Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way

The United Way Youth Advisory Council is back and better than ever as they gear up to run new projects in their 2010-2011 year. So with all these new members we needed a team bonding session! What better way to make friends than by volunteering a Sunday afternoon to cook dinner for 100 individuals as part of the PIT Stop program? The Council wasted no time getting down to work and 16 members prepared a dinner of chicken cacciatore, salad, buns, and some very delicious desserts. With so many volunteers, it made for a fun and relaxed atmosphere. THANK YOU to the great work of our Youth Advisory Council for providing a full plate to those in need.

The United Way Youth Advisory Council is a group of youth currently aged 17-24 that volunteers their time to create awareness of social issues amongst their peers and runs projects in the community. Guided by the support of the United Way Community Development staff, these energetic and bright individuals are just getting started in their 2010-2011 year. Their projects will involve supporting the United Way campaign, providing grants to youth who wish to run projects benefiting their peers in their community, and creating a Youth Spirit Awards to celebrate local young leadership. If you wish to join the Council, we invite you to attend our next meeting on Wednesday, August 25, in the United Way Boardroom at 5:00pm.

The PIT Stop free meal program runs out of Kamloops United Church and serves a hot meal to 80-180 marginalized individuals and families every Sunday. For many, this is the only meal they will have all day. The program is funded by a Social Planning Grant from the City of Kamloops along with private donations. The cooking is done by rotating teams of volunteers such as Rotary, faith groups, sororities, businesses and youth groups.

There is only a week of school left at South Kamloops Secondary and the hard work of Lisa Yamaoka’s art students has produced some beautiful pieces. The students’ challenge was to create a piece of art that shows the community why youth think social sustainability is an issue which needs our attention in Kamloops.

Below is the finished pieces of some of the students’ work. All of their artwork will be displayed at the United Way’s Campaign Kickoff Breakfast in September.

A group of 20 summer students from United Way’s community partners met this afternoon for lunch. The “Summer Student Lunch” hosted by United Way was a chance for students working at different organizations to interact and learn about each other’s experiences. A delicious lunch and a lot of laughs gave all the students a chance to celebrate their hard work so far and look forward to working together for the remainder of the summer.

As United Way’s co-op student this summer, I was amazed at how each student has opened themselves up and allowed their perspectives to shift of the people and organizations that make up our community. We have all been impacted by the work that we do and inspired to create positive change.

Thank you to everyone who attended and congratulations on the difference you are making in our community.

As the school year winds down at South Kamloops Secondary School (SKSS) the art students are finishing up their projects on Social Sustainability in our community. The students’ project is to create a piece of art to show the community why youth think that social sustainability is an issue that needs our attention in Kamloops. 

The finished artwork will be displayed at United Way’s Campaign Kick Off Breakfast in September.

Here is a sneak peak at some of the fantastic work these students have done.

Nezar Alsalem is a TRU international student from Saudi Arabia and chose to volunteer at United Way through his SERV 100 class this past spring. He shares his story of his time with United Way:

In the first day; while I am in my way to volunteer, I was excited and nervous at the same time. The reason that I was excited is because I wanted to work as a volunteer in different environment from my culture. I was looking for the opportunity to be a volunteer in any place here in Kamloops. I am convinced that I would get many gains from this experience. In my country I worked as a volunteer, so this opportunity gave me the chance to know more about Canadian culture, and compare the way of volunteering experience between Saudi Arabia and Canada. I was confused, because it is my first time working in different environment. Also, I did not know how the way of working is and what kind of work I am going to do. Many questions came to my mind that made me feel confused about the work. All I had to do at that time is to be Patient and optimistic, and I will know what will happen when I go to the work. When I was evolved in the work with United Way, all the expectation that I placed it before in my mind became clear. When I went to United Way, the people there who I worked with were friendly and very nice. While I was doing my work, they were always asking me if I need any help, and appreciate me because I am helping them; I felt comfortable while I was part of them.

I had a very wonderful experience when I was volunteering with United Way. When they see me working as a volunteer they feel really happy, and that encourages me to work and go to the organization every time; because I feel that being with them is a great service to the community. The wonderful thing when I was working as a volunteer with United Way that every time I go there, I have a new work; which is something I like it to not feel bored of doing one job. Another thing is every time I go there, I learn new thing. One of the best works I liked while I was volunteering in United Way is group work. At the first two weeks I worked with a girl her name is Erica, and she was there also working as volunteer. One of the great things of working with a partner is you can make friendship and that what I did with Erica, and she is really a very kind person. One of the great things that I like while I was volunteering with United Way is serving a dinner for homeless. The event was in United Church, and we made a complete meal contain a salad, chilli and sweet. In that day, we served around 95 people. I was not expected that we are going to serve this number of people. It was really something meaningful to help people who need food. The most thing that I liked on this event was our team work, and how we were organized of doing everything from the first and until we cleaned everything. I am so proud of being a part of the community how helps people.

