OUR WORKING GROUPS

Each working group is led by two co-chairs. Co-chairs are responsible for developing and executing working group initiatives alongside their general members. While the co-chairs ultimately report to the Operations Coordinator, they control the overall direction of their working group and, subsequently, the specific initiatives of their group.

Indigenous Relations

Co-Chairs: Nicholas Keller, Sydney Yott

The Indigenous Relations Working Group educates peers of the barriers Indigenous students in Ontario face today and supports the Calls to Action for reconciliation as outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Communications

Co-Chairs: Charles Chen, Kathy Nguyen

The Communications Working Group is responsible for crafting content to strengthen and promote OSTA-AECO’s brand. This working group generates creative content for OSTA-AECO’s social media platforms and designs visual assets for provincial campaigns. During conferences, this group aids in providing world-class professional development to student trustees as they transition into their roles. This includes updating the Student Trustee Handbook, an important reference tool for those in the role.

French Relations

Co-Chair: Felix Nomerovsky

The French Relations Working Group works to identify the unique barriers students in French programming face by researching the state of French education, and to amplify the voices of our Francophone and/or Francophile students.

Student Well-Being

Co-Chairs: Keith Andre Baybayon, Isabel Unger

The Student Well-Being Working Group gives students appropriate resources and tools to help destigmatize the culture surrounding both physical and mental illness; discusses solutions to ensure equitable access to mental health resources in schools.

Ontario Student Voice Awards

Co-Chairs: Ava LaFrance, Arabella Soave

The OSVAs Working Group awards scholarships to recognize students across Ontario who demonstrate academic excellence and community leadership.

Advocacy

Co-Chairs: Declan Amaral, Vandy Widyalankara

The Advocacy Working Group creates official OSTA-AECO position papers relating to current issues in education to bring a unified student voice forward at provincial discussions.

Environmental Sustainability

Co-Chairs: Kaylee Kelly, Tasnia Rahman

The Environmental Sustainability Working Group seeks to uphold a sense of environmental responsibility by motivating and educating students about the potential impacts of climate change, and on how dependent we are on the health of our Earth for survival.

Luca DiPietro

Operations Coordinator

As Operations Coordinator, Luca facilitates communication between the working group co-chairs and the executive council. He supports the working groups the initiatives they have planned for the year, aiding them with the logistics and general management. He ensures that the working groups have sufficient resources and contacts throughout the year.