Photo from the Times Colonist:

Remix is hosted by Leadership Victoria and the Victoria Youth Leadership Coalition, which is comprised of local organizations such as the United Way of Greater Victoria, Volunteer Victoria, City of Victoria Youth Council, Prodigy Group, Young Entrepreneurs Society and the International Institute for Child Rights and Development. The coalition convened with the understanding that organizations, institutions and the community as a whole could further benefit from rethinking youth engagement and youth leadership in Greater Victoria. The initiative is generously supported by Coast Capital Savings as the presenting sponsor.

On 23 May, local stakeholders, the public and members of the media are invited to the launch of Community Remix.
Members of the media register in advance by contacting Ivan Watson at 250-418-0700.

WHAT: Launch of Community Remix: Redefining Youth Engagement in
Greater Victoria

WHEN: Wednesday 23 May from 3:30pm to 7:30pm

WHERE: Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad Street
Metered parking available on the street

For the pdf version of the media advisory, click here.

David Labistour
Chief Executive Officer, Mountain Equipment Co-op

David is a committed outdoorsman who applies the same rigour to leading MEC as he does to planning a backcountry ski adventure. His vision is for MEC to be the ultimate destination for Canadians who want to experience all that life has to offer.

Under his leadership, the company is expanding its range of clothing and gear to help a broader customer base lead healthy and active lives. He has also formalized associates’ expertise in sports and activities by creating Community Outreach Coordinators at all MEC stores to lead group outings and clinics.

David was the first CEO to be hired from within MEC, and in his former capacity as senior manager of Buying and Design he was instrumental in leading the renaissance of MEC-brand products as well as several product sustainability initiatives. He has more than 25 years of retail experience working with companies such as Adidas and Aritizia in addition to nine years at MEC.

David presently sits on the Outdoor Foundation Board and the Outdoor Industry Association Board. A dedicated windsurfer who dropped out of university for a term to windsurf competitively, David takes any opportunity to stay fit by going to Crossfit, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, kite-surfing, and by snowboarding with his two sons.

This year’s Volunteering with Benefits event raised 1,360 hours of volunteer time! Calculating this time at minimum wage ($10.25/hr) represents $13,940.00 worth of labour to benefit local non-profit organizations.

UnitedNOW! was developed in 2009 as a way for people in their 20s and 30s to get involved in the community by promoting volunteerism. The group facilitates engagement for young people, offering a way for future leaders to develop skills, experience, understanding, and awareness of the non-profit sector.

Photography courtesy of Ashley Kelbough Photography

To view the Times Colonist ad in pdf, click here.

YouthNOW Volunteer Award (11 to 14)
Brooke Young-Rogers

Brooke is described as being self-directed and eager to make her community brighter through her various acts of service. She spends two hours, every weekend cleaning up her community park, which is part of a community litter project that she created. She bakes cookies for the Saanich Fire Departments and Nigel House attendees, volunteers regularly at her church, knits hats for preemie babies, built birdhouses for needy families and teaches dance lessons.

YouthNOW Volunteer Award (15-19)
Nathan How

Nathan has made a difference in his community on both a global and local scale. He travelled to Zambia where he worked in an elementary school, and a HIV/Aids orphanage. When he returned he was invited to be a board representative for African AIDS Angels. He also started the tree sponsorship at the annual Festival of Trees for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, is a reading buddy at the Greater Victoria Public Library, and volunteers with the Symphony Instrument Petting Zoo. Nathan is also active in BC Youth Parliament, the Victoria and Canadian Model UN, the Forum for Young Canadians and Encounters with Canada.

YouthNOW Youth Worker Award
Jennifer Shaw

Jennifer began volunteering with the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society in 2008 as a youth leader for the Youth Strides Summer Camp. Since 2008, she volunteers a minimum of ten hours per week for the youth activity nights and is on the planning committee for the summer camp. On top of her volunteering she was also completing her Masters degree on children’s experiences of transnational adoption. In 2010 she became the Youth Education and Employment counselor with the I Plan It program for youth and young adults.

YouthNOW Friendship Award
Sophia Higgins

Sophia exudes compassion, accountability, confidence, leadership, and loyalty. She is a great listener,
providing support whenever it is needed. She is
determined to include everyone around her and works hard to make everyone feel comfortable. Sophia goes out of her way to meet new people, creating strong relationships with them, and has made a difference in many people’s lives.

YouthNOW Big Change Award
Jenny Joh

Jenny moved to Canada from South Korea at the age of ten and at the time did not speak a word of English. She is now an exceptional leader in her school and local community. At school she is vice-president, founder and leader of the Free the Children Group, a member of key club, grad council, and the recycling team, and on top of that finds time to be a peer tutor. In the community she volunteers at Glengarry Hospital, the Royal Jubilee Hospital, and at the Renaissance Retirement Residence. Eight years after moving to Canada and not speaking a word of English she has become a strong leader in everything she does.

YouthNOW Green Award
Meaghan Dinney and Callie Warden

Meaghan and Callie co-facilitate the
Reynolds Eco-Action Leaders green group. They volunteer four hours a month at their community recycling depot which is hosted in their school parking lot, they coordinate the zero waste campaign at their school, they are key in helping with the courtyard garden project, and they spearheaded the Chicken Fostering Program. On top of all of this school volunteering they are both on the Sierra Club Youth Committee.

YouthNOW Group Award
Big Brothers Big Sisters -Teen Mentoring

The members of this group put in an incredible amount of time to better the lives of youth in their community. The teens that make up this group each have a little buddy who they meet with for an hour every week from September until June. Many of them have been involved with the group for years. Their efforts make a huge impact on their little buddy’s lives, giving them that one-on-one
attention that every child deserves but may not otherwise receive.

