STUDENTS ACROSS ONTARIO ARE
SPEAKING UP ABOUT STUDENT COUNCILS
Join the conversation! Sign-up your school for the Student Voice
Survey at fluidsurveys.com/s/studentcouncils.
Your feedback and ideas from the survey will ensure this guide
keeps improving. You can also share your ideas with your Student
Senate, your Student Trustee and the Ministers Student Advisory Council.
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDENT COUNCIL IMPROVEMENTS
Meetings
Schedule meetings for the entire year and share the dates with all students.
Create and share an agenda with all students at the beginning of the year.
Record minutes and keep financial documents to inform future councils.
Open meetings to all students to allow them to participate with questions
or concerns.
Ensure each grade and education pathway is represented on student
council.
Student Council and
Student Voice: A Call
for Student Leaders
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Subcommittees
Offer positions and leadership roles for students in every grade.
Create subcommittees to address current issues; invite all interested
students to join.
Communication
Communicate regularly within the council and the school (e.g., listserve,
Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
Survey students for their opinions on school issues; conduct school-wide
surveys.
Report back to students about how their ideas have been used.
Elections
Nominate council candidates based on qualifications and skills.
Ensure elections are anonymous and focused on the candidates platforms.
Match elected student skill sets with council positions.
Issues
Promote students on council as representatives of the student voice, not
just event planners.
Ensure council representatives are available to the student population.
Remind council representatives that they are elected to represent the views
of all students.
Queens Printer for Ontario, 2013 ISBN 978-1-4606-1556-0 (Print)
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Schools that listens are schools that work:
A self-assessment guide for student councils
From 2010 to 2012, over 600 students imagined new ways of contributing to
their school communities. They came from across the province to regional forums
or served on the Ministers Student Advisory Council. They shared their ideas on
student council and leadership. They said that student advocacy and citizenship
needs to include more student voices. They talked about the role that schools
can play to help students become leaders and change-makers through training
and support.
Students told us that student councils should:
find better ways to empower all student voices
be empowered to be more than fundraisers and dance organizers
strengthen academic engagement
represent the diversity of the student body.
This guide was developed to offer ideas for:
student councils to assess student involvement
schools to set and achieve student voice goals.
STUDENT COUNCIL SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL
Use this checklist to evaluate what your student council is doing now, and to
decide where you would like to take it in the future.
We have
this already
We want this
in the future
Reflect the diversity of our student population?
Consult and report back to all students?
Share the same vision as the student body?
Function democratically?
Promote student voice?
Does our student council:
ork in partnership with students, parents,
W
teachers, and administrators?
Have a constitution that was developed with
student input?
Involving all student voices on student council
Here is an overview of a process that can guide your student council as they work to represent all student voices.
Reflect
flect &
Communicat
municatee
Reflect and Communicate
Whos listening? Whos being heard?
What are our strengths and where do we
need support and/or training?
Have we surveyed all students for input?
Have we hosted an event to hear the
student voice?
Resources: Order SpeakUp in a Box
Plan and Consult
Meet school admin and faculty advisor(s)
to discuss ways to strengthen student
engagement.
Conduct studentled research and
establish priorities for all students.
Resources: Student Council/Student Voice
fact sheet; 9 Student Voice Indicators;
MSAC videos and recommendations;
Students as Researchers Collaborative
Inquiry Toolkit
Observe &
Collaborate
Observe and Collaborate
Hold focus groups
Conduct surveys
Host a SpeakUp in a Box forum
Share findings and recommendations
Act and Create
Implement your ideas
Resources: Apply for a SpeakUp
Grant to put your idea into action
Student Forums: Participate in
regional student forums
www.ontario.ca/speakup
Plan &
Consult
Act & Create
A
Resources can be ordered by emailing [email protected]
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