More than 33,000 students vote in mock N.B. election
Teacher says it's encouraged wider discussions about social issues and importance of democracy
"Is this the right decision? Did I pick the right person?"
Those are the questions Rayven Thorne was asking herself as she cast her ballot for the Oct. 21 New Brunswick election.
"It was actually a quite difficult decision," she said, after voting.
But unlike thousands of voters, Thorne's vote doesn't actually count — because she's only 13.
Thorne and her fellow Grade 8 classmates at Beaverbrook School in Moncton were participating in a mock vote that has run parallel to the real election.
It's put on by the civic literacy group Civix, and this year more than 33,000 students at 237 elementary, middle and high schools across the province participated.
"It's our largest provincial program ever," Civix CEO, Lindsay Mazzucco, told CBC's Shift.
"Often, civics can be boring or dry, and this kind of helps bring it alive in the classroom."
Fake ballots, real issues
Despite being in middle school, the students at Beaverbrook took a keen interest in the election, said social studies teacher Krista Fournier.
"They see so many issues going on in our local community and they're always constantly talking about like, 'Why aren't they doing anything about it?'" she said.
"So I really wanted to teach them about the different levels of government and then who they contact if there's certain concerns."
Fournier brought three local candidates, all running in the Moncton Centre riding, into her classroom for a debate in front of the students. The students were given opportunities to ask questions, and they didn't hold back.
"My question was, what is your top two goals for New Brunswick over the next four years if you were elected," said 11-year-old Keenan Lozada.
Lozada said when he cast his ballot, he was thinking about the issues that impact his family the most.
"I picked the one that felt closest to my heart and like the one that felt would help solve my family's needs," he said. "Decreasing taxes, increasing minimum wage of workers across New Brunswick, and making food more affordable."
Theresa Oladinni, who's also in Grade 8 at Beaverbrook, said learning about the election has made her think about issues that matter to her, like Moncton's growing homeless population.
"When we're driving, I mostly see people sitting down on the road and I feel bad for them," she said. "It actually saddens my heart a bit."
Eagerly awaiting results
The students at Beaverbrook said the curriculum inspired them to speak with their parents and other adults about voting.
"I actually talked to my mom. She never used to vote, but I told her about what we're doing in school and I convinced her to vote this year," said Thorne. "I feel very proud of myself for doing that."
Thorne said learning about Canadian politics was different than she expected.
"On TikTok and YouTube, I always see [politics] from the USA, but I'm learning that that's not our government," she explained.
Many of the Beaverbrook students say they'll be up waiting to see the real results come in Monday night.
"I'm actually quite excited for the results to come back to, like, compare," said Thorne. "Adults have a way different mindset than we do. So I definitely think it's going to be different."
They'll also be waiting to see who their classroom and school picked as a top choice.
"It felt as if I wanted to see the results right away," said Lozada, after voting.
Fournier says she'd never seen her students so entranced by their social studies lessons before.
"This is real life. This is what they are living every single day," she said. "We just need to give them a voice, and I think we need to stop underestimating this generation of kids."
The teacher hopes to have the elected MLA back to her classroom to answer more questions.
"They're already asking me, 'OK, can we count?' So they are definitely anxious for the results," she said.
As for the students, they're already thinking about when they'll get to cast ballots in a real election.
"Just five more years to go," said Oladinni.
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