Future voters engage in civic education

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This article was published 29/09/2023 (1076 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the leadup to the provincial election, young students in Brandon are actively participating in the Student Vote Manitoba program, a civic literacy initiative designed to instil the values of active and informed citizenship.

The innovative program allows students who are not yet of voting age to experience the democratic process first-hand by casting ballots for official candidates in a parallel election.

“Participating schools received a variety of non-partisan educational materials to teach about government and the election process. We encourage research and discussion about the issues and candidates,” chief program officer Dan Allan told the Sun. “Student Vote is an experiential civic literacy program that aims to cultivate the habits of active citizenship among students.”

He disclosed that eight schools in Brandon have joined the program. They are École Secondaire Neelin High School, Riverview School, Betty Gibson School, Earl Oxford School, Kirkcaldy Heights School, Riverheights School, Christian Heritage School and King George School.

“These institutions have embraced the initiative by integrating election-related lessons into their curriculum, using worksheets, handouts, slides and videos to educate students about the democratic process,” he added.

Allan explained that a notable aspect of Student Vote Manitoba is that it transforms students into election workers, allowing them to take on roles typically carried out by adults during a real election. He added that they prepare to cast their “mock vote” ballots with the names of the official candidates, gaining practical insights into the electoral process.

The enthusiasm of the students and schools in Brandon is evident in their active participation. For instance, École Secondaire Neelin High School shared its excitement through social media, inviting students to vote on “STUDENT VOTE DAY.” The message expressed gratitude to @civix_canada for providing valuable educational resources and ballots.

“Teachers from grades 5-8 have been integrating the lessons on the Student Vote website into their Social Studies and ELA curriculums, as it offers many connections to the outcomes in those curriculums,” Kirkcaldy Heights School’s continuous improvement coach, Jeneane Kirwan, told the Sun.

She said that some of the key lessons and activities students have been engaged in to learn about the election process are Voting in a Democracy — why we vote; Learning about the political parties — what they are and who the leaders are, Viewing videos of political leaders’ responses to questions that were asked of them, Voting Process — learning about the voting process in Manitoba.

“Many teachers are showing enthusiasm about the vote as they teach the lessons to their students, and many students are showing interest and asking great questions about the political parties and the voting process,” she said. “It’s been a great way to get students involved at a young age so that they learn the importance of voting and being informed voters.”

She added that the students are especially enthusiastic about physically going to the mock-voting poll to cast their vote for one of the candidates today.

Across the province, Allan stated that the civic education initiative has gained significant traction, as more than 380 schools from all 57 electoral divisions in Manitoba have registered to participate in Student Vote Manitoba.

It is estimated that as many as 25,000 elementary and secondary students will cast their Student Vote ballots ahead of the official election day on Oct. 3.

“The results of Student Vote Manitoba will not go unnoticed. They will be tabulated and publicly released following the conclusion of the official election,” he added.

“These results will provide insights into the preferences of young Manitobans, including seat counts and popular vote statistics for each party, as well as detailed breakdowns by electoral division and individual school tallies.”

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