A Penticton girl won a prestigious award for exceptional leadership and citizenship during last week’s Francophone Youth Parliament in Victoria.
Genevieve Bonin-Nadeau, 17, was selected by her peers as a “shining” example of responsibility during the parliamentary session and in her home community.
“She took her role as lobbyist very seriously and spent time to help newcomers understand what the parliament is all about,” organizers noted in a press release.
Bonin-Nadeau, a Grade 12 student at Penticton Secondary School, has been involved with activities organized by the Conseil Jeunesse Francophone de la Colombie-Britannique for five years.
She said the annual parliamentary, designed to teach French-speaking kids about government, was “amazing.”
“You always hear that youth are not well represented when it comes to voting,” she explained. “So to see the 130 kids attending youth parliament interested and involved in the political system and who can’t wait to vote is very cool.”
Bonin-Nadeau is the first-ever winner of the award, which was sponsored by the Provincial Capital Commission and the CJFCB.
“We want to recognize youth that demonstrate exceptional leadership and who motivate and inspire people around them, in particular to take an active role in the democratic process,” Rick Crosby, the commission’s acting CEO, said in a press release.