is Student Councils 2.0?
Student Councils 2.0 is an attempt to rebuild Student Councils as democratic, representative and responsible student bodies in schools. Councils over the last 20 years have moved away from being elected, representative bodies and have become more “Leadership Class” oriented where all are welcome and the focus is on doing “good” things in their schools and communities - almost like a youth focused service organization. Many are no longer “elected/selected” by the student body and they as a result have no need to represent or speak for. The rest of the students in the school do not see councils as “their” student government.

Where did the idea for the project come from?
The idea for a rework of councils came from a focus group, pulled together in the Library of Parliament, to look at the declining involvement of young people in the democracy of Canada. It was determined that one of the ways young people are exposed to democracy is through their student councils. The group concluded that with some changes to the existing student council model, students would benefit from a more empowered democratic process that would lead them to feel more engaged, represented and connected to Canada’s parliamentary system of government.

What kind of activities does Student Councils 2.0 involve?
Activities to date included a survey involving about 1400 participants from the pilot schools used to develop a baseline as to how they felt engaged in the process of democracy in their schools. This was followed up by three regional consultations with members of the student teams across the country and then in-school elections held in May/June for the 2011-2012 school year. Students are currently involved in creating resources that can be used to support the process and to be available for use as we move out to more schools to expand the concept. They will be focusing on: The role of Council in a school, developing constitutions, setting goals, building and managing budgets, and communications, both within the schools and with the larger community. As a part of this process we have implemented a weekly survey process to inform the development of these resources. All students involved will have a say. We have also been working with DECODE out of Toronto in building the surveys, conducting the consultations, and holding interviews with key stakeholders (District Administrators, Board Members, School Administrators, and Teachers/Advisors)

How do these activities get kids involved in broader engagement activities, say, in the communities where the schools are located?
What we are looking to do, in a very broad and practical way, is to engage students fully in a “democratic” process. Our assumption is that engagement in this manner while “in” school will lead to further engagement once they “leave” school. Currently many students are involved in “service” projects outside of school and often continue in this manner when they graduate.

How does this project encourage students who might not be interested in politics – or who feel they don’t have "what it takes" to be a leader - to get involved in student council?
If a school is democratically engaged, it is not necessary to be “elected” or to be a “leader” to be involved. All students will vote, all can be heard at “town hall” style meetings, all will have a chance to bring issues and concerns forward to their representatives and to receive reports back as needed.

What’s  the next step for Student Councils 2.0?
The current phase is the “resource development phase”. Next will be a follow up survey to check for change, personal evaluations and to again hold elections for the next school year. We are also considering our options as to how to expand the project to more schools given the resources developed and the lessons learned.

Were you on a high school or university student council? Why or why not? Post a comment telling us about your experience with student government, and how it shaped your engagement with politics later in life.