(Original Post - October 2019)
The young girl is confused.
She thought she was prepared for this. She felt prepared. She knows that decisions such as this are really, really important. She’s listened to the lessons, watched the candidate videos, and read about the party platforms. She participated in the conversations, and she’s done her best to understand the issues. But now that the time has come, she appears frozen.
She’s a little girl at my elementary school.
This was the situation I encountered while we conducted Student Vote 2019 this week. For those unfamiliar with this initiative, “Student Vote is an authentic learning program that provides students with the opportunity to experience the voting process firsthand and practice the habits of active and informed citizenship.” (studentvote.ca/canada). It’s an incredible learning experience for young and old alike. Students spent several weeks this semester diving deeply into the policies and platforms of the major parties in this federal election. I’ve said so often, kids never cease to amaze me. The interest, enthusiasm and energy they put into the learning was amazing. I was chatting with a group of kids today, and we were discussing the vote. We were talking about potential outcomes for the candidates in our riding, and I asked if they thought there might be factors that would affect how well particular candidates would do. I fully expected that they’d point out how one candidate didn’t send in a video. (A little while back, I emailed all the candidates in our local riding and asked for a short video, perhaps three minutes, where they could address our student body and talk about areas of the platform that would benefit today’s youth). What the kids pointed out, however, ran much deeper. One young boy pointed out how a particular party leader’s views on same-sex marriage would likely hurt his chances. Another girl, whose family came to Canada from another country, discussed another leader’s stance on immigration and the impact it has had on her family. I sat there, so proud of these students; these kids, who will lead our world in a few short years. But for some, the decision of who to support still weighs heavily on very small shoulders.
She’s still confused. She’s standing quietly with her ballot, and she’s still frozen. I go over and ask if everything is okay. She smiles a little and shakes her head. We talk for a bit. I explain the process – the privacy booth where she can vote, the four candidates, how to make an X in the circle by the candidate of her choice. She shakes her head. She knows how to actually vote, she tells me. Her dilemma is much more complicated.
“Mr. Lynch?” She looks at me with eyes that are almost pleading. “I need to make the best decision.” The question that follows is nothing short of poignant. “How do I help my country?”
The answer is pretty obvious. You help your country by caring as much as this girl does. She’s passionate. She’s worried. She’s cautiously hopeful. She thinks critically. She’s informed. She’s concerned.
She’s 9 years old…
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The young girl is confused.
She’s lying in a hospital bed. She’s been dealt a hand that anyone would agree is entirely unfair.
It started with the appearance of a few bruises, which very quickly led to a diagnosis of leukemia. Soon after that, it was realized that she had an advanced form of sarcoma, which had already spread to her blood and her bones.
She’s 18 years old.
Yet, in this moment, the question that she struggles to understand is not related to her health. It’s related to her country. She grabs some paper and a marker, and from her hospital bed, writes a message that she will send to the world. My name is Maddison. I am 18 years old. Four days ago I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It’s been estimated that I have only a few days to weeks left. Despite being bed-ridden and having very limited time I still managed to submit my first ever Federal vote If I can find the time, you can find the time. #WhatsYourExcuse?
She’s so happy that for the first time ever, she has the opportunity to vote. But the question that likely plagues her is why, if we have the opportunity to do so, do we not bother?
I was discussing Maddison with a group of Grade 6 students this week. I’m not going to lie - as I spoke about her pride in voting, her happiness with casting her first, and sadly, her last vote, I started to tear up a little bit. It’s really powerful stuff. Cancer is powerful stuff. But as our friend Maddison shows us, having a Voice is powerful stuff too.
You know what else is powerful? Inspiration. And for this, we should all thank Maddison.
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The young girl is confused.
She’s sitting at the supper table. She’s listening to the people around her, and thinking about the conversations that have been happening for the last few days.
“I can’t vote this evening. Mondays are too busy.”
“It’s only one vote.”
“That crowd is all the same.”
“I’ll vote next time.”
“None of them are any good.”
“It doesn’t make a difference.”
“Nothing ever changes.”
She looks down at her supper, pushing the food around absently. She’s read Deborah Ellis’ Breadwinner Trilogy. She appreciated Parvana’s Journey. She’s read Alan Gratz’ Refugee. She empathizes with Josef, the Jewish boy in 1930’s Nazi Germany. Isabel, the Cuban girl in 1994. Mahmoud, the Syrian boy in 2015. She knows the story of Malala Yousafzai, the 10 year old girl from Pakistan who was shot on a bus at point blank range… because she wanted an education.
She looks around the supper table. Most of the family are finishing their meal. She sees them get up quickly, most of them scraping significant amounts of meat and vegetables from the plates into the trashcan. Mobile devices appear in their hands, and they all go in separate directions. They shop online. They post insignificant complaints. They tweet pictures of their new possessions.
They don’t feel the need to vote.
The young girl is confused...
#What'sYourExcuse?
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