2008 City of Vancouver Youth Award Recipients Announced

By City of Vancouver (May 02, 2008)

The C.o.V. Youth Awards is an initiative of the City of Vancouver’s Youth Outreach Team where youth, adults, programs and organizations are awarded for their contributions to Vancouver. This celebration brings together the youth community in a ceremony that showcases best practices of youth engagement and the amazing work of youth in their local communities.

 

2008 C.o.V. YOUTH AWARD RECIPIENTS

OUTSTANDING YOUTH 13 – 18

Amanda Cheong

Amanda Cheong is a grade 11 student, attending Eric Hamber Secondary. Upon returning from a visit with the Dalai Lama this year, she was inspired by the message that compassion can transcend all barriers, regardless of age, gender, social standing, ethnicity, or religion. Her group decided to bring the Dalai Lama’s message back to

Eric Hamber where Amanda helped co-found a Compassionate Leadership Club; her experience in supervising the 2006 World Peace Forum in Vancouver, became a key factor in keeping the club involved in the school and community. Some of the contributions that the club has made to date include: providing blankets for the homeless and packing Christmas hampers for the poor. Through these actions Amanda hopes to change the views of the people around her, showing them that compassion is a simple act of kindness that can make a difference in someone’s life.

Betty Yiting Yan

Betty Yiting is a grade 12 student currently attending University Hill Secondary who is an earnest volunteer in her community. She began volunteering as a meaningful activity to do with her friends, but soon the feeling of accomplishment of helping others in her community pushed her to continue helping others. Her recent volunteer experiences brought her in contact with helping the elderly. She was assigned the task of being company for the elderly. At first she worried that she wouldn't be able to interact with the men and women who have different life experiences than herself, but over time she was able to relate to a small group of seniors through weekly activities such as bingo and musical therapy. Through her contributions to the society, she has not only made a positive impact on her society, but on her own personal growth as well.

Cassandra Fong

Leadership is much more than just holding a position or making the headlines, rather it's about the difference you make. Cassandra Fong has shown she can make a difference with the resources at hand. She has volunteered at numerous community events and fundraiser, each contributing to the world in a significant manner. She developed a lie detector with an accuracy of one hundred percent, over ten percent more accurate than the current gold standard polygraph used in lie detection and that year she won her school science fair, district and regional science fair. Using the limited resources at her disposal she was able to test and prove her hypothesis in that science fair. Dedicating herself to others is her way of giving back and saying a personal thank you to all the community has done for her and everyone that it has helped.

CB Light

CB spends most of his time in Vancouver working with organization throughout the community while living in Surrey. CB has been with Leave out Violence since September. CB provides a great link between Surrey and Vancouver by his involvement with LOVE. He is also involved with youth groups in Surrey such as the Surrey Urban Youth Project. CB has reach out to other youth in diverse communities who deal with issues around violence. CB like to give his voice from the young Aboriginal perspective, by doing this it helped change communities. CB has speaker at the Healing Families Forum which was held at the Roundhouse Community Center. CB has help organize fundraisers and has led exercise for youth. CB also performed at Power of Hope sharing his poetry and drumming. With issues of Stigmatization and Racism, CB has encouraged discussions of these issues. CB has builder positive culture and activism for himself and youth in Vancouver and throughout the Lower Mainland.

Crystal Guss

Involved with KAYA - the Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Association, Crystal has worked with the Roving Leader Program where she has had the opportunity to learn more about what is available in the community to build interest in physical activity, cultural and contemporary arts. Crystal shows great leadership skills in her commitment on youth violence issues and the development of strategies for youth participation in positive and healthy activities. Crystal is passionate about sports and she actively participates and promotes the CHILL program, which supports youth involvement in snowboarding.

Daniel Jun

Daniel’s primary motivation in life is his concern for the welfare of others. His level of sincerity, maturity, and personal integrity is impressive particularly when he initiates and assists high school and community events on local and global issues. Daniel has organized events such as the Jim Byrnes: An Evening of Blues concert, which benefited the Performing Arts Department at Point Grey Secondary and the GF Strong Rehab Center; additionally he has coordinated two benefit concerts, recruiting top musical high school students to perform in support of the BC Children’s Hospital. Daniel believes that “it is important for the younger generations to step up and take ownership for their communities to improve the lives of those who live in them.”

Janny Ke

Janny is the driving force behind the NOW WHAT? Youth conference at Churchill

Secondary school, where students are introduced to important urban sustainability issues, through interactive workshops and action oriented discussions. Janny founded the Environmental Coalition of High School Organizations (ECHO) which aims at bringing together environmental school leaders and promoting cooperation among clubs. Her passion for biology and environmental education is what motivates Janny to continue to plan and implement activities and events for her local community in order to gain greater appreciation for the need to protect the balance of the earth.

