PRINCE GEORGE—With the upcoming elections getting closer, the College of New Caledonia Students’ Union is committed to encouraging students to register to vote by joining the “Take It Over” campaign that is focused on increasing youth voter turnout.
The “Take It Over” campaign has been signed onto by 15 student unions associated with the British Columbia Federation of Students, including the College of New Caledonia Students’ Union, and Northern British Columbia Graduate Students Society. Additionally, the Northern Undergraduate Students Society signed onto the campaign as well..
“The future cannot be seen but created for sure, and the most significant investment in the future can be choosing a leader who will create opportunities for your future. Elections are the only platform that can do that.” said Sharanjit Kaur, the Chairperson of the College of New Caledonia Students’ Union. “Elections become incredibly important to the youth who desire to grow in the world with their capabilities. All young minds who are full of creativity, talent, and skills are looking for chances to make optimum use of their ability. These elections have become a huge foundation to build your dreams. So, I would like to request everyone and, in particular, the young voters to make the best out of this preliminary opportunity first. Young people can discuss all the qualities and opportunities they desire for their future and then decide which leader is ready to play a part in their future.”
“Prince George is a vibrant university town that houses two post-secondary institutions. Young people’s perspectives are relevant in the society. Election is about representation. MLAs are elected by their constituents to represent them on a provincial level. Young people are part of that group and should not be left behind. It’s our responsibility as student societies to ensure that students who are eligible to vote are informed about the election process and that their voices are heard by the people that represent them.” said Jingyu Chen, the President of the Northern Undergraduate Student Society.
However, students’ unions like the Northern British Columbia Graduate Students Society acknowledge that they represent a unique group of individuals with separate needs than those of the general student population.
“Graduate students contribute so much to their universities and to the development of their society, in general” Abby Dooks, the Director of External Affairs for the Northern British Columbia Graduate Students Society explains. “We are teachers, researchers, our work is published and can achieve academic clout for their institutions to boost their popularity—We can discover new methods scientifically, politically, or otherwise that can contribute to how policy is formed and what technological advances are made… It is very important that Graduate Students’ vote for a leader who will recognize our uniqueness in contributions as well as needs. Some graduate students have children, are trying to make rent, depend on government funding for research and therefore, require prioritization”.
The Take It Over campaign launched on September 23rd, 2020 and has been working on getting potential voters to sign a pledge stating that they will vote in this year’s provincial election come October 24th. People who are interested in joining this campaign can go to https://www.takeitover.ca to officially sign the pledge and learn about how they can use their voice to make changes in this Province.
For more information, please contact:
Sharanjit Kaur, Chairperson community@cncsu.ca | (250) 561-5852
