Past events
A Day to Remember: YOUTHnetwork Students Meet Bill 
Clinton
A Day To Remember
by Cassidy McFadzean
for Minus 20
Regina Leader Post
March 9, 2006 was a special day for Regina. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited the Queen City to give a speech on Canadian-American relations. However, the day was especially special for two students of Regina's Scott Collegiate and four students of Saskatoon's Nutana Collegiate who were chosen to meet the president, pose for a few photographs and receive complimentary tickets to his speech. I was one of the students at Scott Collegiate picked by the SaskTel YOUTHnetwork for this once in a lifetime opportunity, and it is certainly not a day I will soon forget.
After background checks by the secret service, the Scott students were escorted to the Conexus Arts Centre by friendly SaskTel staff. We met the students from Saskatoon and were led to the Centre's green room to wait. As we helped ourselves to fruit and sandwiches, members of the secret service and the Centre's staff carefully watched over us. It felt strange and special to be waiting in the same room that so many performers had shared in the past.
The President was running a little late and we were all a little nervous, but we finally received word he was approaching the green room. We took our places for the photographs as he entered the room surrounded by secret service members. He thanked us for coming and commended the SaskTel YOUTHnetwork. Even when he was being hurried along it was obvious he wanted to make the moment special for us by shaking hands and taking more pictures. He insisted on taking a picture with a Scott Collegiate shirt we'd brought as a gift, and said he'd go jogging in it. The President left and we were quickly hurried down to the main stage to find our front row seats. I had to turn around a couple times to take in the full view of the hundreds of filled seats surrounding me. It was hard to realize I was front and centre at the Conexus Centre when even Mayor Pat Fiacco had to sit in the second row.
President Clinton has often been praised as a great public speaker and that statement could not be truer. He touched on a number of topics, and received laughs and standing ovations all without referring to notes of any sort. He was able to comprehensively answer questions off the top his head and hold the complete attention of the audience. We were touched that he mentioned the YOUTHnetwork program a number of times and made eye contact with us in the front row, as if his words bore a special truth for the young people in the audience.
Bill Clinton was not born into his presidency, and in that way he is a role model for all young people. He came from the same simple background as many of us and worked hard to get to where he is today. He is living proof that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. He also hasn't stopped fighting for what is important and continues to help the less fortunate around the world affected by war, poverty, and natural disasters. The Clinton Foundation alone is responsible for a stream of initiatives dealing with HIV/AIDS, poverty, youth, and has traveled across the globe to the very places it means the most.
It meant the most to me personally when he spoke of how you can still be friends with someone even if you don't share the same beliefs and opinions on issues. Often times we let our emotions get in the way of working together, and it is sometimes difficult to separate a person from their actions. We see only our differences instead of what we have in common. As a society, if we could see past personal, religious, and cultural disagreements we would be able to accomplish so much more to build a brighter tomorrow.
A perfect example of this was in what I experienced thanks to the SaskTel YOUTHnetwork. The YOUTHnetwork makes presentations at schools and career fairs, and initializes other community projects, and on March 9, they brought the six students from Scott and Nutana together. Even though we are from two different high schools in two different cities we found out we have so much in common. We discovered our schools share the same issues, triumphs, difficulties, and experiences, even though we do not live in the same city. However, we were only able to learn this once we put our differences aside, and I think it really made the whole day even more meaningful for us.
I would like to publicly thank the SaskTel YOUTHnetwork, President Clinton, and everyone involved in giving me the opportunity to learn this important life lesson. I truly feel this experience is something important I will take to heart, and can brag about for years to come.
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March 1, 2007
The YOUTHnetwork will be attending the Kawacatoose First Nation Job Readiness Conference located on the Kawacatoose Reserve just outside of Raymore, Saskatchewan.
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March 14, 2007
CONTACT: Connecting In An Energized Labour Market is a conference being held in Saskatoon by the Saskatoon & District Industry-Education Council and Saskatoon Labour Market Committee that brings together youth, parents, educators and HR specialists from different companies to highlight the opportunities for youth in our province. We will be having an information session and booth at this event.
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March 21, 2007
If you live in North Battleford or surrounding area, come check out SaskTel's YOUTHnetwork at the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Career Day! YOUTHnetwork Coordinators will be providing presentations to students and staff about career opportunities at SaskTel and let students know how they can get involved in YOUTHnetwork TV and YOUTHnetwork Community Corps!
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May 2, 2007
SaskTel's YOUTHnetwork will be attending the Stepping Stones Career Fair in Regina. Come and visit our display booth to play games, win prizes, find out about our programs and ask us questions you might have about SaskTel!
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June 5, 2007
SaskTel's YOUThnetwork will have a Career Exploration Showcase at the Provincial Skills Competition from 9am to 4pm on Tuesday, June 5th. Come join us to play interactive career games, watch videos, and learn more about our programs and career opportunities.
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