Youth Revolution students’ Canada 150 flag depicts their acts of citizenship

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2017 (3021 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Youth Revolution students from Vincent Massey High School and J.R. Reid School unveiled their custom designed Canadian flag on Tuesday, decorated with visual reminders of the different acts of citizenship they took part in together.

The sun came out just in time for the kids to unroll the flag for an audience of trustees, principals, teachers and community members, marking a successful project that started in Calgary.

In October, Youth Revolution was chosen by WestJet Cares for Kids to attend We Day in Calgary, and about 13 Vincent Massey students flew to the festivities.

“While we were there, Calgary Mayor (Naheed) Nenshi was onstage and he said to the whole stadium, ‘I really encourage all of you to do acts of citizenship in honour of Canada’s 150,’ and it really resonated with our group,” said Patricia Redekop, Vincent Massey teacher and Youth Revolution teacher-leader.

The students decided to pair up with their neighbouring school, J.R. Reid, walking over every couple of weeks to partner with the younger students and talk about what citizenship means.

“We talked about reconciliation, youth, environment, diversity and inclusion — and what that all means,” Redekop said. “We discussed how we can make sure we are good citizens and what acts of citizenship we could do under those four themes.”

Kids then went out into the world to make a difference, performing acts of citizenship that ranged from cutting their hair for cancer to smaller initiatives like shovelling driveways and donating clothes to charity.

“All these little acts mean a lot in the big picture,” Redekop said. “I’m very proud of the students, it’s really heartwarming to see how they connected with each other … and how they took pride in doing this all themselves.”

The students then decided to depict what they had done in art form, Redekop said, drawing pictures and symbols that represented their acts of citizenship. The Vincent Massey media arts class then put it together on canvas.

“It was good that we got to meet new students that are also in Youth Revolution, work with them and share ideas, help each other out to create the Canada flag,” Grade 9 student Vernice Merino said.

The students sent an invitation to Mayor Nenshi so he could see how his single comment snowballed into a greater project, but due to scheduling conflicts he was not able to attend.

He did, however, send a personalized video congratulating the students on a job well done.

“I wish I was in Brandon with you today, I am so excited to hear the students from Vincent Massey’s Youth Revolution team came to We Day in Calgary and were inspired,” Nenshi said via video. “You made me so happy that the message of service is resonating across the country, because that’s what the acts of citizenship in honour of Canada’s 150 is all about. In this sometimes scary and sometimes broken world, it’s about Canadians saying we’re celebrating our milestone because we believe in humanity … we believe that the future of humanity is community, and that the future of community is service.”

» edebooy@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @erindebooy