Organization
The Nova Scotia Secondary School Students' Association (NSSSA) is governed by the Provincial Cabinet, which operates under a set of established bylaws. The Provincial Cabinet is composed of an elected President, who is typically a student in their first year of university, along with two elected Vice Presidents, Internal and External (the "Presidential Trio"). The Provincial Cabinet holds overall responsibility for the organization and oversees all activities of both the Conference Committee, which organizes the annual provincial conference held at St. Francis Xavier University (STFX), and the five Regional Cabinets, which coordinate smaller regional conferences primarily for students within their respective areas.
While many positions across the organization are filled by appointment, certain key roles are elected at the Annual General Meeting, held during the provincial conference. Elected positions include the President, Vice Presidents, and Regional Co-Premiers (the leaders of each Regional Cabinet). Following the election, the Presidential Trio selects the Provincial Conference Co-Chairs for the following year through an application process. These Co-Chairs are then responsible for appointing members to the Conference Committee. Similarly, Regional Co-Premiers fill their respective cabinets through applications submitted by interested students.
All committee positions within the NSSSA are held on a one-year term basis. While members often reapply, this structure leads to a relatively high rate of turnover. To maintain continuity, Lorne "Abe" Abramson, the long-serving Provincial Advisor, played a significant role in ensuring organizational consistency. Following his death in 2024, Caelin Lloyd, the Program Lead for Accessibility, has taken an active role in archiving and organizing past NSSSA materials and records.
Provincial Cabinet
The Provincial Cabinet (PC) of the Nova Scotia Secondary School Students’ Association (NSSSA) serves as the organization's primary governing body, responsible for strategic direction, policy formation, and external relations. PC comprises of several key positions, including the President, Vice-President External, Vice-President Internal, and Past President, each contributing to the leadership and operational oversight of the association. Regional leadership is also represented by Co-Premiers and Co-Advisors from various regions, ensuring localized engagement and support. There are various other positions, all of whom play roles in event coordination, communication, financial management, and digital presence.
Conference Committee
The Conference Committee (CC) is a key organizational body within the Nova Scotia Secondary School Students' Association (NSSSA), responsible for planning and executing the annual provincial conference. The Conference Committee is led by three Co-Chairs, who are usually university students and also serve as members of the Provincial Cabinet. CC collaborates closely with the Provincial Cabinet to ensure the successful delivery of the largest event hosted by the NSSSA, typically held at St. Francis Xavier University. In recent years, it has had upwards of three hundred attendees.
Regional Cabinet
There are six regions within the NSSSA, Strait, Cape Breton-Victoria, Chignecto, Metro, and Sou’West Valley. They correspond roughly with different school boards within Nova Scotia. Each region has its own Regional Cabinet, run by two Co-Premiers. The Regional Cabinets host regional conferences, predominantly for their member schools, but open to all. These conferences are on a significantly smaller scale than the Provincial Conference.
Provincial Conference
Every year, the NSSSA holds one four-day province-wide conference for all secondary school students, taking place at St. Francis Xavier University. Conference is always held on the third weekend of May, the weekend coinciding with the national Victoria Day holiday, from Thursday to Sunday.
The Provincial Conference features a wide array of interactive programming, including skillbuilding sessions, keynote speakers, student elections, and social events.
Skillbuilding is the core of the NSSSA experience, where small groups of students led by trained high school facilitators (called Skillbuilders) engage in discussions, games, and leadership challenges that focus on confidence-building, empathy, inclusion, and communication.
Each day also includes keynote speakers (often community leaders, educators, or youth advocates) who speak on topics related to leadership, mental health, activism, and personal growth.
The weekend normally does not follow an absolutely set pattern, but most of the events occur each year. Some of these events include:
- Opening and Closing Ceremonies, which set the tone for the weekend, explain the rules and general structure of conference, and provide a space for celebration and reflection.
- The Opportunities Fair, where students connect with organizations, post-secondary institutions, and community initiatives.
- A Talent Show, where students across the province have the opportunity to showcase their unique skills and abilities
- EPIC (Everyone Participates In Conference), a high-energy, surprise, "Amazing Race" type event done with your skillbuilding group, focused on teamwork and spirit.
- Presidential, Vice Presidential, and Co-Premier Elections, where candidates deliver speeches and delegates vote for the next year’s Provincial Cabinet leadership.
- A Dance
- A Late Night activity (usually Karaoke and a quieter option, such as board games)
- A concluding Barbeque and farewells on Sunday afternoon.
