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Fernie's youth councillor attends parliament in Victoria

Sophia Becker took part in B.C Youth Parliament in December
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Fernie's new youth councillor Sophia Becker stands in between former youth councillor Dylan Annis (left) and Simon Fraser University poli-sci student Finn Thoms (right) at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Victoria. The trio participated in B.C Youth Parliament in December (Courtesy of Sophia Becker)

The City of Fernie's new youth councillor Sophia Becker attended B.C Youth Parliament in Victoria, where she learned the ins and outs of Canadian politics.

Each year, the City chooses one student to sit on council to provide a perspective on youth issues in the community and 17-year-old Becker was the lucky applicant. She furthered her civic role by attending Youth Parliament at the end of December, participating in mock parliamentary sessions to debate hot-topic political issues. 

Becker said she was able to meet hundreds of youth and learn valuable skills at the event.

"I think it's definitely made me feel more comfortable talking in a group setting and bringing ideas to adults," said Becker. 

The parliamentary discussion on healthcare really piqued her interest. One of the students put forward a proposal to privatize Canada's healthcare system, something that Becker argued against.

"If we do privatize healthcare, doctors and nurses are going to go to the private system because they're going to pay more, but then the small communities could suffer," she said. 

"I think I brought a good perspective, especially coming from such a small town," she added. "Lots of people were from main Vancouver or Victoria and I don't think they really knew what it was like to be from a small town."

Becker is a grade 12 student at Fernie Secondary School. She has been quite involved locally, running youth programs at the Fernie Heritage Library and advocating for young residents through the Fernie Youth Action Network.

She attended Youth Parliament alongside Dylan Annis, Fernie's previous youth councillor, who served as her mentor. 

Becker is passionate about youth sports. She coaches grade seven and eight girls basketball. Last year, she ran a free basketball camp for girls ages 11 to 13.

She said she would like to use her councillor role to continue to advocate for barrier-free youth sports.

"I think youth should be able to do the things they're passionate about regardless of cost," she said.

She's also interested in promoting women's health and has started an initiative to put free feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms of local businesses in downtown Fernie. She plans to host an event with the Youth Action Network at the library in May to help raise awareness and fundraise for the project.

"I think it's important to have those things accessible in a town where things can get pricey," she said. "We have such high prices and there are people who struggle to afford these kinds of things."

 

 

 

 



About the Author: Gillian Francis

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