Jimmy Nguyen

Jimmy has been involved with the MY Circle program of the Immigrant Services Society of BC since 2007. His incredible ability to empower and inspire others is reflected in his performances through the NUYU program and in his several community presentations. Jimmy is also and active participant of the Sunset Community Center soccer program and has recently committed himself to becoming involved with Check Your Head. One of his recent success stories took place with the production of the short film U.F.O: unidentified Foreign Object, which drew attention to the hardship that newcomer youth and parents in

Vancouver face. Jimmy is an amazing volunteer with great compassion and commitment to the community; his inclusive leadership and respectful attitude have definitely made a positive impact in Vancouver’s Youth Community.

 

Michael Thejomayen

Michael Thejomayen is an outstanding grade 10 student from University Hill Secondary School who has made a remarkable impact on his community. His excellent leadership skills have shined through whether on the field as an athlete or in the community as a volunteer. Since the age of 13, he has volunteered for the Vancouver Multicultural Society, the Simon Fraser University Summer and Winter Camps for kids, Canadian Blood Services, and many other programs, organisations, and events. He is also the co-founder and current President of his school’s “Make a Difference Club”, which fund-raises to help entrepreneurs in third-world countries start up their own business ventures.

 

Steven Cain

Steven has been a member of the Kiwassa Neighbourhood House for several years. A regular volunteer, Steven is quick to help out whenever needed with community events, social outings, educational events, and youth dances. He has demonstrated real community involvement through his work with Kiwassa’s Pre-Teen Program, East Side Teen Program, Pandora Park Summer Day Camps and Mini E’s Youth Programs. Through his volunteer work he has inspired many of the youth with his inclusive and understanding nature to not only finish school but be a part of the community. Exhibiting many of the characteristics that make a great leader, Steven is a highly energetic, motivated and caring individual who is always willing to lend a helping hand to youth in need.

 

OUTSTANDING YOUTH 19 – 24

Jennifer Sarkar

Jennifer has been a dedicated member of the Immigrant Service Society of BC’s My Circle program since 2005. As a member of their core team of youth facilitators, Jennifer helps train immigrant and refugee youth to combat racism and discrimination by giving local and national presentations, helping to create youthproduced media, and facilitating peer support programs for immigrant and refugee youth. The countless hours she has dedicated with the MY Circle Action team have earned her respect and admiration from her peers, and have established her as an advocate for inclusion and diversity in her community.

Max Paquin

For the last five years Max has been involved with Leave Out Violence (LOVE) BC and the

Broadway Youth Resource Center (BYRC). With LOVE, Max works to reduce violence in the lives of youth by empowering former victims, witnesses and perpetrators of violence to become youth leaders. As a facilitator, he has had the opportunity to reach out to many different groups in Vancouver, including high school students, those in youth detention centers, corporate organizations, and even the faculty association at UBC. On February 27th 2008 he was featured in the Vancouver Sun’s cover story for Pink T-shirt Day in Vancouver, a day in which people throughout the province are encouraged to wear pink and support a campaign to end bullying.

Tyler Cuddahy

Tyler became involved with YouthCO just over 5 years ago, since which he has shown remarkable personal growth as a volunteer and community organizer. Tyler has shown extraordinary resilience in the face of multiple barriers and challenges, overcoming problems of housing, drug addiction, poverty and mental health. Tyler’s involvement with YouthCO has helped to reach and educate hundreds of street entrenched and marginalized youth around harm reduction and HIV and Hepatitis C prevention in Vancouver. His involvement at YouthCO has provided him with the opportunity to participate in conferences, workshops, trainings, and committees, all of which have helped him build youth capacity in his community. Tyler sits on the Board of Directors for both YouthCO and the Hepatitis C Council of BC.

OUTSTANDING ADULT ALLIES

Alison Emond

Alison has been supporting and advocating for youth in Vancouver for over 20 years. She has a commitment and passion working for young people that is unparalleled, extending beyond her job description in order to mobilize change within structures & services, as well as within youth themselves. Whether it is providing support to young parents, helping youth with their taxes or bringing youth homelessness and housing issues to the forefront, Alison embodies the very definition of an adult ally who works with youth and for youth voices. While we are ‘not their yet’, in meeting the needs of safe housing for all youth, Alison’s tenacity and passion will bring us closer to a world that recognizes, respects and listens to youth, and one that meets our obligation to them.

Tanya Findlater

Tanya is the Youth Programs Coordinator at Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, working with youth both in the neighbourhood house and Vancouver Technical Secondary. She is responsible for the oversight, direction, planning and implementation of five youth programs including: the Building a Safer Environment (BASE) program which trains secondary students to mentor Grade 8’s throughout their transition into secondary school; The Youth Skills Development programs; the Youth Connections Program; the Scholarship and Bursary program; and the Youth Action Council. Tanya’s approach to working with youth is to ensure that these programs are youth-driven. She incorporates youth leaders from our community in all aspects of the planning and delivery of these programs.

