Young Liberals Club
Joelle Nelson
The Young Liberals Club opens a new world of opportunities for Trinity Western University (TWU) students. This club will connect students with Liberal Members of Parliament and networking events outside of TWU. It is open to anyone, ranging from students who have a general interest in politics to students who want opportunities that will equip them to enter into the political sphere after they graduate. The club will provide opportunities for students to meet Members of Parliament, to make connections with students from neighbouring universities who are involved in politics, and to engage with the Young Liberals of Canada.
For Katie Vermeulen, the founder of the Young Liberals Club, “a big element is having the club be Christ-centred. That was really important for me because an interesting connotation is that if you are Christian, you must be Conservative. I wanted there to be a space on campus where students could explore different categories on the political spectrum.” Anyone from any background can ask questions. If the club does not have your answers, the goal is to explore those answers together. Bringing genuine curiosity is huge.
The mission statement is, “TWU’s Young Liberals Club has the primary objective of cultivating political literacy among young adults on campus. We endeavour to establish a nurturing environment where individuals can openly explore any facet of politics, irrespective of their background or affiliations. We seek to foster leadership qualities and civic responsibility within our student community, guided by the justice driven values of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, our aim is to empower [TWU] students with a robust grasp of political dynamics and inspire them to actively engage in shaping our society.”
Opportunities to engage and shape society will be held in off-campus events with other young adults and political leaders beyond the TWU community. On campus, civic responsibility will be practised through events such as a mock House of Commons. This will be an event in collaboration with the Conservative Club. One Liberal Member of Parliament and one Conservative Member of Parliament will facilitate the TWU House of Commons while members from both clubs will represent their political views. A mock bill relevant to today will be introduced and students will debate the bill to make a decision as to whether or not it should be passed.
A big element is having the club be Christ-centred.
Other opportunities on campus include prayer meetings and policy cafés. Prayer meetings are an opportunity for students to come together and pray for our political leaders in Canada and world-wide. Policy cafés are a space for students to come, relax, get to know one another, and learn about the newest policies in the Canadian government. These events are open for any student to join. You do not have to have any political background. All that is required is your genuine curiosity.
A person interested in politics might question the things they observe, pursue mentors who are more knowledgeable in their specific area of interest, and dialogue with people from different perspectives. For Katie, she never imagined herself as someone who would become interested in politics. Her journey started when she worked as a tree-planter two summers ago. It was the first time she saw business and policy come together over something she cared about, and Katie had a lot of questions. As someone who cares for the environment, she was curious about the decisions that were being made and what policies were in place to allow for certain tree-planting activities to be regulated while others were overlooked.
Katie turned to TWU’s leadership program at the Laurentian Leadership Centre (LLC) and found mentors who taught her and answered her questions. She also had an opportunity to work for John Aldag, who is a Liberal Member of Parliament for Cloverdale-Langley City. As his Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Katie’s job was to take new policies and transform the government language into informative posts that any follower would understand. She also prepared speeches for the MP, engaged with stakeholders, and took diligent notes about various current issues, eager to learn by pure osmosis by being present for discussions.
The Young Liberals Club serves to help other students who are curious about politics to find mentors and dialogue with people from different perspectives. Students with varying levels of interest in politics can learn about the Canadian government and government policies with hands-on experiences that will equip them as future politicians or informed citizens. The Conservative Club and the Young Liberals Club are separate entities that work together to collaborate, learn, and equip students.
For more information, visit Instagram @twu_ylc. The Young Liberals Club at TWU is looking for a Co-President who is willing to schedule, delegate, and lead from a well-informed stance along their current President Oliver Bystrom. If you are interested, please DM @twu_ylc on Instagram for more details. Currently, applications are also open for the role of Policy Advisor to inform the club executive team on current policy. You can also learn more about the club by talking to students who are on the executive team: Oliver Bystrom (co-president), Rachael Barden (vice-president), Max Rodriguez (secretary and events coordinator), Christy Asers (membership coordinator), Aima Chaudhry (social media coordinator), and Josh Driediger (events coordinator).