It certainly was an adventure for Grade 12 student Alisha Miskie.
Read more: Alberta gives $250K for Ukraine energy grid
She found herself headed to Ottawa to learn about citizenship and other key topics as part of Adventures in Citizenship.
The program offers high school students an opportunity to spend four days experiencing tours, lectures, discussions and social events designed to enhance their understanding and appreciation of Canadian citizenship.
Miskie was selected for the trip by the Rotary Club of Lloydminster.
“I heard about it through my dance teacher. The Rotary club just posted on Facebook about applicants,” she said. “I had to send in a letter of why I wanted to do this and then two reference letters with it then I got selected.”
Altogether, she said 175 students took part in the trip.
Heading from Edmonton to Ottawa, Miskie’s first day was packed with events.
“One of the first ones was Mr. Gilbert Whiteduck,” she explained. He was an Indigenous leader who spoke about how Canada and Indigenous people interact, noting Canada is still not fully complete because reconciliation remains unfinished.
“Then we had Jake Sawatsky, he’s one of Canada’s youngest MPs. He talked to us about the importance of having young people in the House of Commons as MPs to get our voices heard.”
His story resonated with Miskie, who has been uncertain about her own future.
“I don’t know what I want to do next year,” Miskie said. “It’s just cool to see that he had a totally different plan and he ended up as an MP and he really enjoys it.”
The group later hopped on a bus to tour Ottawa before sitting down for a traditional French-Canadian dinner.
Their second day took them to parliament hill.
“We went to Parliament Hill, some pages from the house of commons spoke and also the clerk and the speaker of the house of commons spoke,” she said. “They had a presentation with us and we were able to ask them questions.”
Following lunch, the students participated in a meet-and-greet with MPs and an afternoon activity before wrapping up the evening with a talent show.
On their third day in Ottawa, the students had the opportunity to take an optional campus tour of the University of Ottawa, as well as a tour of a local church.
“Then we heard from speakers about advocacy and how important it is to advocate for things that you want and how youth have a voice and can be heard,” Miskie said. “We learned about strategies for sharing our issues, we learned about an elevator conversation where you have a two-minute presentation on a problem.
“Then we had an activism through art session. I was really confused at the beginning because we just drew to music, but it turned out looking really cool.”
The presentations continued into the evening with another prominent guest.
“We had a speaker, which was the judge for the citizenship ceremony that happened the next morning,” she said.
The following day, they took in a citizenship ceremony where 35 people became Canadian citizens.
Looking back on the trip, Miskie said it was an eye-opening experience.
“I learned about being more open-minded and I learned about a lot of different problems in Canada and how people are trying to correct them,” she said. “It’s just interesting to see different people, mostly to go meet different people and learn their stories.”
She noted her favourite part of the trip was the chance to connect with her peers.
“My favourite memory would be meeting different people,” Miskie said. “Getting to talk to them about what they’re doing in their communities and different things they’re doing in their life.
“It inspired me to do more.”
She also thanked the Rotary Club of Lloydminster for making the trip possible.
“I’m really thankful to the Rotary club for sponsoring me,” she said.
The June 22 Rotary Club of Lloydminster meeting also featured the induction of two new members, George Coles and Jacie Borrebach.
Read more: Just Kruzin’ car show cruises into 18th year
