Volunteer Powell River is participating in a program to help youth gain confidence, self-esteem and resilience, and build their leadership and employment skills.
The Powell River volunteer centre, along with others on Vancouver Island, has launched a new year-long project called Youth 20/20 Can, which is funded by the Government of Canada under the Canada Service Corps.
Volunteer Powell River manager Dale Lawson said the opportunity for youth and community development through this partnership will strengthen the fabric of volunteerism as a cornerstone in the community.
“Through the Youth 20/20 Can project, our youth engagement workers, Jayde Bazinet and Erika Davies, will assist 75-plus local youth, ages 15 to 29, to connect with other like-minded youth,” said Lawson. “Recruited participants will plan events and activities of interest while they develop highly transferable skills such as project management, planning, collaboration and leadership.”
Lawson said Bazinet and Davies have been tasked to make presentations to local groups, recruiting youth to attend a drop-in information session to learn more about the project and how they can get involved. The types of activities that will be undertaken will depend on the cohort of youth who are recruited, their level of interest and what they want to learn how to do.
One of the objectives of the program is to assist youth in developing employment skills through their voluntary activities in the program.
“Over the scope of the project, depending on which cohort of youth is putting together activities, their skills would be different, their level of collaboration would be different and their activities would be different,” said Lawson.
A lot of the activities will be driven by the participants in the program.
Canada Service Corps gives young Canadians opportunities to get involved and make a difference in their communities, stated federal minister of employment, workforce development and labour Patty Hajdu in a media release on Wednesday, June 19.
“By partnering with organizations like Youth 20/20 Can, our government is helping young leaders acquire important skills, develop individual strengths and gain essential life experiences,” she added.
Canada Service Corps is building a national movement to build a culture of volunteer service that empowers young Canadians to make an impact. Youth gain experience and build their skills, while giving back to their community with other young Canadians.