 Volunteering with United Way was a great experience. I learned many things and I made friends who try to help the people and community to be in better condition. It is really nice to be one of the people who try to help the community on way or another. Sensation that you are one of the persons who help the poor and needy people is something meaningful and makes me feel happy to be a part of the community who want to make a difference to a good way.

To conclude, I really got many benefits from working with United Way, and I will not forget many things from this great experience. I will still working with them as a volunteer because it is not just about the course; it is about the community and helping people.

Today some United Way staff had the pleasure of dropping in on Lisa Yamaoka’s art class at South Kamloops Secondary School (SKSS).  The students’ project is to create a piece of art to show the community why youth think that social sustainability is an issue that needs our attention in Kamloops. 

The class is using United Way as artistic inspiration for the project.  Some of the artwork we saw today depicted child abuse, poverty, homelessness, community support, hope, physical and mental disabilities, mentoring programs, parenting, and diversity.  We were blown away by the creativity of these students and can’t wait to see the final products.

There are three art classes at SKSS completing this project, the photos below are of the grade 9/10 class.  All of the students are at different stages of completion and we will be blogging their progress on this project so stay tuned! 

The finished artwork will be displayed at United Way’s Campaign Kick Off Breakfast in September.

Here is a video of Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way’s 2nd annual Youth Day of Caring.  To read more about this event click HERE.

Thanks again to everyone who made this day such a success.  Enjoy the video!

We are still marvelling over the success of the Youth Day of Caring on May 5th!   A huge thanks to all the students, teachers and Community Partners whose enthusiasm made this event a day to remember for all involved. 

Also a huge thank you to the following organizations/individuals:
The City of Kamloops for use of Spirit Square, providing garbage & recycling bins, and providing transportation for students
Costco & Coopers for providing snacks and lunch
The Lions Club Paddle-wheelers for their superb Barbecuing
Creepsolow for an awesome performance
Sonic Sound & Lighting for supplying and setting up sound equipment
School District 73 for bus transportation

Here are some photos to enjoy. 

15 students from Clearwater Secondary teamed up with Yellowhead Community Services to do some much needed work.  They stained the Day Care, lacquered some murals, sorted bottles for a bottle drive and cleaned books for Success by Six’s Red Book Shelf Program.  Great Work!

25 students from Westsyde Secondary spent their day helping out at the John Howard Society.  They gardened, painted fences, and washed walls and floors. 

10 students from Twin Rivers Education Centre and 12 students from Norkam Secondary joined forces to tackle a number of projects at the Kamloops Food Bank including preparing food hampers and landscaping.

A class of 15 from Brock Secondary painted the youth room walls at the Boys & Girls Club.  The walls were repainted so that Youth who use the room can now paint murals.

25 students from Sahali Secondary got an educational tour at the Kamloops Thearaputic Riding Association.  The group then painted 2 sheds and did some landscaping.

35 Valleyview Secondary students completed a project at the BC Wildlife Park.  The students painted the Wildlife Park train and completed some landscaping projects. 

Thanks again to everyone who made this day GREAT! 
We are looking forward to next year’s Youth Day of Caring already!

May 1st to 7th is BC Youth Week. This celebration of youth is a week of fun, interaction, and celebration intending to build a strong connection between young people and their communities and to profile the issues, accomplishments, and diversity of youth.

As part of Youth Week, we are recognizing the youth who have played, and continue to play and important role at Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way.  

This is Claire’s story:

“I graduated from Thompson Rivers University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources and Marketing.  I started my volunteering “career” as a canvasser for the Canadian Cancer Society - it combined my desire to help a greater cause with my love for interacting with people.  After I began working with United Way in May of 2009, I found myself drawn to community development in particular and felt I had discovered a meaningful path for my future employment.  Through meeting the members of my community from all walks of life and learning from our collective experiences, I discovered ways I can help impove the lives of my peers in my community.  Over the next several months I tested the waters on the Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way Board of Directors, returned to United Way as an employee, helped out as a volunteer and finally pursued a career as an employment counselor in the community.  Thanks to my experience at United Way, I am now taking pleasure in a job I love while fitting in some always-enjoyable volunteer time with the team at Thompson Nicola Cariboo United Way.”

To learn more about opportunities for youth contact United Way and ask about our Youth Initiative Grants, Youth Advisory Council, Youth Leadership Awards and Youth Day of Caring.

Website: www.unitedwaytnc.ca/youthengagement
Email: youth@unitedwaytnc.ca
Phone: 250 372-9933

Youth from Dufferin Elementary School, SIFE TRU, and the TRU Youth Advisory Group all joined together to serve dinner on Sunday, May 2, to Kamloops’ most vulnerable as part of the PIT Stop program. These energetic volunteers cooked up a storm in the kitchen serving a dinner of spaghetti, salad, and many desserts to 100 individuals. This was the first event in a series of celebrations to occur for BC Youth Week from May 1-7. Thank you to all the youth who contributed their time to this initiative! 

Volunteers from Dufferin Elementary

SIFE TRU in the kitchen