Ross Glen student Meritt Haland poses for a portrait alongside his presentation on food insecurity on Wednesday. News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Ross Glen students demonstrated what it means to be active, engaged citizens on Wednesday at the Build a Better Medicine Hat showcase.
The project is part of their active citizenship unit in Grade 5 social studies, in which students have been learning the value of being part of a community and giving back to those they share the city with, says teacher Michael Tschritter.
“What they started out by doing is learning what it means to be a citizen in our community, how citizens can give back,” said Tschritter. “For example, they visited the Root Cellar, so they had the opportunity to see how community organizations make a difference.”
Each student was asked to identify and make a presentation on a social issue of their choice, how it affects different people within the city and what they could do as a student to make a difference.
Students were asked what they saw as real benefits of living in Medicine Hat as a student, followed by what they wanted to see be even better, which is what gives the showcase its name.
“They are practising so many skills,” said Tschritter. “They practice collaboration, they have to practise research skills, but they also used a lot of soft skills such as empathy and how they can give back to their community, also how important it is to be actively involved within civic initiatives.”
Issues selected varied, including taxes, homelessness and food insecurity. Student Meritt Haland told the News about his plan to help combat the disparity between supply and demand at the Root Cellar in Medicine Hat.
“People have double, maybe even triple jobs, but still don’t have enough money to afford food,” said Haland. “There’s only one food bank in Medicine Hat, and that is the Root Cellar. They serve, on average, 4,000 people a month. My action plan goal is to get more people to donate money and food so the Root Cellar can help more people.”
His plan details spreading awareness over social media, posters and word of mouth to encourage more people to donate to the Root Cellar to increase their capacity, though he does also suggest the city may benefit from a second community pantry or food bank.
Haland explains that hunger affects many different kinds of people in the city, from parents struggling to feed their children healthy options to teachers trying to support students who lack enough food at home.
“This is a pretty big issue in our community, so I felt that I should try to help with it,” said Haland.
The event was attended by more than 35 community partners, including Mayor Linnsie Clark and members of council, Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede ambassadors and members of Medicine Hat fire and police services.
Being able to hear from students has been inspiring and refreshing, says Coun. Stuart Young.
“We’re getting to hear about the things that matter to these kids, who are still pretty idealistic. It’s exciting to see that, and there are some really good ideas here,” said Young. “Kids can show us so much. I’ve probably heard four or five kids talk about homelessness. It’s so important for me to see that this is something that they care about, and I appreciate their perspective.”
