This past summer in Costa Rica, a group of 11 YCI volunteers participated in Earth Charter programming in Juanilama. Check out this great article that Po-Yi, a member of the group, wrote for the Earth Charter in Action’s website.

“In furthering community development and promoting safeenvironmental practices in Juanilama, our YCI team set up activities to encourage participatory, intergenerational, and intercultural dialogues among community members and us that were centered around the Earth Charter principles and values. Before this trip, I knew nothing about the Earth Charter, and I am thankful that YCI introduced this initiative to us through its programming. . .“

Youth Challenge International is proud to put forward the following call for nominations for the fifth annual YCI Volunteer of the Year Award.

The award is presented in celebration of youth volunteerism to one Canadian and one international youth. Award recipients are individuals who set an example by:

• Volunteering in connection with YCI between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. (Volunteers may be office volunteers, members of the VAN or VAC, volunteers with YCI’s partner organizations or alumni of YCI’s international volunteer program.)

• Active and continued involvement in community volunteer activities.

• Demonstrating characteristics of global citizenship—including respect and values diversity, and the willingness to act for equity and sustainability.

Nominations can come from anyone within the YCI stakeholder community. To nominate an individual, please submit a short (150-250 words) biography that describes how the nominee’s past and current skills, experience, interests and qualities meet the above criteria.

Please submit your nominations by January 15, 2009 to generalinfo@yci.org

Enter YCI’s Challenge 4 Change video competition and win over $500 in prizes!

If you are one of YCI’s preparing volunteers, a member of the Volunteer Action Network, or a YCI alumnus, we want to hear from you!

Create a short video about your global youth development work experience in relation to one or more of these 4 topics:

Global Citizenship Local Volunteerism Global Volunteerism Your Project’s Sector Focus

Three videos will be chosen as winners and will be posted on YCI’s website and YouTube Channel, as well as used in other communication materials. In addition to being featured across multiple sites, winners will also receive:

• 1st place – $250, a YCI prize pack and a Pentax Optio E80 Camera
• 2nd place – $150, a YCI prize pack  and a Digital Picture Frame
• Volunteers’ Choice Award – $100 and a YCI prize pack

We will also give you a chance to cast your votes for volunteer choice video of the year which will be awarded with the volunteer of the year award!

Ready? Set? Go! Here are some ideas to help get you started:

• Global Citizenship:
  • What does it mean to be a global citizen?
  • How do YCI’s domestic and international programs embody global citizenship?
• Global Volunteerism
  • Are you a returned volunteer? What was your project like? How did affect you?
  • Are you an alumni? Where did your experiences with YCI take you professionally or personally?
  • Are you a preparing volunteer? What made you want to get involved with YCI?
• Local Volunteerism
  • Now that you’ve returned to Canada, how are you turning your global volunteerism into local action?
  • Why did your YCI experience make you want to become involved in your home community?
  • For preparing volunteers—how do you plan to turn your local volunteerism into global action?
• Your Project’s Sector Focus
  YCI’s programs are designed to meet the needs of youth affected by poverty through five integrated sectors:
  • Economic development
  • Education
  • Leadership development
  • Environment
  • Health

SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES
Your video will be judged based on the effectiveness and creativity in the communication of your message, as well as production quality.
Criteria:
• Video submission must come from members of the YCI community, including Volunteer Action Network members, alumni or preparing volunteers
• Videos must feature the Youth Challenge International logo (please contact YCI at generalinfo@yci.org for a high-res version of the logo)
• Use only original or royalty-free music and images in your video.
• Must be no more than five minutes in length.
• Videos may also be submitted through email or mail.
• Videos may be submitted by individuals, or by teams.

To enter YCI’s Video Competition, please upload your video onto Youtube and send the link, along with your contact information, a short bio and a signed copy of the Declaration and Release form (click here to download the form), to YCI atgeneralinfo@yci.org. (Videos may also be submitted through email or mail.) Submit your video submission no later than March 25, 2010, 9:00 AM EST.

All entries become the property of Youth Challenge International, including all intellectual property rights, and will not be returned. It should be understood that this involves that Youth Challenge International will have the right to use all submissions they receive as they see fit. Entrants will also be required to represent that all persons connected with the production of the video and all other persons whose names, voices, photographs, likenesses, work, services and materials have been used in the video have authorized the use of their names, voices, photographs, likenesses, performances and data in connection with the distribution, advertising, promotion and exploitation of the video. All entrants shall submit a signed Declaration and Release and waiver of moral rights attaching to the work(s), which is part of this entry form, with their entry.

