Edlynne “Eddy” Paez, a Grade 12 student from Niverville, recently returned from two different summits on the topic of nuclear peace, starting with one in Winnipeg, and then a second in Ottawa.
Last November, Paez attended the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit, an annual two- to three-day event held at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg. Established in 2019, the event was initiated by a group of students alongside Marilou McPhedran, an independent senator from Manitoba.
“The goal of the summit is to get youth engaged and learning about nuclear peace and nuclear disarmament, and to engage in intergenerational conversation between educators, students, victims, and professors, and to just create dialogue about nuclear peace,” says Paez. “So it’s about giving these students this perspective. And then we have guest speakers oftentimes who come from countries that were affected by nuclear testing. So this is little known history, but in fact hundreds of nuclear testing sites have been used… especially in Indigenous areas.”
Paez goes on to talk about nuclear disarmament and what it means in a global context. These are big, complicated issues with which to engage.
“When we say nuclear disarmament, we’re not saying that we want to end nuclear bombs, period. We’re saying that to create a weapon of this magnitude and scale comes with ethical ramifications. What we’re saying here is that we want to create a culture of peace. So by looking at it from a holistic standpoint, we’re looking at what are the negative outcomes caused by nuclear weapons historically?”
After attending the Winnipeg event, Paez was invited to attend the Youth-Parliament Nuclear Summit in Ottawa. She approached the Hanover School Division’s board of trustees and asked for funding to travel to Ottawa. The board agreed.
She soon registered her attendance with McPhedran and the Manitoba Association of Rights and Liberties (MARL), which provided her with additional funding. In the end, 90 percent of her expenses were covered.
Paez didn’t travel to Ottawa alone. She attended the summer with another student from Niverville High School, two students from Winnipeg schools, and two chaperones.
On day one, after opening statements and greetings from various parliamentarians, Paez and her fellow delegates made a presentation on behalf of Niverville High School and MARL about art and activism, with an emphasis on how forms of art and visual media aren’t as far from action and social justice as many people think.
Approximately half the attendees were students, with the other half comprising professors, professionals, and parliamentarians. Paez even spotted Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons.
The summit had been intended to span two days, but it was shortened to one since Parliament isn’t currently in session. Fortunately, Paez and her fellow delegates were pleased at the opportunity to spend the second day exploring Ottawa and learning about the various programs available to students on Parliament Hill.
Serendipitously, Paez recently received her acceptance letter to attend the University of Ottawa—although she hasn’t yet made a final decision about where she’ll study next year.
In the meantime, Paez has applied to chair next year’s YNPS in Winnipeg.
So where does her interest in global affairs comes from? Paez speculates that it may be a result of simply watching her parents.
“My parents were born and raised in the Philippines, in Nueva Ecija, a small countryside province,” she explains. “I’ve only ever lived in Niverville. So I experienced my culture somewhat vicariously through them, through their stories of growing up in a country that was considered ‘less than.’ I think that instilled within me a really strong sense of justice, because I thought, ‘It’s not fair that my parents’ degrees don’t count here.’ I am somebody who notices disparities… so that translated well to international affairs in that I have a deep-seated sense of empathy that came about because I noticed unjust behaviour.”
Around her family, Paez says that she is often called Madame President. While the rest of her family watched the Super Bowl this year, she chose to watch a political debate instead.
Currently, Paez and one of the other students from her delegation to Ottawa are working to create free professional development materials for teachers on the subjects of nuclear peace and disarmament.
Paez is also currently in talks with MARL about getting an internship before she attends university in the autumn. She is also heading to Toronto soon for the Loran finals, Loran being one of the most prestigious scholarships in Canada. Paez is among four finalists for Manitoba.
One day in the future, Paez considers her dream job to be working on Parliament Hill or in the United Nations.
To other students who may feel like they’re just one person living in a small town, without many opportunities to make a difference, Paez has advice.
“Just get involved. The worst they can do is say no. You’re always going to be your own worst critic. But I have recently found that there are so many opportunities for youth to get involved that they just don’t know about… But that means there’s all the more power to you if you go out and look for it. I wouldn’t be halfway where I am if I hadn’t applied for things. And then I go there, and I think it’s all about gaining that confidence in yourself and recognizing why you do things. If you’re a true changemaker, you do things because you have a love for it. You have a love for creating things and making a difference. You’re not doing this for the title… you’re doing it because you see value and merit in driving change.”
