Students at Pleasantdale School were given a crash course in municipal politics by a familiar face from the Estevan city council. Incumbent councillor Trevor Knibbs visited students on Oct. 19 to explain, discuss and demonstrate the how city council and municipal politics work.
Students were given the low-down on the various roles within, and associated with city council, using Estevan’s council as an example.
The visit entailed a great deal of questions from curious, engaged students. Knibbs later had students take seats arranged in the room to form an imitation council meeting, assigning students roles of councillors, mayor, and members of city staff.
This hands-on demonstration allowed students to put themselves into the positions of municipal politicians and staff, learning from experience about the duties and responsibilities associated with those roles.
Knibbs said he was glad to see the students enjoying the lesson, noting he thought it important to involve them in the municipal level of government.
“It’s important for people to know how things are passed in council, and how they can get their point across to council as citizens,” he said. “It’s good to know that at this age, they know what to expect when they’re older, and at the age to vote.”
Once students were comfortable with the purviews of their positions, they were guided through several imitation proposals by Knibbs, learning about how funding for certain initiatives is obtained. They also learned about the kinds of decisions that need to be made, when deciding where to invest, as well as the feasibility and consequences of those investments and decisions, once they’re made.
Students, acting as members of council learned how to make and pass motions for decisions to be made or rejected. The focus of the activity was how students enacted council protocol in scenarios Kibbs provided for them, including a hypothetical call for updates to the local skate park, or an adaptations of a real-life scenario faced by the city: the damage done to the ice plant at Affinity Place by the flooding that happened this past summer.
“Bringing the politicians who are part of the political process to the students instead of talking about them is a great way to get rid of voter apathy,” said Kaitlin Taves, a social studies teacher for Grades 6, 7 and 8. “I want to offer my students a feeling of more access to the political process and the government, because a lot of people feel like they don’t have that understanding of what’s going on.”
Taves said she wants her students to feel they know how the government works, and she said it was a disservice to just tell them how it works.
“They’ll have a better idea, and feel more confident in becoming part of the democratic process,” said Taves. “I’m proud of the kids, because they caught on well, even to the more difficult concepts.”
