Yellowknife (Apr 18/03) - Like many young, politicians before him, Grade 11 student Aiden Cartwright felt he could make changes.

But in the time he's served on student council at Sir John Franklin high school, Cartwright has been faced with less-than-earth-shattering issues that have made him wonder why he got on council in the first place.

"Like more parking," he said, sitting with a group of students at SJF recently. "It's mostly complaints. More dances. More something."

Cartwright thought council at least would have power to wield. "But we don't."

Politically active students have a lot on their minds these days. World events dominate. Students are in a fight to stay motivated on the local level when there is very little inspiration for them to cling to.

Local leaders don't thrill them.

"There's no awe," said Kieron Testart.

"But there is respect," he added. "I don't think any of us don't like our ministers."

"And I don't think any of us would want their jobs," said Cartwright.

Go anywhere, students say, and ask teens about their hometown government.

"I'd say most of them don't have much of a clue," said Cartwright. "All through school you focus on everyone except yourself."

It is partly the curriculum's fault, students say. In Northern Studies, Cartwright only remembers watching Last of the Mohicans and studying Northern explorers.

"We didn't do much about modern NWT."

But that's going to change, said Allan McDonald, assistant principal.

Sir John is piloting a new Northern studies curriculum that is more up to date.

Students will admit they've been less than vigilant, too.

"It's not the government's fault," said Testart, Grade 12.

"They do have a channel," he said as other students laughed. "If we really wanted to know what's going on we could just tune in."

Grade 11 student Jonathan Antoine's uncle is the deputy premier, Jim Antoine. Political talk is common at his home. It hasn't made him want to get into politics as a career. But it has grown on him, he said.

"They talk about it out loud," he said of his family. "After a while, you get a perspective. Yeah, I guess I've grown into it."

But Erin Olovson-Cleveland, who has a deputy minister in her family, says she's heard enough. "I think it's scaring me away from politics as a job," she said. "Even at the territorial level it's pretty harsh."

She said most people are just too hard on politicians these days. Only controversy, like who yelled at who, and program cuts, get reported.

Testart said leaders today are not as exciting as they used to be and that's what is turning people off.

"We don't have any more Churchills."

Megan Cooper wants nothing to do with politics. She has a family member involved and said, "It's drama all the time."