Two local high school students, Abigail Tillotson of Parksville and Lana Harach of Qualicum Beach have returned from a trip to Ottawa as delegates at the 4-H Canada's Citizenship Congress.
The 60 delegates from across the country took part in 4-H's week long program where, among a busy week of activities they got to have lunch with the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food, Lawrence MacAulay and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
As a Grade 12 French Immersion student at Ballenas, Tillotson got a special honour.
"The delegates worked carefully to formulate questions and then, when they had determined which they would ask, participants were chosen to ask each question" said Tillotson's mother Katherine Johnsen in a Facebook message.
"Abby was chosen to pose one of the questions to Justin Trudeau in French. Between French Immersion and 4-H, she has been afforded many opportunities."
"This is a wonderful culmination of those as this is her last year of high school and last year of being in 4-H unless she joins as an leader when she is an adult," Johnsen said. "I absolutely cannot say enough good things about what 4-H does. It is about raising leaders."
From May 3-8, based at the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre, the students worked on communication and leaderships skills and redefining rural in modern Canada, while also getting an up-close look at the parliamentary process.
— NEWS staff