Thanks to Parksville’s Ballenas Secondary teacher Jessylee Spence for inviting me to meet with her Politics 12 class about my role as a Member of Parliament. Ms. Spence told me that "meeting real life politicians and asking questions is one of the two things EVERY student mentions in their final conference as a highlight of their learning.” It is certainly a highlight for me too. One of the best parts of my job has always been hearing from young people about their issues and passing on my experiences about how they can get involved. I never fail to come away from these encounters feeling optimistic about the future of our communities, our country and our planet.