www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, April 12, 2012 · 20 VOLUNTEERS GROWCOMMUNITY Shout Out to Youth to Change The World! Apple Inc. has quoted - "Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently." They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. Following with the above quote I would like to suggest that youth can change the world by inspiring others to follow their very own footsteps of doing it. To get results you need more than just one outgoing/inspirational person. This means that spreading the word about a cause to get your community to play a big role in it is an important part of making change. My past experiences of trying to get people to listen to me about my ideas got somewhat discouraging because at the end of the day I didn't quite reach my goal, which was to make a change in the age barriers of volunteering. But with some vigorous effort I reached my goal of beating those barriers on more than one occasion when volunteering. Continued on Page 21 Introducing the Volunteer Halton Youth Advisory Council There's something happening in Halton. There is a shift occurring. Can you feel it? Times are difficult and everchanging. If we aren't careful, we may lose our way entirely. Still, in this malleable landscape there are some things that are easy to hold onto. We are very fortunate in Halton to have a population dedicated to service in greater numbers than most of the country. Look around your community. Who are the people who give when they see a need? Who helps the helpless when they could be doing something else? These are our heroes. They define a community and they should be recognized as the valuable asset they are. This year, during National Volunteer Week, the Volunteer Halton Youth Advisory Council is standing up to celebrate the efforts of the many youth volunteers in Halton. Wrapping up their inaugural year, the YAC is continuing their mission to be ambassadors for change in their community. To this end, they are actively recruiting and growing, spreading information to other students about local volunteer opportunities, engaging in activities all over the region as volunteers, and leading the many activities happening during this year's ChangeTheWorld campaign through the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. The students on the YAC want to make a difference in their own communities. They decided that working as a team they can make small and large changes in the world around them through action and education. Collectively, they make suggestions of projects and partnerships to pursue during the year. They coordinate with local non-profit agencies and schools to encourage other youth to contribute their time and talents. The YAC meets monthly throughout the year for training, planning sessions and volunteer initiatives. In the first year they accomplished the creation of the initial plan for the council and contributed more than 150 hours collectively toward increasing youth engagement in Halton. After a recent field trip to hear Craig Kielburger (Free The Children) speak about youth engagement, YAC founding member Amy Stringer said, "Whether locally or globally, shifting our mindset from me to we is powerful and can make a difference." These amazing young people, ranging in age from 13-18 and representing all four municipalities in Halton, are passionate about participating in the world around them and helping make it a better place for all of us. Together, the Volunteer Halton Youth Advisory Council is changing the world, one community at a time. Shannon Kitchings Project Coordinator, Volunteer Halton Fareshare Food Bank 1240 Speers Rd., Unit #6 Oakville, L6L 2X4 THANK YOU! We can't say it enough! Thank you to our 496 dedicated youth and adult volunteers who gave 15,811 hours of their time in 2011. With your help, we were able to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Oakville families. (905) 847-3988 We have provided a helping hand to the needy families of Oakville since 1988. During all that time we have been run entirely by many hardworking and dedicated volunteers. Get Involved! To our current Volunteers, we say a sincere You can help us continue to make a difference in the lives of others in our community. To get involved visit ymcaofoakville.com, call 905-845-5597, ext. 230 or email volunteer@oakville.ymca.ca. YMCA of Oakville Thank-you Provide input on 2012-13 budget priorities for the Halton District School Board Volunteers are the Lifeline of our Service. A very special thank you to all Oakville Distress Centre volunteers for their dedication and commitment in making a difference in our community!