Annual

Report

2021—2022
Federation of Canadian Secondary Students Fédération des élèves du secondaire au Canada
Table of
Contents
03 Opening Remarks

03 Mission

04 History

04-05 Programs

06 Impact

06 Next Steps

Federation of Canadian Secondary Students Fédération des élèves du secondaire au Canada

Opening Remarks
Dear FCSS-FESC Members, donors, supporters, and community members:

It is our pleasure to share the 2021—2022 FCSS-FESC Annual Report, an overview of the Federation’s
activities over the last operational year. This year, our team continued to navigate the changing realities of
the COVID-19 pandemic without losing sight of our mission: supporting Canadian secondary students.

Under the leadership of the Executive Director and College of Chief Officers, the Federation:

piloted a new accessible volunteering program

revamped our blog into a student media platform
launched a financial literacy program, collaborated with the Globe and Mail on a student essay contest
authored and submitted a series of policy recommendations to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario;
an
strengthened internal governance policies.

In particular, we would like to highlight that we received

$37,539.00

in grants from the Government of Canada for the Canada Summer Jobs program and were consequently
able to employ eight full-time summer employees in policy analysis, fundraising and business
management. The work of our summer employees was invaluable in establishing the Federation as
Canada’s leading advocacy organization for secondary students.

Bruce Yu

Executive Director

Mission
The Federation of Canadian Secondary Students / Fédération des élèves du secondaire au Canada
(FCSS-FESC) is an entirely non-partisan youth-led charity that aims to inform, educate, and ultimately
empower high school students to foster social justice initiatives in their schools and local communities.

We use a mutual aid model where students are at the centre of our programs and initiatives. We
encourage students to challenge systems of power that perpetuate social disadvantage and actively
ground our work in an anti-oppressive and intersectional framework.

Federation of Canadian Secondary Students Fédération des élèves du secondaire au Canada

History
Founded in 2012, the FCSS-FESC has a record of advocating for Canadian secondary students in the
public education system.

Since 2012, the FCSS-FESC has grown from a grassroots group of secondary students at Abbey Park
High School in Oakville, ON into a registered charity with operations in Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec,
Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario.

Over the years, we have shifted focus many times from student advocacy to student support. Today, the
FCSS-FESC is focused on giving secondary students the tools to effect change in their local schools and
communities with an approach grounded in social justice and mutual aid.

Programs
JEDI Champions
The JEDI Champions program was implemented in
2021 as an accessible volunteering program that
seeks to provide students from marginalized and
underserved communities with an opportunity to
complete 40 hours of community service required
As part of a professional, yet friendly environment,
we learned to collaborate with one other and in the
end, I am thrilled that this program has educated
and inspired students to explore ways to bring
change to their respective communities.

for graduation. Through this program, students are

taught academic research skills and provided with JEDI Champions Program Coordinator
an opportunity to craft a project proposal focusing
on a contemporary social justice issue of their
interest. After an extensive outreach process
involving partnerships with numerous student
stakeholder groups and school guidance
counsellors, over

50

students were accepted into the inaugural JEDI

Champions program.

Federation of Canadian Secondary Students Fédération des élèves du secondaire au Canada

Programs
AIM (Achieve, Inspire, Motivate)
AIM undertook the development of a financial
literacy module (AIM Academy) and launched a
business consultant program (AIM Pathways).
Students who participated in AIM Academy were
provided with resources and practice on the
fundamentals of saving, budgeting, credit/income
and taxes. Participants in AIM Pathways attended
a conference and presented business
recommendations to industry leaders in four
sectors: law, finance, health, and technology.
Elevate
Elevate, FCSS-FESC’s mental health program built
on the work of previous years with a new modular
version of its flagship mental health guide. In
response to students’ voiced concerns and
anxiety leading up to exams, team members put
together a series of learning strategy videos with
tips and tricks for success with studying, exam
preparation, and everything in between. To
continue a well-received initiative from last year,
program coordinators researched, wrote, and
published blog articles targeting key mental health
issues of interest to students.
Federation of Canadian Secondary Students
Demystify Tribune
Project Demystify became Demystify Tribune in
2021, shifting from an informative infographic-
focused program to a blog for student writers,
both internal and external to the Federation. In
recent editions, the Demystify Tribune detailed the
importance of extracurricular activities and
provided an overview of Canadian universities.
Very few things match the satisfaction of finishing
a productive briefing with the rest of the writers,
and starting a fresh piece empowered by the
change our words can make. The whole process -
from brainstorming, to writing, and seeing the
change we were able to create - is an incredibly
fulfilling experience.
Demystify Tribune Writer
CCLR
The Canadian Charter of Learners’ Rights (CCLR)
Working Group finalized a section on digital rights,
the final addition to the policy document that
enumerates certain rights that the Federation
believes all Canadian secondary students should
possess. Building on that work, the team created a
series of policy recommendations highlighting the
importance of providing Ontario secondary
students access to one-on-one mental health
supports and Ministry of Education accredited e-
learning courses.
Fédération des élèves du secondaire au Canada
Impact Next Steps
60+ team member In the 2022—2023 operational year, the Federation
5+ research/policy publication will continue to build upon the JEDI Champions
8+ courses delivere program, with the goal of bringing it to more
500+ students directly impacted students across Canada, particularly those in rural
areas with less access to traditional volunteer
opportunities.

Internally, FCSS-FESC looks forward to improving

our governance framework with stronger financial
controls, clearer lines of accountability, and a more
transparent governance structure.

Federation of Canadian Secondary Students Fédération des élèves du secondaire au Canada