Local organization Dare To Be You organized their second annual Youth Inspire CommUNITY Day, attracting hundreds of high school students to the Burlington Performing Arts Centre to browse the community resource fair booths and listen to keynote speakers answer the question, “What does it mean to actively live our values and aspirations?”
The enthusiasm and energy were palpable as students received their welcome package and scavenger hunt card, and spoke to community organization representatives at the various booths. Dare To Be You founder and CEO Shannon Tobin and Director of Development Drew Simon were on hand to keep everything running smoothly, while the organization’s Community Youth Council (CYC) had a booth of their own to chat with attendees.
All of the booths and speakers were there under the banner of unity and empowering youth, of providing the student attendees with the resources they need to move towards the future. CYC members Arham Saeed and Ayaan Sunasara, who were part of the planning committee for the event, noted that they, alongside other CYC members, have been working on event planning for seven or eight months. They said that while the adult Dare To Be You staff gave guidelines, the CYC was given the freedom to make decisions, plan, and implement the “little stuff.”
The scavenger hunt was one of the CYC’s projects, after being asked to develop a mid-event activity for attendees. It’s a fun social activity, designed to get students to talk to new people, break down barriers, and build community.
Both Arham and Ayaan appreciate the CYC for the chance to connect with other people in their age group (members range from 14 to 24 years old), to learn from each other, and to attend workshops throughout the year with various themes, including time management, organization, and leadership. The chance to learn through experience in helping plan Youth Inspire CommUNITY Day is another draw, allowing them to gain valuable teamwork experience and work with other youth “towards a common goal” — something they find lacking in school.
When asked about the youth empowerment aspect of the event, and what that meant to them, both noted the importance of connecting youth to resources and community, as Arham said, “to prepare the youth for tomorrow.” To learn things that “you can’t just sit down to learn through a book,” Ayaan added. Making these connections, knowing what is available in the community, they agreed, enables students to reach out to support networks when needed; otherwise, it is hard to access support because students don’t know what is available to them.
The booths at the event certainly offered a good start for students to see what is available in Burlington. Soulfood Psychotherapy was in attendance, giving information and asking questions about students’ potential barriers to accessing therapy. Fielding Dental Healthcare offered giveaways and toothbrushing advice. The City of Burlington encouraged students to join the Burlington Youth Student Council, while Halton Industry Education Council spoke to students about their mentoring and experiential learning programs, their career lab and apprenticeship support. RBC was there as part of their Future Launch program, their 10-year, $500-million commitment to help young people build the skills they need to prepare for their future, and to offer the services of a photographer, who took headshots of students for their LinkedIn profiles.
Burlington’s MP Karina Gould addressed the crowd in BPAC’s Family Lobby, fitting as both the minister of families, children and social development, and as the youngest woman in Canadian history to serve as a cabinet minister. She told the students to “know just how important and strong your voices are…know that you have something really important to contribute.”
Students later went to the Main Theatre to hear an inspiring roster of keynote speakers: Waabs Altiman, community leader and advocate for decolonization and indigenization; Leena Sharma Seth, founder of Mending the Chasm; Kale Black, environmentalist, community organizer, and lead facilitator of Mending the Chasm; Miranda Ayim, Olympian and advocate of an integrative approach to wellness and performance; and Mustafa Dossajee, partner at accounting firm SB Partners and community leader.
Each speaker gave their own take on how to live according to one’s own values and aspirations, inspiring the listening students to find their purpose, make connections and become deeply involved in their community, and make their own paths towards the future.
As Penny Lock from Soulfood Psychotherapy said, “It takes a community to raise a community.” If this event was anything to go by, Burlington is well on its way to raising an inspiring, engaged and connected community.
