My summer at Motivate Canada: part 2

My first week on the job I had the privilege of attending the Youth Social Infrastructure of Ontario gathering in Bancroft, building a network of youth serving organizations to share best practices and form a collective vision for the future. I also had the opportunity shortly after to take part in a Motivate Canada staff retreat, participating fully in discussions to develop the future of the organization and the individual programs. The retreat gave me a greater understanding of the different branches of the organization and a chance to clarify the organization’s mission, vision, objectives and strategies. I truly appreciated that my ideas and opinions were accepted and respected as an equal staff member; attesting to Motivate Canada’s belief in the value of youth.

As an additional summer project, I assumed the responsibility of developing a new program idea for Motivate Canada that targets new immigrant and refugee youth in Canadian communities, inspired by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada call for proposals in June. Being entrusted with this responsibility was not only empowering, but also an incredible, hands on experience. I became invested in the development of this program and I am extremely excited to see how this idea progresses into a reality.

I look forward to sustaining involvement in the program should funding come through to support it. I was also able to take part in developing a proposal that integrates all of Motivate Canada’s programs into an initiative to achieve healthy weights in youth in underserved communities; another extremely valuable educational experience.

Overall, I am coming out of this summer internship with a more developed set of transferrable skills, a greater appreciation for the work of non-profit organizations, a comprehensive understanding of youth development and the current research trends. More importantly, I feel I have contributed meaningfully to an organization whose values I agree wholeheartedly with and who I trust will continue inspiring youth of all ages and backgrounds to believe in themselves and reach their potential. I am thrilled to have played a part in the development of a more active, healthy Canada, building youth who will shape a more promising future locally, nationally and globally.

Posted by Davina Finn

Part 1 of this blog post was published on July 14, 2010

Davina is an undergraduate at Queen’s University studying towards a BSc in Life Sciences. She will be working at Motivate Canada until July 28, 2010, after which she will fly off to Rwanda and Tanzania.

My summer at Motivate Canada: part 1

I was first introduced to Motivate Canada after my first year of university, in May 2008, as a delegate at the ACTIVATE National Youth Leadership Conference. I experienced the powerful impact that came from gathering a group of youth leaders with a shared passion for sport and physical activity from across Canada. With my horizons broadened and my realization about the potential to use sport as an effective vehicle for social change expanded, I returned to school the following September empowered and inspired.

When I was presented with the opportunity to become one of the ACTIVATE 2009 volunteers, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I was honoured to join this motivated group of young people, combining our energy, creativity and ideas to give back to a new cohort of our peers; hoping to provide them with the most memorable and meaningful experience possible.

After another incredible conference, I was upset that this could mark the end of my involvement with Motivate Canada. I knew there was so much more I could both learn from and contribute to this organization; an organization whose priorities align with everything I am passionate about- youth leadership and engagement, sport and physical activity and community development.

I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to be a summer intern this year, being involved in a very different capacity than my previous Motivate Canada experiences, and learning more than a class could ever teach.

In my role as a Motivate Canada summer intern, I had many extremely interesting responsibilities. My major assignment entailed reviewing the ACTIVATE conference, and describing through both experience and research, why each component is integral to the overall outcome of the conference, and how the ACTIVATE structure is deliberately designed to model and reflect all features of an effective youth development program. For this project I familiarized myself with past and current research on Positive Youth Development, Community Driven Development and Youth Engagement, which really opened my eyes up to this interesting field of research, and helped me really understand the methodology behind the ACTIVATE program.

Posted by Davina Finn

Part 2 of this article will be published on July 21, 2010

Davina is an undergraduate at Queen’s University studying towards a BSc in Life Sciences. She will be working at Motivate Canada until July 28, 2010, after which she will fly off to Rwanda and Tanzania.