16 year old student remains involved

Sabrina Kooistra
Times Junior Contributor

 

Community-minded Jonathan Moore, a 16-year-old student at Strathmore High School (SHS), has recently been added to Strathmore’s sustainability committee as the youngest person on any municipal board in town.
At a young age, Moore demonstrated a keen interest in politics and volunteerism. As a member of Strathmore Assembly of Youth (SAY) and a leader in making amendments and promoting awareness for an anti-bullying bylaw, he has been making an impact as a young ambassador for Strathmore and his high school.
When Moore was seeking membership, the sustainability board’s mission stood out to him. The community-oriented and revitalization side of this committee is something that Moore felt was very important and saw that this would be a good fit. His commitment to this board will ensure that youth are heard when making important decisions for their future.
In addition to municipal leadership, Moore recently attended Forum for Young Albertans in Edmonton from April 17th to 23rd. The annual program focuses on three pillars: law; politics; and media, and students took part in various engaging activities, simulations, and sessions in order to better understand these important topics. The program was attended by 23 like-minded, young political enthusiasts from across Alberta who were able to make connections and collaborate with one another.
“It was a great environment to be around, the people … they all thought the exact same way, like there needs to be change and I want to learn how I can make change personally”, Moore said.
One of the things Moore took away from this experience was being able to watch provincial politicians at work outside of the eye of the media, something that he is hoping to merge into as an international businessman or lawyer.
“I feel that politicians get a lot of flack that they really don’t deserve … they don’t have an easy job for sure, and even if you don’t respect their opinions, you’ve got to respect what they’re doing … after this experience, I really saw firsthand how hard a lot of the politicians work to stay on top of their game, to represent their constituents, and to bring valid points into the legislature to be discussed.”
Voted the head of his group’s party, the “Progressive Opportunist Party”, Moore was singled out by other participants as a natural leader, and together they were able to voice their opinions on various bills they created in a mock parliament held inside the Chamber.
“I feel like I am more well-rounded and well-prepared to discuss issues that are affecting my community and my province and I feel like now it gave me connections and a way to voice my opinions and to voice the opinions of others.”
To any students who are interested in attending a program such as Forum for Young Albertans, Moore says, “I just definitely feel that one of the reasons you should go is to make connections that you can develop … it was a great experience. I definitely learned a lot.”