This piece was written by Josephine Hatton, a resident of Bristol and a Grade 9 student at Pontiac High School.

In January I received the news that I was one of 300 youth from across the country that had been selected to participate in the Forum for Young Canadians National Summit in Ottawa. I decided to apply to the program because it looked like an excellent opportunity to meet like-minded students looking to excel. From Mar. 23 to 28, 2025, I joined the program’s last group of 100 students in downtown Ottawa where we were immersed in the world of Canadian politics and government. We met with senators, members of parliament, and other decision-makers, gaining firsthand experience in civic engagement.

I got to meet former Governor General David Johnston, who served from 2010 to 2017, as well as Speaker of the House Greg Fergus, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hull–Aylmer who is also a Forum alumnus. He shared stories of how the program shaped his life and even led him to meet his wife at a Forum reunion. Hearing his experiences made me reflect on the friendships and memories I was creating. I realized just how transformative this experience was and how it would stay with me for years to come

One of my biggest takeaways from the Forum was the confidence I gained in public speaking. Early in the week, I was nervous, but by the end, I had taken on multiple speaking opportunities. I even served as a translator for the speech of the representative for our mock prime ministerial candidate. The experience of speaking in front of an audience pushed me outside my comfort zone and helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect.

I got to participate in a mock treaty negotiation activity, where students were organized into three groups representing the Government of Canada, the Government of Nunavut, and Nunavut Tungavik Inc. (NTI), and had to come to an agreement on land ownership in Nunavut. This exercise showed me just how complex negotiations can be and how important it is to understand different perspectives in government decision-making.

I even got to speak with a Forum staff member about her career in statistics, an area I’m very interested in. It was inspiring to hear from someone working in a field I might want to pursue and gave me an idea of how to go about following that career path and the easiest way to achieve my goals.

I found it incredibly important to see alternate career paths, see other options around me, and just learn new things. I loved seeing the inner workings of the government. It was very interesting to me.

Looking back, I am so grateful for the experiences, friendships, and skills I gained at the Forum. It gave me a greater appreciation for civic engagement and a newfound confidence in my own abilities. I can’t wait to see how I can use these experiences in the future.