With the first week of May fast approaching, youth all over B.C. are gearing up for Youth Week events — and this year youth in Williams Lake are gearing up as well.
Youth Week is a provincial celebration of youth held annually during the first week of May. It is a week of fun, interaction, and celebration intended to build a strong connection between young people and their communities and to profile the issues, accomplishments, and diversity of youth across the province. It’s an opportunity to recognize the positive contributions youth make in their communities, and to celebrate the valuable work youth do all year round.
2014 marks the first time our city is celebrating this event.
Wednesday, April 30, from 11 a.m. until noon is the Volunteer Fair in the commons at the LCSS Williams Lake Campus.
Youth Week is being launched by a Volunteer Fair organized by Junior Council. The fair provides an opportunity for local service providers in need of volunteers to connect with youth. It’s also a great forum in which to ask questions and talk about issues and interests.
“We wanted to create an event that gives students an opportunity to volunteer in the community as students need volunteer hours in order to graduate. There are also lots of personal benefits when you volunteer,” said junior council member Brooklyn Thiessen. “You feel good about your contributions, you build new skills, meet interesting people, and you help organizations that are doing such great work in our community.”
On Thursday, May 1 at 5 p.m. the Opening Reception, “The Creative Path,” will be hosted at the Station House Gallery.
Youth in the “Making Connections” program of School District 27 are showcasing their art work at the Station House Gallery during the month of May and we have a chance to meet some of the artists at the May 1 opening reception of their Creative Path exhibit.
The exhibit should be amazing, said Ciel Patenaude, facilitator of the Making Connections program.
“Our philosophy is that children who know themselves to be powerfully creative, imaginative and artistic beings will not only enjoy their childhood more, but they will grow up to be powerfully creative, confident and expressive adults, capable of making decisions reflective not of insecurity or doubt, but in alignment with a deep appreciation of their unique gifts and capacities,” Patenaude said.
On Monday, May 5 there will be a Barbecue and Scavenger Hunt from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club.
Join youth at the Boys and Girls Club for a fun filled scavenger hunt starting at 3:30 p.m. followed by a barbecue. This event is open to youth 13-18.
“We hope to have lots of youth come down to the centre to enjoy the fun, food and prizes,” said Carly Lucchetta with the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake and District.
Wednesday, May 7 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. a concert in the Lake City secondary Williams Lake Campus takes place.
An evening of uncensored musical performances by Youth in a relaxed coffee house environment. This is a free event for youth to showcase their talent for their friends and family. There will be lots of great door prizes and free refreshments.
“We are excited to be collaborating with Youth for Christ-Youth Unlimited and WorkSafeBC to make this event happen,” said the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake and District’s Linda Bingham.
Also, a resource display for youth and their parents is lined up at the Williams Lake Library.
What are the hot new titles in youth fiction? Is there a how-to book for raising my teenager? If these questions spark your interest, head on down to the Cariboo Regional District Library, Williams Lake Branch. Not a bad line up of activities for our first annual Williams Lake BC Youth Week celebrations. Come on out and support our youth. We’ve started something great to build on. Enjoy!
Carla Bullinger is a facilitator with Communities that Care in Williams Lake.