Youth Day tries to increase understanding

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It was a different kind of school day in Balcarres.

Instead of coming to class when the bells rang, they came to learn when the honor song was played.

That kicked off the Scenic Valley school division's second annual Youth Day, held at Balcarres school March 19.

More than 400 students in Grades 10, 11 and 12 came to Balcarres school for the event, where First Nations and non-First Nations students came to learn more about each other's cultures, and where students would learn more about the issues and history that has shaped First Nations culture in Saskatchewan.

"What we can do is expose them to some ideas and new role models, and encourage them to talk to each other," said Pat Lyster, the Scenic Valley school division's director of student services.

This year, the students were involved in planning the event, and requested a broader spectrum of programs for the day, said Lyster.

"We invited student planners to help with the planning. The day is in part a reflection of their wishes. This year there's a much stronger multi-cultural aspect to the event.

"For instance, in the racism section there's a First Nations and a non-First Nations representative. The students have asked that the emphasis be on our similarities, not our differences."

The participating students also learned more about the treaties-including Treaty 4, which area bands signed in 1874-as well as how the different cultures have interpreted them, said Mike Starr, a Star Blanket band councilor who also helped organize the event.

"The students have asked for the meaning of the treaties, the legalities," he said. "They're going to explain that as well as the spirit in which the treaties were intended."

In addition, students sat through presentations on how the education system in non-Aboriginal society has treated First Nations people, said Starr. Many of the stories Elders told the students were shocking, he added, including accounts of the experience of Aboriginal people within residential schools.

In a lot of cases, the session leaders used a lot of humor, as did the guest speaker, Don Burnstick, an Edmonton-based comedian and guest speaker. He told jokes and stories about First Nations' life as well as different ways each culture tends to see the other.

The Scenic Valley school division has about 1,200 students enrolled in schools in Balcarres, Grenfell, and North Valley. About 40 per cent of the enrollment is made up of First Nations children.

In Balcarres school, about 55 per cent of the school's enrollment is from First Nations.