•  a major national conference for students, once a year at the end of August in Canada's Capital;
• a year-long program that supports and trains students in their efforts to implement their ideas after the conference to make presentations based upon what they learned at the conference;
• exchanges, mini-conferences, educational seminars and workshops modeled on the national conference; in their own schools and communities
• planning and recruiting for national conferences.

Conference Information

For Whom? (Finding participants) Students, teachers and schools. High school aged . What? In-school, regional and national conferences that encourage young Canadians to discuss the issues of the day, learn each others' views, and together writhe reports with recommendation for student action and government policy. Where? In your school, community or region; and/or in Canada's Capital.  When? During the school year, as appropriate; and/or at a national conference held every year in August. Why? Contribute to student empowerment. Developing leadership and organizational skills among the young. Creating a flexible, hands-on program for promoting: understanding; the discussion of Canadian issues and government policy; and proactive problem solving. To engage Canadian youth from all sectors of society in sustainable action for the betterment of their communities and their country;

To enable Canadian youth to discuss, explore and take action on resolving "Equal Access to Resources" in Canada and to eliminate the barriers to meaningful participation of all young people in the society of the new millennium; To enable Canadian youth to gain equitable access to the information, skills and technologies necessary for productive and meaningful participation in society; To enable Canadian youth to gain experience, knowledge and a mutual understanding of themselves; To build and sustain a cross country network of youth committed to and active in building a better future for themselves and for their peers. What Do You Want To Do? Choosing a conference format A conference can be a local, one-day gathering or it can be a full-scale national convention that brings together people from across the country. Obviously, to create a forum for students from across Canada, you will need to do a lot of work and invite delegates from different provinces. Or you can organize a simpler conference. In any case, the first decision is one of scale. Evaluate your resources and in-school support. Decide how many students your resources can support.  We'll give you models for each of the following options: single school, one-day conference; regional schools, one- to three-day conference; interprovincial, three- to six-day conference with schools from other provinces and territories.

Youth Speaks Canada Listens

We recognize that education is the key to unity. Ignorance is the cause most of our problems. We have discovered here that when people begin to get to know each other, we can reach compromises. (1991 National Youth Conference.)

 Join The Students Commission

We, a group of volunteer adults have "commissioned" our youth to take on the challenges we face together no matter what our backgrounds, our beliefs, our languages, our heritage. We invite you to join The Student Commission and be part of a national students network. When we share our strengths, understand and respect our differences, and problem solve together we can achieve great things.

The Students Commission is not a "formal" commission; it's a commission for students, originally created by a dedicated group of volunteer adults who believe in youth's energy, enthusiasm and power to change things for the better. We made up our minds to create opportunities for our youth, and to be there to assist, with whatever technical skills and advice youth need to carry out their ideas.

Want to see more pictures from conferences CLICK HERE

Want to attend a conference? You can apply online at www.tgmag.ca, to fill out the application form online.

Conference Timeline ( some of the reports need a pdf reader in order to be viewed, you must have Acrobat pdf Reader to view Banff, SR2000 1998 and 2000 reports)

SC Conference ( 1991 )

• The Students Commission's very first national conference was held at Humber College on May 30-June 4 1991.
• 273 high school students from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: Drug, alcohol, tobacco, Canada's environment, promises, problems and opportunities of education, literacy and numeracy, vandalism, violence, injustice, unity and native concerns.
• National Report was created which included the students' recommendations.

SC Conference ( 1992 )

• The Students Commission's second conference was held in Ottawa in August of 1992.
• Over 230 high school students from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: concerns of Western Canada, concerns of Atlantic Canada, concerns of Native Peoples, concerns about racism.
• National Report was created which included the students' recommendations.

