The Halton Catholic District School Board’s Student Senate will host its second annual Leadership Symposium titled, Come Alive! A Conference for Change. The event will take place at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School, 124 Dorval Drive, Oakville, on May 6, 2011, providing an exciting end to this year's Catholic Education Week.

The event is entirely planned and facilitated by Student Senators, prominent leaders within their respective schools, with the intent of providing students with information that will increase their awareness of various issues within their schools and in the broader community.

It is expected that the conference will welcome 160 student leaders from schools across the Board, their teachers, and several guests from the Ministry of Education and the Ontario government. New to the event this year, is the inclusion of elementary school students.

"This year, we wanted to extend our invitation past the secondary school level, because it is important that students enter Grade 9 confident in their leadership potential, and inspired to bring about positive change," says North Halton Student Trustee and Student Senate Co-Chair, Christiane Peric. 

The day's activities will commence with the celebration of the Eucharist. Afterwards, secondary school student delegates will have the opportunity to take part in three senator-led workshops of their choice. These workshops are based on the themes of bullying, poverty within our own community, equity and inclusion, mental health, human dignity and effective communication, which were decided upon through consultation with students through various activities throughout the year. The workshops are designed to be highly engaging and interactive in order to get students thinking about these issues.

Elementary school students will join their secondary school peers at lunch, by contributing to the Speak Up Project Showcase, a carousel that will highlight and celebrate the incredible achievements of student leaders through Speak Up grants awarded by the Ministry of Education, followed by a workshop with the Board's three student trustees on how to get involved in secondary school. The day will conclude with a keynote address from Me to We's Scott Hammell, who will discuss the importance of challenging yourself and pursuing your dreams.
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