Dahnis Duquette is Dakota-Cree and has lived in Leask almost her whole life. (submitted photo/Leask Community School)

By Alison Sandstrom

Advocating for students

Leask student named to provincial Youth Council

Oct 7, 2020 | 2:00 PM

A Grade 12 student from Leask Community School is among 12 young people from across Saskatchewan selected to serve on the 2020-21 provincial Youth Council.

Dahnis Duquette and her fellow council members will provide insights and advice to the Minister of Education. Duquette, who represents the Prairie Spirit School Division, told paNOW they’re already working on ideas for how to incorporate more diversity into curriculum, particularly for younger students.

“As Canadians, we should be more open to diversity,” Duquette said. “And I think that even now, there’s still a lot of discrimination happening everywhere.”

Duquette also plans to advocate for better working conditions for teachers. She explained the importance of that issue was driven home for her during the teachers’ strike in the spring.

“Teaching conditions are rough. They have to do so much work and I don’t think they’re appreciated enough,” Duquette said. “When they had the strike, it really affected the kids at the school because they couldn’t do extracurriculars anymore or have things like open gym or clubs because the teachers were the ones running them.”

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Duquette’s principal, Lindsey Burym said she’s proud of Duquette and happy to see their small school represented on the provincial council.

“She’s a critical thinker, so she questions things and wants things to be better for her generation,” she said, explaining Duquette was a positive influence and a leader at school.

“I’ll be sad when she graduates, but I know she’ll go on to do great things.”

Duquette is one of two students from our area named to the Youth Council.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom