During BC Youth Week, a yearly provincial celebration of youth held at the beginning of May, we spoke with Kit Shaw (15), who participated in The Circle Education’s Respect Project in Grade 7 and drew on her experiences in the program to earn a place at the Forum for Young Canadians National Summit this past March.
Only 300 students are accepted each year at The Forum for Young Canadians National Summit, and participants are selected based on the responses they provide in their applications. Kit impressed the admission office with her essay about the work of The Circle Education on Salt Spring Island. One of the questions on the application form for the Forum was: Which programs have a positive impact on your community? “I immediately thought about the Respect Project,” says Kit, who was in the Respect Program in Grade 7 when she just moved from England to Canada.
“In the Respect Program, the facilitators create space for conversations that you normally don’t have in school, but are very important to youth”, Kit continues. “We talked about friendships, consent and boundaries, just to mention a few. You basically learn to have respect for other people’s views, opinions and ideas and to have open conversations with them. When you have conversations in the circle, it also makes it easier to talk about problems you might have, and that is the first step to tackling those issues.”
Kit, who is now in Grade 10 and attending the Saturna Ecological Education Center (SEEC) on Saturna Island, was part of the Forum Young Canadians National Summit last March. “It is an opportunity for action-oriented youth to come together and learn a bit more about what civil engagement means,” says Kit, who grew up around climate advocacy and activism, as her mom’s work is centred around environmental communication and ethical marketing. “I wasn’t so much into politics before. I always thought it was quite stuffy, but my week in Ottawa changed my perspective. I am interested in making a difference in my community, and I feel like politics is the way to get things done.”
Kit’s experience highlights how programs like The Circle Education’s Respect Project create space for young people to build the skills and confidence that stay with them as they grow and take on new opportunities.
“There were a lot of kids at the forum who are high-achievers, and I felt a little out of my depth, coming from a small community like Salt Spring. But I am still in contact with them, and it’s great to see what they are doing,” she looks back. “It inspires me to be active in my community. The biggest impact you can have is where you are, I believe. I would describe myself as a person with lots of interests and little experience, and I am excited to find out in which direction that will take me.”
