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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 1 5, 20 18 | O ur Leaders o f Tom orrow . T he you th o f to d a y w ill be o u r fu tu re leade rs and w ill tru ly have the p o w e r to m ake a d iffe ren ce in th e ir lives and the w orld a t large . K e rr S tre e t M iss ion is d ee p ly co m m itte d to d e ve lo p in g o u r yo u th . W e b e lieve th e y can c rea te new poss ib ilitie s fo r th e ir fu tu re th ro ug h p os itive in fluences , ro le m ode ls and support. T h ro ug h co m m u n ity e n g a g e m e n t and shared co m m itm e n t, KSM and C o m m u n ity A ctio n N e tw o rk (C Y A N ) have p a rtne red in an e ffo rt to o ffe r o p p o rtu n itie s fo r you th to build life and vo lu n te e r rea dy sk ills th rough m ean in g fu l vo lu n te e r e ng ag em en t. C Y A N @ KSM o ffe rs p ro g ram s fo r you th a fte r schoo l and on schoo l b reaks to gain vo lu n te e r hours . T he se p ro g ram s o ffe r o p p o rtu n itie s to lead, exp lo re and vo lu n te e r w ith fr ie n d s th a t w ill lead to las ting change " It's amazing to watch a youth grow and organically build com m unity - they often jo in because o f a friend or to complete service hours. This is ju s t the beginning as they feel safe, valued and continue to participate. " Y o u r su p p o rt is im p o rta n t and w ill he lp us im p rove p ro g ram m in g and respond m ore e ffe c tive ly to the needs o f the m an y in o u r co m m u n ity th a t a re s trug g lin g to m ake ends m eet. T o learn m ore a b o u t K e rr S tre e t M iss ion go to w w w .ke rrs tre e t.co m o r call 9 0 5 .8 4 5 .7 4 8 5 Kerr Street M ission 4 85 K e rr S tree t, O akv ille P: 9 05 .84 5 .74 85 C haritab le Reg. No. 897106845R R0001 NEWS All-girls Afghan robotics team joins Oakville school in FIRST Robotics Canada competitions Nikki W esley/Metroland The Afghan Dreamers, an all girls robotics team from Afghanistan (from left to right), Lida Aziz, 15, Donya Barakzai, 15, Yasamin Yasinzadeh, 17, Kawsar Roshan, 16, Fatemah Qaderyan, 15, and Sahar Barak, 16. KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com It's always been about more than the robot - it's about challenges, teamwork and camaraderie. That has perhaps never been more true than with the blending of two com­ petitive all-girls robotics teams, one from Afghanistan, the other, St. Mildred's Lightbourn School's SWAT 771 team. Both are comprised of intelligent, sci­ ence-loving teenagers. Both teams have brought medals and pride to their re­ spective countries. The visiting team, however, had a few more obstacles to overcome in their quest to compete, not the least of which was in some cases, a lack of support from family and communities in the patriar­ chal country of their birth. After garnering international atten­ tion last July when denied visas to travel to the U.S. to participate in FIRST Global Challenge (they were eventually allowed to go), FIRST Robotics Canada invited the team to participate in two Ontario competitions this spring. The non-profit organization designed to inspire students to "study and pursue careers in science, engineering and tech­ nology", welcomed the six-member Af­ ghanistan team - the Afghan Dreamers - to join its intense robotics program and compete with St. Mildred's in two provin­ cial events, at York University March 23- 25 and in North Bay, March 29-31. "FIRST Robotics Canada was thrilled that the Afghan robotics team accepted the invitation," said FRC president Mark Breadner. "Through this shared experi­ ence, teams in Ontario will learn as much about lives of teens in Afghanistan as the Afghan girls will learn about life in Canada." For three months the teams have been working alongside each other at the Oak­ ville school, building and bonding. "We've built these amazing bonds," said Kim Cooper, FRC vice-president of partnerships. "The best thing about it is it's so much more than that robot they're building; they are actually changing the world. They're going back to Afghanistan and showing these younger girls, show­ ing these families, that you can do this. I love that part. These people are the role models; these people are the leaders of to­ morrow in their country. I'm really proud of that; I'm proud to be a part of that." When Roya Mahboob, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of Design Citizen Build, formed the first all girls ro­ botics team in her native country last year, 2,000 girls applied. Twelve were eventually chosen and six made the trip to Canada, arriving on Jan. 15. Cooper said they knew the Afghan girls had never been exposed to the FRC's "intense program of building a robot from scratch in six weeks." "They learned how to use machinery, they cut their own parts using tools...," • See EXPERIENCE, page 21 ; ' FOR BUSINESS E XC ELLEN C E ' , Presented by the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Oakville West 0 ^^A N N U A L OABE DINNER GALA T u e s d a y , M a r c h 27, 2018 5:30pm - 9:00pm Oakville Conference Centre 2515 W y e c ro ft R oad $125 p e r pe rson . Tables o f 8 a v a ila b le . OABE Finalists may purchase tickets at $87.50 per person. To p u rc h a s e ticke ts visit w w w .o a k v il le c h a m b e r .c o m , c a ll 905-845-6613, o r e m a il in fo @ o a k v ille c h a m b e r.c o m Bell OAKVILLE CHAMBER COMMERCE Genworth^ Canada CJ\J ||] Henderson Partners LLPCMrtersd Piofesiicnil AttouftMMJ ccoGeco IEHOSPITALITY O'Connor M acLeod Ha n n a ■" are □HOAKVJLIE HYDltO Rotary Club of Oakville West i * * * . * + « * P ' » * » * '■ x * f * 1 ' ■ * * * ■ * ■ * ■ ' % | ■ ' * * r LA-*- jk / " ' V f ' u .h .A id .V .V A 1*1 '- 'v M L - i .L V . ^ * t All Styles, Technique & Theory Daytime & Evening Tim es Available G IVE THE G IFT OF M USIC R e fe r a F riend , G e t O ne M o n th FREE! 1312 Speers Rd, Oakville (9 0 5 )3 3 4 -5 0 9 2 www .m glessons.com ! STEPHEN MACNEIL ALL LEVELS HONS.B.A. Private and : M usic 20 Years Beginners - Advanced | Teaching in Oakville http://www.kerrstreet.com mailto:kyanchus@metroland.com http://www.oakvillechamber.com mailto:info@oakvillechamber.com http://www.mglessons.com Our Leaders of Tomorrow. All-girls Afghan robotics team joins Oakville school in FIRST Robotics Canada competitions KATHY YANCHUS 5:30pm - 9:00pm Oakville Conference Centre Bell CJ\J ccoGeco Rotary ! STEPHEN MACNEIL ALL LEVELS HONS.B.A.