You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2009.
Hi all, my name is Gabe Camozzi. I just started working with YCI in the fall, and moved here from my home in Montreal to do so.
In the months since moving here I have become enamored with Toronto’s ‘lovable quirks’ and feel very at home here. I come from a town famous for yelling and bad driving, but Toronto is very competitive on this front. I am also discovering the ‘local flavor’ in terms of some favorite community events – the York University student union strike, the making of loud noises outside my window on Queen St West early every Sunday morning, and, of course, Monster Jam.
Since I’m new to Toronto I thought it might be a good idea to show you one of my favorite parts of the city, up-close-and-personal: the YCI office.
notice the sneaky way I included the YCI URL in this one?
Here is one of the first landmarks you see when you enter the office – our pet plants Kofi and Ban. You’ll notice they aren’t doing well; I guess that’s why we’re not called Plant Challenge International.
Here is YCI’s Ghost Advisory Council, hard at work. That’s our ghost chairperson with the pink stationary, making an important point about deliverables.
Don’t be fooled – this isn’t Elvis! It’s just our recent hire, Langstrom, getting ready for his part-time job after work. Langstrom has a few things to learn about being an Elvis Impersonator (he isn’t even wearing blue suede shoes!), but please support him if you see him on Queen St.
Our sign and our door, located on the third floor of 20 Maud – challenging youth to climb two flights of stairs at this location since 2001.
I have difficulty with this pillar. Kick it, yell at it, call it names, it still won’t move. Plus, it makes it hard to practice my personal blend of pilates and high-kick gymnastics in the office.
Well, that is about everything I can show you for now! If you’re interested in seeing the rest of the office, you should check out some of our projects online at our website, www.yci.org . Thanks for stopping in!
This weekend YCI’s Volunteer Advisory Council met in Toronto for the first ever VAC Retreat. It was an exciting two days packed with training and project planning. Folks came in from as far away as Victoria and as close as St. Clair and Bathurst! As a refresher for those who might not be aware of what the Volunteer Advisory Council is or how it functions within YCI here is a brief description:
Youth Challenge International’s Volunteer Advisory Council is the leadership body for our active, national Volunteer Action Network. Our Volunteer Advisory Council members are youth leaders inspiring and encouraging others to Make a World of Difference through the development of innovative community initiatives that focus on pressing global issues.
The two main goals of YCI’s Volunteer Advisory Council are:
To encourage grassroots initiatives in Canada that generate awareness, solutions and action on pressing global issues – through the leadership of action teams in the Volunteer Action Network; and to support and inform YCI’s activities through interaction with the Board of Directors. (The Chair of the Volunteer Advisory Council sits on YCI’s Board of Directors.)
YCI’s Volunteer Action Network facilitates youth-identified grassroots projects aimed at developing creative ideas and policy solutions to pressing global and local issues and provides a supportive platform from which to nourish those ideas into action! Each team is made up of 5 to 8 volunteers working on a specific goal or objective over the course of a year. Ultimately, the aim is to develop a greater understanding about global development issues, but also to produce a distinct contribution through action and an output.
Stay tuned for some of the awesome initiatives coming out of this year’s super talented council!
Cheers,
Erin, Canadian Programs Director
To learn more about the Volunteer Advisory Council, go to http://www.yci.org/html/inCanada/council.asp.
If you’d like to see what our Volunteer Action Network is currently working on, or for how you can get involved, check out http://www.yci.org/html/inCanada/network.asp.
As an individual who just recently graduated from university, I had put little thought into what I wanted to do down the road – in 10 years time; 5 years time; or even what I wanted to do next month! I had completed one of the toughest and most character-building chapters of my life, and all I wanted to do was live up the time I finally had to myself.
Only after a summer of light travelling, working, and relaxing did I started thinking about that eventuality known as the future. It was then that I realized I didn’t have a game plan; no road lay before me. I knew it was all up to me – I had long ago grown out of the age when other people planned my life for me, and I needed to do something about it.
I thought back on my interests that I focused on while in school, and realized that a pattern began to emerge in my last few semesters of my undergrad. I, unlike many of my peers, did not know what I wanted to be “when I grew up” and so my undergraduate degree began to look like a mosaic; I took courses that I thought were interesting, thought-provoking, challenging, diverse, and fun. I realized that I had developed a strong interest in international development, gender, human rights, and the issues that surround these when they become intertwined. With that in mind, I began the process of asking myself what I wanted to do with this knowledge.
I decided on applying to graduate school and looking for meaningful work and volunteer experience. The work experience I was lucky to attain: that is where Youth Challenge International comes in! I am currently learning so much about what it takes to be a part of a development organization, and what kind of role I eventually want to take in this diverse field. For school, I decided on graduate programs related to international development – specifically those that tie in many comprehensive courses and faculty so that I can continue to keep my education diverse and creative. I realized after my time off from university (which was much needed!) that I enjoy the learning process, I enjoy the challenge that school provides, and I thrive on research and discovery. Plus, with my love of travel and curiosity for people and places the world over, this path seems like a step toward being able to one day live and make a place for myself outside of Canada.
I am also looking for ways to make myself useful as a volunteer. Anyone can tell you that a strong education is a great asset, but without meaningful experience, you haven’t got a leg to stand on. As the only member of the YCI team who has yet to go on a volunteer trip, I am looking to try my hand at some volunteer experiences right here in Canada – after all, you need to know where you’ve been before you can know where you’re going!
- Sarah Tuckey, Administrative Assistant
If you’re interested in graduate programs in International Development, check out these select links:
http://internationaldevelopmentstudies.artsandsocialsciences.dal.ca/index.php
http://globalization.mcmaster.ca/
http://globalgovernance.uwaterloo.ca/index.html
For more information on volunteer experiences in Canada and abroad, check out:
http://www.globalcitizensforchange.com/en/index.php
http://www.katimavik.org/section/index/id/1
