In the Spotlight: A Closer Look at Team Waseem for WRDSB

In this segment of “In the Spotlight”, we thought we would highlight one of the brightest stars in our community. Meena Waseem is a fourth year student at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University and has consistently served her different communities. Her activism spans from health equity, education, and immigration to embedding diversity and inclusion in corporate workplaces. This year, she is taking it one step further and running for a position as a school board trustee. We decided to take a closer look with an exclusive interview.

Q: So Meena, you are running for school board trustee to represent Kitchener in Waterloo Region District School Board. Can you speak a little on why you are going forward with this decision as a youth?

A: I want young people in this region to see their stake in our region’s future. I’m 21, and the youngest person running in my region’s municipal elections right now. This wasn’t an easy decision to make at this time in my life, but my goal is to draw my age group’s attention to the public school board in Waterloo Region. We’re coming on two years of the pandemic, and public education has been disrupted in so many ways. Teachers and staff are burnt out, and critical community building was lost in those years.

Students with learning disabilities, students from low income families, families who face barriers to advocating for their children, and others underrepresented in the education system need more support than ever before. Young people, especially those fresh out of WRDSB schools, know this region’s education and hold a unique perspective to equip students with skills and support we wish we had. For me, I’ve navigated the WRDSB in many ways.

I have friends from high school who are married, or still in school. I see the way young people in our region are growing, and our city must grow with our needs too. A strong education system in the region sets us up for success.

Q: You have had the opportunity to work in different provinces and cities. Why come back to Kitchener?

A: What a great question, wow. The main reason I’m running, and running at 21, is because Kitchener-Waterloo is one of the fastest growing regions in all of Canada. This means we’re in a unique time where we have to be proactive in strengthening our region’s public services and municipal elected teams.

If we don’t make our public education strong in the region now, it’ll be much, much more costly to try to address the consequences later. I believe young people need to be a part of this shift because we are the region’s future. We’re the future employees, employers, politicians, etc. Many of the pressing challenges we see in large cities, like the housing crisis, gun violence, the opioid crisis, the loneliness epidemic, (and many more), are consequences of a rapidly growing community with underinvestment in public resources. Anyone who works in these sectors can help drive change by equipping people early. Being proactive now will save us time, energy, and the costs of trying to improve our systems before it’s too late.

Q: What are some areas you would like to focus on during your 4 year term?

A: The most important areas for me are: physical and psychological safety, building a love for long-term learning, and increasing access to equitable opportunities.

Q: What place does community have in what you would like to do and who you are?

A: When I was in high school, I had a lot of teachers, peers, community members, and local organizers invest their time and energy into me. Because of this support, I was able to receive a number of scholarships and awards that made it possible for me to attend the Commerce program at Queen’s University. With a program that costs almost $18,000 a year, this was not an accessible program for me, but my community helped open the doors for me to learn the language of business through accounting, finance, human resources, business law, and more. I volunteered in a variety of programs in my community, so I often saw that lack of funding, poor team management, and inequitable community engagement were the consequences of well-intentioned but under-supported leadership.

Every opportunity I’ve pursued since leaving Waterloo Region has been with the intention that I will come back and pay it forward and invest in my community. Running as a school board trustee is one way I can bridge my professional and personal experiences with my passion for public education in this region and give back.

Q: Does being a Muslim influence this decision? How will you bring Muslim youth concerns to the table?

A: Absolutely! My identity as a Muslim has been the driving force behind many of my community involvements – sadaqa (charity) is mandatory, and we’re encouraged to give through whatever means we have. My family really instilled the importance of giving without expecting anything in return. Part of the reason why I chose to wear the hijab was because I wanted my actions to help de-stigmatize Islam and help others better understand the life of a young Muslim woman in – what we colonially know as – Canada.

As youth, let’s mobilize and help spearhead change. Visit https://www.meenaforschools.com/ for more information on how to vote and get involved!