“We are the vessels for students, but they [Members of Provincial Parliament] are the vessels in the government body. If we have a good relationship with them, they can inform the other government bodies.”
Selena Ferreira
IGNITE is your ears on campus. The place you come to when you want your student life to be heard. You already know that. But did you know that beyond amplifying your voice to Humber Polytechnic and the University of Guelph-Humber, we also advocate for you at the provincial level?
Yes, that’s right!
Sharing your concerns with Humber and UofGH helps shape your day-to-day student experience. But we also want decision-makers at Queen’s Park to understand what students need.
That’s why we went all in at this year’s Advocacy Summit. This is a two-day conference at Queen’s Park where student leaders meet with Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to discuss post-secondary issues, real student stories and recommendations for change.
The summit took place on Nov. 25 and 26, and gave IGNITE the opportunity to represent Humber and UofGH students.
Our Board of Directors Chair, Alexandra Rodgers, and our Student Advocates, Emily Edwards and Selena Ferreira, attended and shared more about their experience, the issues we advocated for and the wins that came out of it.
Sharing students’ stories
During the two-day conference, IGNITE representatives focused heavily on Bill 33 and our Time is Money campaign.
If you’ve been following our coverage, you know that Bill 33 has passed and could significantly impact your student life. And through Time is Money, we’re making it clear that students must be paid for Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities.
Ferreira said IGNITE’s approach at the summit was strategic. With the College Student Alliance (CSA) covering numbers and statistics, IGNITE focused on the human aspect.
That meant sharing authentic student stories. The challenges they face, how unpaid placements affect their day-to-day life and the experience Ferreira and Edwards hear constantly from students across campus.
Ferreira recalls speaking with MPP Lucille Collard (Ottawa-Vanier) about students who completed over 500 hours of unpaid placement.
“It’s not just the actual placement itself that was unpaid, but the commute, the supplies, all of those additional fees that add up,” Ferreira said.
She also highlighted the lack of regulations for internships. Ferreira said many students are assigned tedious, mundane tasks that aren’t related to their program learning outcomes, simply because they are interns.
“Whether that includes taking out the trash, dry cleaning — and that’s speaking from personal experience, I had to do that,” she said. “I relayed those stories to MPP Lucille so that she got a personal understanding of when a work-integrated learning is not regulated and the hardships of it being unpaid.”
Edwards brought forward concerns from members of different IGNITE Clubs who fear that Bill 33 may threaten funding for student groups.
She said Collard was extremely receptive and understood how crucial these supports are to students’ mental health and wellbeing.
“Clubs are a great way for people to meet and improve their mental health,” Edwards said. “Relating it [Bill 33] to the mental health experience [of students] really got the attention of the MPPs because they could understand how students felt in those situations.”
Wins from the summit
IGNITE came away from the Advocacy Summit with several key wins. And since we were there representing you, you can count them as wins too!
Kristine Galvan, IGNITE’s Manager of Leadership and Advocacy, said days like these help shape IGNITE’s advocacy landscape.
She said they allow Student Advocates to take the behind-the-scenes research, petitions and story-gathering they do on campus and bring it directly to provincial decision makers.
“It’s so nice to have student leaders who want to take on the responsibility and represent their student experience,” Galvan said.
She added that advocacy becomes even more impactful when the stories students share are carried into rooms where change happens.
“I heard this from over 400 WIL stories while interacting with nearly 5,000 students who signed the petition. I was able to hear their stories and now I am telling you. That is impactful and such a win for IGNITE,” Galvan said.
Another major victory was the level of openness and engagement shown by MPPs.
MPP Peggy Sattler (London West), for example, immediately recognized IGNITE and the Time is Money campaign as soon as the team introduced themselves.
This is a clear sign that student advocacy campaigns at Humber and UofGH reach provincial leaders and make an impact.
Ferreira also recalled a conversation with MPP Aislinn Clancy (Kitchener Centre) after Wednesday’s reception. She said Clancy was passionate about Time is Money, even sharing her own unpaid WIL experience.
“It was just another additional moment with an MPP that proved to me that they’re so open to hearing our experiences and our stories,” Ferreira said.
She emphasized the importance of continuing to build these relationships.
“We are the vessels for students, but they are the vessels in the government body. If we have a good relationship with them, they can inform the other government bodies. It’s super important to keep the relationship fluid and open,” Ferreira said.
The summit is over, but IGNITE isn’t slowing down. The province is moving forward with Bill 33 and conversations around paid WIL opportunities continue. Your voice and experiences will stay at the heart of our advocacy.
Stay engaged on our socials, stay engaged with the CSA and follow updates about Bill 33. Opportunities to share your feedback are coming.
Your voice has power and together, we can make sure it’s heard where it matters most.
Feature image courtesy of IGNITE.
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