Rules
At the Opening Ceremonies, three major rules that are absolute are introduced; these are called the "3D's". The "3D's" are:
Breaking these rules can result in expulsion from a conference.
The Eight Key Concepts
Some other rules are introduced as well, known as the "Eight Key Concepts". While they are not grounds for expulsion, they are meant to guide the delegates of the conference to creating a nurturing and positive environment for all. They are as follows:
1. Positive Internal Focus
Always strive to maintain an optimistic outlook and emphasize constructive discussion.
2. Speaker in Charge
Only one person speaks at a time while others listen. This ensures respectful dialogue and that everyone has an opportunity to contribute.
3. Speak for “I”
Participants should speak from personal experience, using statements like “I feel…,” rather than “we feel…,” to avoid making assumptions about others’ thoughts or emotions.
4. Avoid “Killer Statements”
Discourage insults, sarcasm, or negative remarks. Even jokes can undermine the group’s sense of safety and trust.
5. Unfinished Business
All issues should be addressed fully. If a discussion is interrupted due to time constraints, it should be revisited as soon as possible.
6. Right to Pass
Everyone has the choice whether to participate. Recognize that some individuals may feel uncomfortable in certain situations and may prefer silence.
7. Leveling Out
To promote equity, each participant should be given equal opportunity to speak. When possible, everyone should be physically on the same level (e.g., seated in a circle).
8. Business, Never Personal
Critique ideas, not individuals. Encourage dissenting viewpoints without allowing disagreements to become personal or damage relationships.
Beginning of Conference
The conference officially begins with delegate arrival. Skillbuilders arrive early to set up a designated table, where delegates get the chance to meet them prior to conference.
Delegates are given a one‑hour grace period to arrive at St. Francis Xavier University (STFX), locate their rooms, check in with their assigned skillbuilders, and take part in the Welcoming Activity. This introductory event, organized by the Welcoming Co‑Chairs, is designed to foster communication and relationship building among participants.
Following the Welcoming Activity, all delegates proceed to dinner. The Opening Ceremony takes place afterward, during which the Conference Committee introduces themselves and outlines the rules and expectations for the event.
After the Opening Ceremony, delegates attend their first skillbuilding session.
Skillbuilding
Participants attend skillbuilding sessions, which are central to the event’s programming. These sessions vary in length from one to three hours, with a total of eight sessions spread across the four days of the conference. Delegates are divided into skillbuilding groups, typically consisting of eight to ten delegates and two facilitators, known as skillbuilders. Each group meets in a designated space separate from others to ensure a focused and intimate environment.
Skillbuilding sessions involve a variety of interactive activities, including games, puzzles, and structured discussions. These activities are designed to promote team bonding, trust, and personal reflection among group members. By the second or third session, groups often develop a strong sense of camaraderie and openness, with participants frequently sharing personal thoughts and experiences in a supportive, peer-driven atmosphere.
The role of the skillbuilders is to facilitate the activities, maintain session flow, and nurture group cohesion. Each session concludes with a "debrief," during which members reflect on the activities and discuss the lessons learned.
The first and final skillbuilding sessions follow a consistent structure each year. During the first session, delegates write their "First Impressions" of each group member on cue cards, capturing their initial perceptions. In the final session, they write "Last Impressions" for each member, reflecting on how their understanding of the person has evolved over the course of the conference. These cards are then given to the respective individuals and are often regarded as meaningful mementos. The final session typically concludes with the skillbuilders offering closing words of encouragement and a reminder to carry forward the lessons learned. Delegates frequently exchange contact information, and it is common for groups to remain in touch long after the event. Many participants cite the skillbuilding sessions as the most impactful and memorable aspect of the conference.
Dance
Another highly anticipated event during the conference is the Saturday night dance, which is styled similarly to a traditional high school dance. The event typically lasts three hours. A longstanding tradition occurs during the final song (almost always Hey Jude by The Beatles) when attendees form a large circle, place their arms around one another’s shoulders, and sing along.
End of Conference
The conference concludes with a closing ceremony, which generally includes speeches, a video or slideshow recapping the weekend, and is followed by a barbecue. These ceremonies are often highly emotional, as delegates have formed close bonds and shared meaningful experiences in a short time. Following the closing events, attendees typically depart, marking the official end of the conference. Members of the Conference Committee usually remain for an additional day or two to assist with clean-up and final logistical tasks.
