Petitioning against poverty

About 3,000 high school students from all over the West Island will soon tell the Canadian government our elected officials should put their money where their mouth is when it comes to helping end world poverty, and it's largely thanks to the efforts of two Beaconsfield High School Grade 11 students.

"The petition is to be signed only by the youth," explained Brad Johns, 17, whose visit to Montreal's Millennium Summit in November along with colleague Andrew Jamieson and BHS community officer Nancy Dubuc kick-started his idea to get youth involved in community action.

"Look around you," the words at the beginning of the text he wrote say. " Do you see pain and suffering? Do you see death, rape and crime? No, I bet you do not."

The Pointe Claire resident said his eyes were opened to the problems of world poverty after hearing a vivid series of speeches by personalities at the summit, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mia Farrow, the Kielburger brothers, and several others. "I think we always know about it in our subconscious mind," said Johns, but hearing it put succinctly really brought the message home.

Jamieson, 17, agreed as well. "It was almost like seeing (the poverty) first-hand," he said.

Roped along by his friend's idea for a petition, Jamieson embarked on a little tour of local schools with Johns, the two of them making presentations to other students during fundraisers and other events. Jamieson said all of the public speaking did a lot to improve his self-confidence. "I had trouble stuttering (at first)," he said, but that soon disappeared.

Dubuc was not surprised at the level of enthusiasm Johns has brought to the project. "He just goes about and we help him out," she said with a laugh, explaining the young man is very much a self-starter. Last year, for example, when BHS's community office was too busy with other fundraisers to help Johns with a "shave to save" fundraiser campaign against cancer, he managed to raise $5,300. "That's really very inspiring, what he did," Dubuc added.

Though the petition asks Canada to hold to former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson's pledge to donate 0.7 per cent of the country's annual GDP to foreign countries, Johns and Jamieson remained realistic about the outcome.

"I'd like to see something done about it," Jamieson said, but he maintained the petition was more of a way of raising awareness among youth.

That is the main reason teenagers have been the only ones to sign up. Some teachers and other adults asked if they could sign, Johns explained with a laugh, but he did not let them.

There is one more high-profile signature the two friends want to get on board before they send off the petition. Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay spoke to Johns during the Summit, the young man explained, and promised him he would sign up. "I'd like to get Tremblay," Johns said, adding he will re-approach the mayor's office after the academic year ends at the end of June and he expects most high school-age teens will have signed.

In the meantime, any teens interested in signing can get in touch with Johns at break_away9@hotmail.com by mid-July.

Chronicle, Martin Alarie