“I came here today, on the eve of what is arguably one of the most consequential elections in my country’s history, to talk with you all, not about politics, or to debate the issues of the day,” he said. “But hopefully to give you some insight on how to achieve your dreams. I was once you. I sat in those very pews, played the same sports, took the same classes, and even had a lot of the same teachers. And when I stood in your shoes, I would wonder to myself, ‘What is my future going to look like, and who am I going to be?’”

 

All 140 of Shawnigan’s Grade 10 students took part in the conference, alongside approximately 240 students from 11 other schools on the Island, as well as the visiting delegation from Sacré-Coeur in Angers, France. The conference took place on United Nations Day, which commemorates the official creation of the UN on October 24, 1945. The Global Goals Conference is centred around the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development goals, and this year’s event featured sessions discussing nine of them, including a dedicated French language session about combatting climate change.

 

“Part of the challenge set to each student participant is that they need, in advance, to research and prepare to represent their assigned country’s perspective,” Shawnigan Head of School Mr. Larry Lamont wrote in his welcome to participants. “Students are expected to see through the lens of others and to enter into respectful dialogue towards developing understanding, exploring solutions to complex issues, and learning the strength of compromise – critical skills for you to develop.”

 

Thank you to the many staff and students who helped organize the Global Goals Conference, in particular the Secretariat made up of senior students in the Model UN program: Secretary-General Sorath R., as well as Jarvis L., Aven T., Iñaki V., Kateryna I., Desi S., Finlay H., Shannon C., Brynn H. and Maya S.