SC Conference ( 1993 )

• The Students Commission's third conference was held at Carleton University in Ottawa in August 12 through 18 of 1993.
• 200 high school students from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: images of youth in the media, racism and conflict resolution, youth and the environment, and the Young Offenders Act.
• National Report was created which included the students' recommendations.
• [Click here to view 1993 Report ]

SC Conference ( 1994 )

• The Students Commission's fourth conference was held in Ottawa on August 11 through 17 of 1994.
• Over 230 high school students attended.
• Main issues: youth employment, violence in society, gender issues, and education.
• National Report was created which included the students' recommendations, includes a mentor project created by the youth.
• [ Click here to view 1994 Report ]

SC Conference ( 1995 )

• The Students Commission's fifth conference was held in Ottawa in August of 1995.
• Over 200 high school students from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: identity and culture, global pressures, stress, depression, suicide, and sexual pressures.
• National Report was created which included the students' recommendations.
• [ Click here to view 1995 Report ]

APEC and Canada's year of Asia Pacific Youth Report November ( 1997 )

• At the beginning of 1997, the Asia Pacific Youth Coordination Team (APYCT), staffed by young Canadians, was established to coordinate the youth activities for the year. They were given the opportunity to coordinate the youth activities that would increase awareness about the tremendous opportunities which exist in the Asia Pacific Region. Members of the team were hired by TG Magazine and The Students Commission under the Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) Youth International Internship program.

Asia Connects (1997 )

• This Students Commission conference was held in Winnipeg on September of 1997.
• Asia Connects was the first multimedia youth conference to reach thousands of youth.
• 400 youth from across Canada attended, with 200 delegates from the Philippines and Malaysia.
• Main Issue: To bring together Canadian and Asian youth to identify and appreciate similarities and differences between contemporary Canada and Asia.
• National Report was created which included the students' recommendations.
• High Schools in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan, as well as approximately 3,000 individuals participated on the Internet site @www.tgmag.ca

Ministerial Environment Global Knowledge (1997 )

• Trade
• Transportation

SC Conference ( 1998 )

• This Students Commission (Sharing Resources 2000) workshop was held at Kemptville College in Ottawa from August 11th to 16th of 1998.
• 150 youth from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: Child Poverty.
• National Youth Report was created which included the students' recommendations.
• Youth presented report to the Speaker of the House, the Honourable Gilbert Parent in the House of Commons.

SC Conference ( 1999 )

• This Students Commission (Sharing Resources 2000) workshop, the second in the Sharing Resources 2000 series, was held in Banff, Alberta from February of 1999.
• Over 170 youth from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: Child Poverty.
• National Youth Report was created which included the students' recommendations.

SC Conference ( 1999 )

• This Students Commission (Sharing Resources 2000) workshop, the third in the Sharing Resources 2000 series, was held in St. John's, Newfoundland in May of 1999.
• Over 150 youth from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: Child Poverty.
• National Youth Report was created which included the students' recommendations, includes games and drawings by the youth.
• [ Click here to view St. John's Report ]

SC Conference ( 1999 )

• This Students Commission (Sharing Resources 2000) workshop, the fourth in the Sharing Resources 2000 series, was held in Jouvence, Quebec in October of 1999.
• Over 180 youth from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: Child Poverty.
• National Youth Report was created which included the students' recommendations.
• [ Click here to view Jouvence Report ]

School to Work Transition Conference ( 2000 )

• This conference was held in Toronto in May of 2000.
• 26 youth from across Canada attended, each selected for the various school to work transition programs in each of their schools. Students from Nunavut to Newfoundland made up the youth communications team. At the entire conference, there were 800 youth and adult delegates from around the world.
• Main issues: School To Work Transition programs across Canada and the world.
• 2000 Youth Report was created which included the students initial and final recommendations of how to improve school to work transition programs in every school in Canada.
• This was the first School to Work Transition conference ever held in Canada, The Students Commission organized and planned the conference for the youth delegates.
• [ Click here to view STW Report ]

SC Conference ( 2000 )

• This Students Commission (Sharing Resources 2000) workshop was held at Kemptville College in Ottawa in August 2000.
• Over 200 from across Canada attended.
• Main issues: Child Poverty.
• National Youth Report was created which included the students' recommendations, a small booklet was also created which contains the youth personal stories of the youths' experiences with child poverty.

WACCon - War Affected Children Conference ( 2000 )

• This conference was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba in September 2000.
• 50 Canadian delegates and 25 international delegates from war-torn countries attended.
• Main Issue: War Affected Children
• Final Report was created online.
• [Click here to view WacCon Report]

The Students Commission won't stop here. Stay up to date by visiting The Students Commission's official site.