Regional conferences
Regional conferences are styled after the Provincial Conference, with many of the same activities occurring at both. The major difference is that regional conferences are on a much smaller scale (they can have anywhere from 12 to 500 attendees, depending on the region), and they take place over one night as opposed to three. Activities at regional conferences can vary. For instance, at certain conferences, there may not be a dance, while there may not be a talent show on others, all depending on individual region's resources. Regional cabinet organizes and runs their conference, and PC and CC attend all regional conferences to better assist in planning the Provincial Conference. In the past, regional conferences have occurred in late Winter, although in recent years they have been moved to late Autumn to better space out the conferences with the Provincial Conference. Typically, regional conferences take place at a public high school in the region. There are six of these each year. Metro, Strait, Chignecto, Sou-West, Valley, and Cape Breton-Victoria.
Inclusion Conference
The inclusion conference was held as a special conference for students with special needs for the first time in 2005; it was called G.O.A.L. The idea proved a success and a second inclusion conference was held in 2006 named G.R.O.W.T.H. The Inclusion Conference Co-Chairs were responsible for organizing and running this conference, which occurred in early April each year.
With dwindling numbers following COVID-19, NSSSA disbanded the inclusion committee and ended the Inclusion Conference program by a vote at its annual general meeting in August, 2023. This was done as part of a change in approach towards accessibility and inclusion for young leaders with disabilities. in September, 2023, NSSSA appointed a volunteer Program Lead, Accessibility whose role is to lead NSSSA's accessibility efforts; consult with regional cabinets, conference committee and provincial cabinet on issues of accessibility; and advocate for participants with disabilities.
Conference names
Every conference has a different name. The name of a conference is usually an acronym forming a short (usually three to five letters, although it has been as high as nine in the past in the case of one Valley regional conference (Stop Drop n' Roll standing for Students Taking Opportunities and Putting their Dreams Right On Path towards New Realizations On Learning and Leadership) word, with the letters standing for words that create a phrase usually related to leadership. Since 2014, the provincial conference has discontinued the use of acronyms in favour of a simple phrase, starting with Challenging the Status Quo 2014 and ending most recently with Rise Up 2018.
Provincial Conference names
- 1992 - L.I.N.K. (Leadership In Nova Scotia Kicks)
- 1993 - S.L.I.C.E. (Student Leadership In Constant Evolution)
- 1994 - W.E.T. (We Excel Together)
- 1995 - B.L.A.S.T. (Bringing Leadership And Students Together)
- 1996 - F.L.Y. (Finding Leadership in Yourself)
- 1997 - S.L.A.M. (Student Leaders Achieving More)
- 1998 - W.I.L.D. (Working to Inspire Leadership Development)
- 1999 - J.A.M. (Journey to Achieve Motivation)
- 2000 - H.Y.P.E. (Helping Youth Positively Excel)
- 2001 - S.L.I.D.E. (Students Leading In Diverse Environments)
- 2002 - S.M.A.S.H. (Student Motivation Achieving Spectacular Heights)
- 2003 - C.O.A.S.T. (Confidence in Our Actions Starting Today)
- 2004 - R.E.M.I.X. (Redirecting Energy and Motivation Into X-cellence)
- 2005 - J.U.M.P. (Journey to Understand My Potential)
- 2006 - E.D.G.E. (Every Day Grab an Experience)
- 2007 - A.G.E.N.T. (Achieving Goals and Empowering Nova (Scotian) Teens)
- 2008 - S.T.O.R.M. (Students Teaching Others to Reach and Motivate)
- 2009 - P.O.W.E.R. (Providing Opportunities While Encouraging Responsibility)
- 2010 - B.E.Y.O.N.D. (Bringing Enthusiastic Youth Opportunities and New Directions)
- 2011 - O.N.E. (Offering Navigation to Empowerment)
- 2012 - F.O.R.W.A.R.D. (Finding Opportunities to Rediscover What Adolescents can Really Do)
- 2013 - R.E.V.I.V.E. (Realizing Everyone's Values In Various Environments)
- 2014 - Challenging the Status Quo
- 2015 - Taking Charge
- 2016 - Exceeding Expectations
- 2017 - Reaching New Heights
- 2018 - Rise Up
- 2019 - Synergy
- 2020 - Vision
- 2021 - Refresh
- 2022 - Sky's The Limit
- 2023 - Ride The Wave
- 2024 - Boogie
