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| Jamie Arron is the聽DSU's leadership director.聽(Nick Pearce Photo) |
If you meet Jamie Arron, he may be wearing one of his many hats.
You may see him wearing his student hat, hurrying off to make his 鈥渁rt and science of drumming鈥� class in the Dal Arts Centre.
Or maybe you鈥檒l spot him at Halifax City Hall donning his researcher鈥檚 cap; he works there three days a week doing research for the mayor's office on issues affecting youth and community development.
If not at the mayor鈥檚 office, you鈥檒l find him in the Dal SUB, where he works the other two days a week as the AV俱乐部 Student Union鈥檚 leadership director promoting student-led initiatives.
And always he sports his hat as the founder of Mavericks of Social Change, which he created just out of high school to encourage youth to become 鈥渃ommitted citizens and creative individuals.鈥�
鈥淲hat motivates me?鈥� he asks repeating the question. 鈥淚鈥檝e caught a bug, and as it takes effect, I just get more and more excited 鈥� each day is the best day of my life because I鈥檝e just gotten that much further.鈥�
In his third year of international development studies at AV俱乐部, he鈥檚 a believer in the power of his generation to come to grips with society鈥檚 major challenges鈥攖he environment and the ailing healthcare system among them. The key, he says, is harnessing the great ideas of young people and making them work for communities.
'Personal mission'
鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 jobs that I have, they鈥檙e part of a personal mission to show to the rest of society what youth are capable of if given support.鈥�
The 20-year-old from Markham, Ont. says he wasn鈥檛 always so driven. He took a year off after high school to figure out where his head was at and came up with Mavericks of Social Change, a nonprofit organization now operating out of Halifax to encourage civic engagement and enhance entrepreneurial skills while creating a new model for education.
鈥淭he traditional model of one teacher and 30 students doesn鈥檛 jibe with the realities of today,鈥� says Mr. Arron.
Thanks to Sarah Palin, who overused the word during last year鈥檚 presidential campaign in the U.S., he doesn鈥檛 have to explain what 鈥渕averick鈥� means anymore. Although, he adds, explaining what Mavericks does still takes some time.聽聽
Mavericks of Social Change houses three educational programs, a school arts program that places 40 student facilitators in five Halifax schools; the 鈥減eace jam鈥� program which connects youth in Grades 7 to 10 with Nobel laureates and acts as a forum to explore environmental and social issues; and a cooperative education program for high school students.
Social innovation
It was while leading 10 kids from Oxford Junior High School in Halifax to meet Nobel laureate Rigoberta Menchu in Boston that Mr. Arron caught the attention of the AV俱乐部 Student Union and was asked to spearhead its social innovation challenge. As 鈥渁 rogue member of the DSU,鈥� he says with a laugh, he鈥檚 been charged to consult with student societies and student leaders. He鈥檚 been talking about social innovation and holding out a carrot of $2,500 to be awarded to the society with the best ideas.
Through the fall, societies have been coming to the DSU with concepts and ideas for action based on community needs. In the new year, five finalists will be chosen, and then a top pick selected by students attending the DSU conference The Gathering.
鈥淪tudents want to be engaged but they鈥檙e so skeptical,鈥� says Mr. Arron. 鈥淭his process should help to make students more aware of what they can do to take action around a cause. I can't wait to see the project ideas come to life.鈥�
Jamie Arron will be writing a column for Dalnews in December and January about the DSU鈥檚 leadership initiatives. If you鈥檝e got an idea you鈥檇 like to bounce off him, e-mail him at jamie.arron@dal.ca.