Special Recogniton:

YouthNOW Group
Sooke Youth Council

The members of this group are actively battling the stereotypes in their community by engaging in a positive and meaningful way and setting a path for other youth in the community to follow. Their recent fundraiser for the family of a 6 month old former resident of their community diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis united the entire community.

YouthNOW Big Change
Sewon Park

Sewon has overcome great changes in a very short amount of time. Arriving in 2009 and stuck with the challenge of learning a new language, this young man is now actively involved in the community. Whether its tutoring other kids at his high school after class, volunteering at the Royal Jubilee or with Victoria’s “Step Up” Youth Leadership group, or helping to create and put on a theatre project with Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society, he is always putting in his best effort.

Photography courtesy: Cole K. Hofstra

Click on photos to view

Congratulations to the $2500 Change starts here art scholarship winner – Melissa Fraser, Grade 11 – Spectrum School

Many thanks to the following for youth their contribution to a great event:

Solomon Flad – Piano

Youth Choir 61

YouthNOW Emcees – Julia Milden and Cathleen Evans

Camille D’Andrade – Spectrum Student Artist

Zoe Duhaime, Kanika Jackson and Holly Lam – Slam Poets (Reynolds School)

And thanks to the following for their contributions in making the celebration an event and night to remember:

Robert Amos, Guest Speaker, Arts Writer, Times Colonist

Sponosors:
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Cloverdale Paints, Ocean 98.5 / Jack FM and
Rogers Communications;

Contributors:
Island Blue Arts Store, Opus Arts, Cedar Hill Recreation, Island Farms, Ground Zero Printmaking and
Vancouver Island School of Art

Cameron Kidd – Instructor

Aaron Lam and Katherine Hutchins – Artists

Teachers who allowed us into their classrooms to make art including Georgina Hope at Oak Bay High, Sarah Thornber at SJ Willis and Moira Raynor-Atterbury at Spectrum

Kelly Greenwell, Executive Director at Blanshard Community Centre

Letitia Annamalai, Youth Programmer at the Inter-Cultural Association

Andres Karolys who created the Change Starts Here art show poster

Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria who was very helpful and supportive of this initiative;

David Ingram Chadwick, who is producing the ‘Change starts here’ art show video (available for viewing here soon!)

Congratulations to Kelsea Van Nes, Spectrum School, winner of the iPhone 4S (Courtesy of Rogers Communications)

The show continues until May 13.

3. What set it apart from any other volunteer work or regular work you’ve done before?
It was nice to work with the behind-the-scenes instead of just showing up on event day and helping out. I got to see every piece of creating an event. It was also unique to any work opportunity that I have had.
4. How many hours did you donate?
100 hours
5. When did you complete your volunteer hours?
I started around the end of May 2011 and I was finished before the end of June 2011. I had to be done before I left for my summer job in Penticton.
6. How has this experience affected you to this day?
It broadened my mind to more areas within my degree at UVic, it allowed me to discover all of the volunteer opportunities that there are in Victoria and made me want to do more because it is a great way to stay busy by helping out others and feeling useful.
7. Did you learn any new skills or information from doing your volunteer work? If so what were they?
I was exposed to a lot of circumstances that will eventually help me in my career, I may not have been extremely involved in every aspect but I attended meetings and learned a lot about corporate and fundraising events.
8. What was your favorite part about your experience?
I really liked seeing how much volunteers are appreciated. It was great to see the gratitude and appreciation that people have for volunteers.
9. What prize did you trade for your time?
I got a brand new digital camera
10. Would you do it again this year?
I definitely would!
11. Did your volunteer work influence any of your future career choices or important life choices?
I think that it will. The volunteer work that I did was directly related to my program at UVic- Recreation and Health Education- so it allowed me to explore another area for my future. I am not sure exactly what I want to do with this degree yet and my volunteer experience exposed me to another area of it and opened up more opportunities.
12. Do you still stay in contact with the people you met through your experience?
I met a couple of new friends at the Volunteering with Benefits event that I still see around campus, we all got together a few times last year before parting ways for the summer and I have a wonderful reference for my resume because of all the work I did.
13. Was it worth it in the end?
Yes. For many reasons – I had a lot of fun, learned a lot about myself, made career contacts and got rewarded with a camera.
14. What advice would you give to new volunteers?
Keep an open mind. I was not necessarily completely stoked about where I chose to volunteer at the time, it just seemed like it would work well with my schedule, but I had a great time. Volunteers are so appreciated and it feels great to make a difference no matter where it is.
15. Was this your first time volunteering?
No, I have volunteered before, but this was completely different because it was an extended amount of time instead of just a few hours here and there. I became quite involved with the company and I think that made a difference.
16. What did you learn from your experience about the community in Victoria?
I learned how many ways there are to get involved. There are so many different ways to find volunteer opportunities. It was overwhelming.
17. What did you learn about yourself?
I don’t even know if I can put in plain words all of the things that I learned about myself. I developed a lot as an employee, volunteer and even as a citizen. I realized how easy it is to give time to people who need it, how great it feels and how much it matters to others. I was dedicated and cared about the work that I was doing. I often underestimate myself and sometimes when I was given jobs I didn’t think that I could accomplish them but I did and realized that I can do much more than I expect of myself. I learned that I can be a leader and take initiative to get things done.

Details for this year’s Volunteering with Benefits event:
Friday, May 11th, 2012
Victoria Marriott Hotel 728 Humboldt Street
7:30 pm- 9:30 pm Semi Formal ages 19+
Tickets $15
Call Tara at 250-220-7359 or e-mail tara@uwgv.ca