Tale End

Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.—Henry James

Give peace a chance

 Robin and Peter

Working for peace and social justice can be daunting. But as Robin Nobleman (left) and Peter Kuebel (right) discovered, helping others is a good way to learn about oneself, develop friendships and raise money for worthy causes. Nobleman, a Grade 12 student at Ross Sheppard High School, and Kuebel, a social studies teacher, are involved with Youth Coalition for Peace and Social Justice. Nobleman is a founder of the group and Kuebel serves as the group's advisor. Working with students like Robin is a pleasure, says Kuebel. "They're the best of the best!"—Photo by Koni Macdonald

The goal of the student-led Youth Coalition for Peace and Social Justice is to raise awareness and money for disadvantaged people, locally and worldwide. The group was founded two years ago by Ross Sheppard High School students Nancy Lambert, Kathryn Lennon, Jessica Moe and Robin Nobleman. Today, more than 20 students at the Edmonton high school are involved in the coalition.

Major events organized by the students include a Peace Week, a current events newsletter on international affairs, fundraisers and blood donor clinics. The students have also held rallies, made speeches and spoken to the media in support of public education.

"This group is heavily involved in a wide variety of areas," says teacher–advisor Peter Kuebel. "For example, the students have raised, as part of a larger group, over $140,000 for the landmines project; they conducted a symposium on the war in Iraq and raised money for Inglewood School's hot lunch program. These students are intrinsically motivated. They seek out issues they're interested in and share that knowledge with the other students in our school. They need little direction. We get together, go over the details of the project they're planning and look for problem areas that may arise."

For their efforts, three of the group's founders have received scholarships, and a fourth is still in the running for a scholarship. Nobleman won the Toronto Dominion Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership, which she will put towards post-secondary education. However, she stresses that winning a scholarship was never the motivation behind forming the group: "The feeling of giving back to the community opened my eyes to a new world that's infinitely rewarding. By caring for others, I believe I'm making the most of my talents and privileges, and passing on the values that I was taught by leaders in my community. My goal is to use my skills to the best of my ability to accomplish a wide array of undertakings to benefit the world I'll inherit."

Quick Facts

In 1919, the inaugural convention of the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF), with representatives from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, was held in Calgary. At CTF's 1927 convention, held in Charlottetown, each provincial organization was formally represented.

—2003 Members' Handbook, "History," The Alberta Teachers' Association, page 13