It was a sea of red on December 1, 2009! YCI’s HIV/AIDS Volunteer Action Network team collaborated with other organizations within Ottawa for a World AIDS Day red theme party at 1848, a University of Ottawa campus bar.

At this event, there were opportunities to engage youth about the issues concerning those who are affected by HIV/AIDS in Canada and overseas, and to win great prizes. The World AIDS Day party took place on one of the bar’s busiest nights, and was a collective effort between six organizations, which made for a large turnout.

Our team of volunteers looked for small prizes from local businesses (~$10 and up) for a fundraising game that was run at the event called “Pop the Stereotype.” In this attention grabbing game, our volunteers circulated the pub with red balloons. On each of the balloons was a myth or stereotype about HIV/AIDS. This created an opportunity for youth to get engaged and learn about the issues related to HIV/AIDS in Canada and internationally, as well as win a prize ranging from local artwork to restaurant and store gift certificates. Attendees at the red party were invited to “Pop the Stereotype” for $10, all of which will go towards YCI’s work of engaging youth in their own development and in the development of their communities.

We would like thank the following sponsors for their generous donations: Cafe Alt, Kundstad Sports, East Side Mario’s, The Body Shop, Parma Ravioli, Sugar Mountain, and artist Melanie Lapointe. Because of our sponsors’ support, our team of volunteers were able to raise over $190.  “Pop the Stereotype” was a huge success. We would also like to thank the other organizations that we collaborated with to make this event possible: Faculty of Medicine’s Global Health Interest Group, Dignitas Youth, Keep a Child Alive, Health Promotion and International Health Program as well as University of Ottawa’s campus pub, 1848.

On behalf of Youth Challenge International’s HIV/AIDS Volunteer Action Network team, THANK YOU.

-Hilary Smith, Co-Leader for HIV/AIDS VAN Team

Youth Challenge International could not do the work we do with out volunteers.  Seriously. The spirit of volunteerism is at the very core of YCI, which might make International Volunteer Day our most important holiday.

As a volunteer-sending youth development organization, we rely on the skills and experience of youth to implement our programs in eight different countries. In partnership with local youth (almost of of whom are also volunteers), YCI participants work together to raise awareness and sow the seeds of positive change. From running workshops on environmental education, sexual reproductive health and good governance to teaching computer and English classes to doing late night HIVAIDS outreaches in the clubs of Mombasa, our volunteers are committed to the issues and are making a difference.

In my role as the Volunteer Communications Coordinator here at YCI, I have the pleasure (and sometimes challenge) of working with all the volunteers we send overseas on a regular basis.  I love my job and wanted to take this opportunity to send a huge shout out to all of the great volunteers I work with–you all continue to inspire me on a daily basis.  Everyone comes with their own motivations, skills and experience, and it is truly amazing to work with such a diverse group of youth that are so committed to both learning about themselves and creating positive change in whatever way they can.

To be fair, those aren’t the only volunteers YCI relies on, just the ones I work closely with.  We also have Community Connectors and Volunteer Action Network team members here in Canada who work hard throughout the year to engage the public and raise awareness about international development issues and how they are connected to local realities.  The YCI office also hosts a small number of dedicated office volunteers, who provide much needed assistance and have saved me on a number of occasions from late nights and weekend work.

Thank you, Merci, Tank Yu, Gracias, Medasi, Asante Sana!  From all of us here at YCI and our partners across the globe, we really appreciate everything you’ve done for us.  You’re all awesome!

-Lauren Chender, Volunteer Communications Coordinator

This Saturday, December 5, 2009 is International Volunteer Day! As a count down to Saturday, here is a great article written by one of YCI’s staff.

“We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill

We all have different reasons for volunteering: personal development, resume building, fulfilling school requirements and of course, giving back to the community. Most likely, it’s a combination of all the above. We dedicate our time, skills and passion to our causes.

I have been a volunteer both in Canada and Overseas. I could wax philosophical on the benefits of volunteering for the individual, the community and society on the whole. However, because of the particularly tough job climate; where graduate degrees are a dime and dozen and where an administrative assistant position pulls in 400 plus resumes, the majority highly qualified well-rounded candidates, how can volunteering distinguish you from your competition?

International volunteer work gives you hands on practical experience while simultaneously providing enriching personal experiences. I spent 10 weeks volunteering with YCI in Tanzania. And how did it increase my employability? Not only did I get practical experience about how to run a workshop, create informative and engaging programming, facilitate discussions, take initiative of a project, engage a community and conduct monitoring and evaluation, but I also gained cross-cultural experience. I got the opportunity to work hands-on with a PLWHA group and OVC caregivers, acquire basic language skills and gain understanding about how a culture works.

