Alberta Girls' Parliament

     I did not update last week because I was at a very exciting event called Alberta Girls' Parliament. This year was the fortieth session and it was a lot of fun. I am always really interested to see the passion and the excitement in the young women who come to AGP and it is incredible to see how much they learn and grow in five short days.
     We had guest speakers from the University of Alberta Debate society who taught the girls about public speaking and forming arguments. They also played some games about improvisation and speaking. We also had two Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLAs) from opposing parties the Conservatives and the NDP. Hearing about the provincial government from two different sides was very interesting because it gave the girls something to think about. The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Donald Ethel, came to prorogue parliament and then spoke to the girls about how important an event like AGP is.
     The debates were very interesting this year because the girls debated difficult topics like making Alberta's organ donation program an opt out system, having mandated sexual health classes for students Kindergarten to Grade Twelve, and requiring all livestock to be raised free range and chemical free. These topics are pretty tricky but generally the girls did a great job and the people who watched were very impressed.
     The trip to the Legislature is always an interesting event because I have been there so many times and I feel like I know a lot about the history, the symbols, the architecture, and the artwork, but I learn something every time! We got to sit in on question period which was neat because there are a lot of things going on in our government right now. Overall it was a great experience.
     I don't want to bore you with the details but it was a good event that really encouraged female empowerment and using your voice to say something you think needs to be said. I hope that the girls learned a lot and will continue to use their voices when they feel that they need to be heard.