Students in Saskatoon place a red brick for Malala

Today in Saskatoon, students from the EcoJustice program will mount their bicycles and ride to the Rotary Park Peace Plaza to honour a young education activist.

The students will place a red granite brick at the plaza for Malala Yousafzai.

Lauren Konok is one of the students who helped push for the dedication. Konok's interest began with the book I AM Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.

"I read it six times actually," Konok told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Within the pages of that book, Konok found a kindred spirit.

"I find her story just so interesting because she is not just the hero that we make her out to beshe is of coursebut there is a different side to her, the human side to her that makes mistakes and learns from them."

Malala'scommitment a great inspiration

Yousafzai, now 19, became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at 17. The young activist from Pakistan remains one of the leading voices for children's rights, and the right to an education. Konok finds that example an inspiration.

"People could say, 'OK, she's done enough. She could sit back.' But she says, 'No, I want to continue spreading this message, something needs to change and it needs to change now.' Just the fact that she is so determined to do this and bring peace to the world and educate as many people as she can, I find that's really amazing."

And so Konok and her classmates will today lay a red granite brick, a permanent dedication to the work Yousafzai has done around the world. Konok believes the young Pakistani woman would be honoured to learn not only of the dedication, but also by the fact the red brick was placed by students who've chosen to learn through a lens of environmental social justice.

"I think she would be excited that people are taking education to the next level."