This means that for an employer, I didn’t have just theoretical knowledge but practical experience working on the ground. I had proven experience that I could work in a multi-cultural environment and lead a project. YCI projects offer intensive work experience overseas with hard skill acquisition.

-Jane Baldwin, Program Development Manager, Youth Challenge America

This Saturday, December 5, 2009 is International Volunteer Day! As a count down to Saturday, here is a great article written by one of YCI’s office volunteers.

I had been thinking about volunteering for a while and finally decided to turn my thoughts into action.

During my undergraduate studies I participated in various student clubs and organizations where I freely gave my time and energy, as university life makes this really easy to do.

However, once out of school, there was rarely any time to dedicate to volunteering. It took me a while to figure out that the time was not really an issue, rather it became an excuse. I made the time and started to research what organization I wanted to become a part of.

I wanted to volunteer with an organization that made a real difference and one with a great reputation. International youth development is something that I strongly believe in and it was great to see an organization that is working to make a positive change.

YCI, whose programs, which are driven by a diverse and passionate group of volunteers who are determined to put the phrase ‘think globally, act locally’ into practice in a meaningful way, was my number one choice. I was lucky to have been accepted as a volunteer with the organization in the Toronto office because I am sure that competition is fierce.

I believe the best thing to do when deciding to volunteer is to pick something that you have a personal interest in. My work as a youth educator is closely linked with many of the issues that YCI volunteers addresses in their local and international projects. Working at the YCI Toronto office has provided tremendous insight into how much work is done behind the scenes to ensure that all international volunteers transition into the field properly. I have also had the opportunity to assist with researching volunteer resources focusing on health and economic development. Volunteering with YCI has been tremendously gratifying and I am happy to report that despite all of the numerous things that make my life so busy I have managed to “find” the time to dedicate to a cause I strongly believe in.

- Alexandra Madolciu, YCI Office Volunteer

Like many NGOs, governments, communities and individuals around the world YCI is marking World Aids Day on December 1^st.

New figures released by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS estimate the number of new HIV infections have declined each year by about 17% from 2001 to 2008, which is an achievement to celebrate (http://www.worldaidscampaign.org).

Yet, of every five people infected, only two start treatment and more than two million AIDS related deaths were reported globally in 2008, with two million children under the age of 15 now living with HIV (http://www.worldaidscampaign.org).

In the countries YCI works HIV/AIDS rates are particularly high amongst youth and especially female youth. Lack of sex education, poor access to health services, limited employment opportunities and gender inequality are some of a number of factors that make young people vulnerable.

YCI’s HIV/AIDS programming is focused on mobilizing and sensitizing youth, providing education, distributing condoms, producing multi-media initiatives and working directly with high-risk groups, such as sex trade workers.

YCI partners, staff and volunteers have been active in working with young people and we’ve been part of some dynamic partnerships not only with our existing partners but new organizations as well including PSI and Action Aid in Mombasa, Kenya.

A 17% annual reduction rate over the past seven years is something to celebrate and a positive example of the ability of governments, civil society, individuals and NGOs to effect positive change on a global level. As we recognize World Aids Day there’s more work to do and YCI is committed to its partners and the youth we work with to continue this important work.

Lastly, as the passage below illustrates, we’re also engaging young people in Canada. The Volunteer Action Network (VAN) is an opportunity for YCI alumni and Canadian volunteers to become involved in development issues in both a local and international context. Marika Escaravage, a YCI alumni and now a VAN team leader, has continued her engagement with YCI by organizing an outreach and education program to mark World Aids Day.

-Steve Cumming, International Programs Director

Our team is bubbling with excitement over here in Ottawa, as we prepare for World AIDS Day on December 1st. We’ve been collaborating with 5 other organizations to plan a Red Theme Party. Too often the focus is placed on needs and shortcomings, but the Red Party gives us a chance to celebrate the advances that have been made and the passion and energy of people throughout the world who are actively fighting this pandemic!  The organizations present will be able to provide information on what more can be done. For our part, we’ll be running a game called “Pop the stereotype” which will have participants debunking myths about HIV/AIDS and HIV positive people, while winning prizes donated by local sponsors! An extra little perk is that there will be drinks at reduced price.  All we ask in return is for everyone to wear red and bring an open mind.

What: Red Party

Date: Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Time: 7pm until bar closing

Location: 1848 (bar) in the University of Ottawa, Jock Turcott University Center

Come out! Wear RED!

-Marika Escaravage, VAN Team Leader, Ottawa:

In previous blog posts, we’ve already explained how donating $20 to YCI can truly make a difference. But who better to explain the impact of YCI than the volunteers themselves?

Considering donating at www.yci.org/20years