Casey Murray, Saskatoon Saskatchewan My first contact with the Students Commission (SC) was in February of '99. I was involved with a group at my school called Youth Facilitator Training (YFT). We did things like hold discussions in classrooms, school showcasing of assets with students and teachers, participate in events with the other high schools involved with the project and we also did some events including all of the high schools in Saskatoon. The co-ordinator of YFT heard about this national conference called Sharing Resources 2000. The theme of the conference was child poverty, which wasn't a topic that I'd specifically explored very much, but I mean-- it was a trip to Banff.....who could resist. By the end of the first day, I was totally hooked, I was blown away. I had never before seen so many people with such passion about about an issue. To see 150 young people with this gleam in their eye; imagine the look a child has when you tell them that they're going to Disneyland. It was that kind of energy, that kind of fervor. The community atmosphere that was created was like nothing that I'd ever experienced. That conference changed my life, it changed the whole direction that I was headed.   To me that 's what The Students Commission is: a catalyst for change that can work in nearly any environment. Whether it's an international conference on war-affected children or a locally based campaign on child poverty, SC engages/involves/gives voice to (whatever buzz word you want to use) young people and gives them a positive outlet to channel their energy into. The side effect of this kind of involvement is that these young people start to feel connected with the community around them, they start to have a vested interest in that community. I think the next step for SC needs to be more directly affecting the adult world. Many organizations in the private, government and non-government sectors are open to and, in many cases, looking for youth involvement but they just don't know how to do it effectively or meaningfully. It is a very fine line between empowerment and manipulation/tokenism/decoration. The difference is rarely derived from intentions; rather, it comes from lack of knowledge and experience. SC can play a key role in helping adult organizations with both.  Myron Wolfchild, Cardston Alberta I first became involved with the Students Commission when I attended one of their Sharing Resources 2000 Child Poverty Conference held in Newfoundland. I had just helped to organizea project related to "Child Poverty" my Blood Nation Reserve and the supervisor of the Kainai Children's Services told us about the conference, we were interested and than a person by the name of Pytor Hodgson came to do some introductions on the Students Commission to the Youth Group that I was the Chairperson of. The Students Commission means a lot of things to me. It means hope and vision for the future of Canada. It means a lot to my people, here on the Blood Reserve, because we were directly influenced by the support that The Students Commission always provides. The Students Commission, is something that has always been there to help me when I needed help and was always there to guide me into right directions regarding my work and the organizations that I worked for. To me it means we, as youth, have a voice, across Canada that has been developed by The Students Commission and the young people that get involved with the organization. It means, something true, something that is not a flash in the pan, but a long-lasting light that guides young people in Canada into the right directions whether it be their personal, community, or family life. It has helped me become and feel like a leader and has given me the courage to take on obstacles and welcoming the opportunities. It has given me self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-respect all of which, at once in my life, I did not have. The Students Commission means a lot to me, my friends, my reserve and my people. I think that the role of The Students Commission at this present time should b, to become a more local organization so that more young people can access the wonderful things that The Students Commission does. In Canada, there is so much that can be done, and SC is one of those organizations that walks the talk. It has helped so many young people come out of their personal or community problems and done so much for Canada that it must be given the opportunity to access more resources to continue its more needed and wonderful work with the young people in Canada. Native Communities in Canada would truly benefit from The Students Commission, through it's positive environment and working skills and outgoing support and dedication to the communities across Canada. The Students Commission should focus a little bit more on Aboriginal in Canada, perhaps in the areas, of Aboriginal Rights and Aboriginal Empowerment and participation in the national level and international level. It deserves to be a more local community based organization, located in much more communities so that other Canadians could benefit from the great things that it  does.