 

OUTSTANDING YOUTH PROGRAMS

Connecting Learning through Art, Broadway Youth Resource Centre (BYRC)

In response to the desire of youth in the community for a summer art program in which youth could create freely without worry of expense, the Broadway Youth Resource Centre launched Connecting Learning through Art in 2008. Last year, program coordinators, mentoring artists and participating youth succeeded in providing a safe drop-in environment to explore art through different media twice a week through the summer; in creating a mural that depicts the feeling of loneliness and the joy of finding community; and in opening an exhibit displaying and selling participants’ artwork. Participating youth came in as strangers and left connected themselves – to each other, to mentoring artists, to Centre staff and to other crucial community supports.

Roundhouse Youth Theatre Project

Since 2002, the Roundhouse Youth Theatre Project has been a free program that provides a safe and enriching environment for youth to express life concerns using theatre as a tool to promote dialogue. Youth decide the focus of the project each season, developing collaborative play scripts that draw from their own ideas and experiences. Over the years, the Project has involved a total of about 70 diverse youth, aged 13 to 18 – most without any previous theatre experience and many from more vulnerable communities. The Project has been very successful in helping youth express what is important to them and empowering them to share their stories with the community. Many participants have since gone onto post secondary programs in theatre, film, public speaking and political science.

Illusrated Journeys, La Boussole

Illustrated Journeys engages 20 immigrant and refugee youth in an arts-based storymaking partnership between youth, immigrant service organizations, comic book artists and the UBC School of Social Work. The once-a-week, eight month program leads participants through a process of reflecting, expressing and sharing their personal stories of the transition to life in Canada. The process and the collection of comic book stories aims at reducing social isolation and marginalization among participating youth and at enhancing the broader public’s awareness of newcomer youth issues. The project involves diverse youth aged 14 to 24, all speaking different languages and with a wide range of immigrant or refugee experiences. Illustrated Journeys is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-disciplinary experience.

Marpole-Oakridge Senior Youth Council

Every week, the 22 dedicated members, aged 15 to 18 years, of the Marpole-Oakridge Senior Youth Council meet to plan, coordinate and outreach for their various and numerous community initiatives. In particular, the Senior Youth Council excels in community outreach and they are important role-models and mentors in the Marpole- Oakridge neighbourhood. For example, members have taken the lead in organizing the monthly Youth Night In program; implemented a Children’s Book Drive for redistribution to local daycares and pre-schools; worked closely with Vancouver Coastal Health to facilitate the Beauty from the Inside Out (BFIO) and Cool to the Core (CTTC) projects in neighbourhood elementary schools.

 

OUTSTANDING YOUTH ORGANIZATION

Leave Out Violence Everywhere (LOVE-BC)

LOVE-BC is a non-profit aimed at reducing violence in the lives of youth by empowering former victims, witnesses and perpetrators of violence to become community leaders. As a youth-led movement, LOVE engages youth in a number of ways. Youth are represented on its Board of Directors. LOVE’s Leadership Training provides Youth Leaders with diverse tools to become strong community leaders. Through its Photojournalism Program, youth are trained to use writing and photography in order to speak to the issues of youth violence. Through its Outreach Presentations, LOVE communicates the message of non-violence to hundreds of different community members each year - engaging youth in high schools, detention centres and community events.

 

AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP ON DIVERISITY

Romi Chandra

Romi moved to Canada when he was 9 and faced many challenges including racism and

homophobia. He began the first Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) in B.C. when he was in high

school and then began volunteering and later joined the staff of Gab Youth Services at The

Centre. He facilitated over 900 anti-homophobia workshops for students, teachers and service providers as well as ran 3 drop in programs for queer youth. He co-authored a manual called “PrideSpeak- A Helpful Guide to Presenting Antihomophobia Workshops” and helped to establish DiverCity Alliance Council, a network of GSA’s across the city. He is a strong advocate, influencing policy at the Vancouver School Board, assisting in the McCreary Centre’s street youth survey report and helped other organizations strengthen their workshops around issues of sexual health, anti-racism and anti-homophobia and many others.

 

Youth Ambassadors for Safe Harbour Program/ South Van Neighbourhood House (SVNH)

The Safe Harbour Program-a partnership between SVNH, area schools & Association of Multicultural Societies & Service Agencies (AMSSA), recruits businesses and service agencies to become “Safe Harbours” by providing a temporary safe place for victims of discrimination and providing diversity training to staff. The Youth Ambassador Program has recruited 8 youth ambassadors, 5 SVNH staff and 1 intern youth to receive training and in turn, deliver workshops about difference, inclusion, and the meaning of Safe Harbour to over 70 elementary school students. Youth have found the program beneficial to learn leadership skills and practice their group facilitation. The younger children describe benefits including, sharing experiences, learning about diversity, and knowing what to do in difficult situations regarding sex, race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability.

 

BC Hydro

Email: customer.service@bchydro.com
Website: www.bchydro.com

BC Hydro is one of North America's leading providers of clean, renewable energy, and is the largest electric utility in British Columbia serving 94 per cent of the province's population. BC Hydro is committed to providing reliable power, at low cost, for generations. This is being achieved by encouraging conservation, upgrading and reinvesting in BC Hydro's heritage assets, as well as working with independent power producers to meet British Columbia's energy needs now and into the future.