| Katimavik offers visiting youth a unique opportunity |
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| Local Content - Local News |
| Written by publisher |
| Tuesday, 26 January 2010 13:41 |
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A group comprised of a dozen youth from across Canada has arrived in Shaunavon to spend their next three months living in a four-bedroom house. No one is complaining, though.In fact, despite sharing living space with 12 people, all of whom had been complete strangers up until a week ago, everyone seems enthusiastic about taking part in the exciting new adventure. “It’s been a lot of fun,” said Jocelyn Lloyd, a 19-year-old from Chatham, Ont. “It’s like joining a new family, we’re already very close.” “There hasn’t been any fights or complaints yet, and I’m saying ‘yet’ because we still have another six months of this,” she added with a chuckle. “We’re like a big family here and we all get along,” echoed 19- year-old Paulina Gregorczyk of Rigaud, Que. “It’s going to help us learn how to work in a group and take care of separate tasks,” she added of the experience. “We all have different strengths and different interests and all together that makes it exciting. I think it’s going to be a rewarding experience.” The young Canadians staying in Shaunavon are all members of Katimavik, a hands-on learning experience for personal and professional development for people between the ages of 17 and 21. Katimavik offers Canadian youth a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of communities across Canada through challenging volunteer service programs. During the time here, the Katimavik participants will volunteer five days a week to work at the following non-profit organizations: Town of Shaunavon (Public Works), Grand Coteau Heritage and Cultural Centre, Christ the King School, Cypress Hills Ability Centres, Chamber of Commerce, Whitemud Development Co-operative, Shaunavon Public School, and Shaunavon Daycare Co-operative. The volunteers will work between 28 and 35 hours a week for the various non-profit organizations. Group members started their new jobs last week. “We really want to make a difference in the community and I think that’s easier to do in a smaller community than it would be in a larger centre,” said Paulina. In addition to their volunteer work, each member of the group must also participate with household and group chores. Two members of the team are also assigned - on a rotational basis - to serve as house managers. The bottom line is that everyone chips in and contributes. During their stay, the group will also participate in a variety of outside activities, ranging from visiting local tourist attractions and farm operations to organizing special events and celebrations. The group’s itinerary this week was to include a trip to the Shaunavon Arts Council concert on Sunday afternoon and a visit to the Shaunavon Chamber of Commerce annual meeting on Monday night, although both events were later cancelled. This coming Wednesday (January 27th), the Grand Coteau Centre is hosting a special event to welcome the young visitors to the community. The celebration, which starts at 7 p.m., is open to anyone who wants to meet the newcomers and welcome them to the community. Last week, Katimavik members gathered at their rented home for some bread-making and baking lessons under the tutelage of local resident Lianne Hoffarth. “Part of the program is that you can’t buy anything that you can make yourself,” said Project leader, Elysse Schlein, who will live with and supervise the Katimavik volunteers. “So if they want items like bread, then they have to make it themselves.” This particular group of youth volunteers will be in Shaunavon for three months, before moving on to complete their Katimavik experience with another three-month stay in Trois-Rivieres, Que. Meanwhile, between April and June of this year, Shaunavon will play host to another Katimavik group currently residing in Quebec. Everyone in the group joined Katimavik for different reasons, although the opportunity to travel to different parts of Canada, meet new people, learn another language, and gain some valuable work experiences are often common themes shared by all the volunteers. It was a family connection, though, that brought Jocelyn to the program. “My dad was in Katimavik more than 20 years ago,” said Jocelyn. “He said it was one of the best experiences of his life and he was always talking about it.” “So for me, I suppose, this is kind of a legacy, and hopefully it is something I’ll still be talking about 20 years from now myself.” Jocelyn also said she grabbed at the chance to join the program because she saw it as “an opportunity to see at least a little bit of Canada. I don’t know what the future will bring or whether I’ll get another chance like this again.” Throughout the year participants are also expected to develop their second official language skills, which was another drawing card for Jocelyn, whose mother and grandmother are both fluent in French. “This way maybe I’ll know what my mom is saying about me when she is talking (to her grandmother),” she joked. Paulina had her own reasons for signing up for Katimavik. Originally, she had hoped to spend a year doing volunteer work in Africa where her father was working as a contract project manager. But when he took another job in Kazakhstan, she had to come up with another plan. After spending two years studying at college, the 19-year-old decided to take a year off, “because I wanted to learn and experience new things.” All of the visitors have been impressed with what they've seen of Shaunavon - and the Southwest in general - and have been overwhelmed by the welcoming response they have received from area residents. The only issue, to date, has involved some early morning scheduling conflicts. “It’s actually quite calm around here for the most part,” laughed Jocelyn. “But the mornings are always hectic, what with 12 people trying to share three bathrooms.” Project leader Elysse Schlein encourages community members interested in offering suggestions and information about events and activities that could benefit the participants, to contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Katimavik promotes civic engagement and fosters sustainable communities through challenging national youth service programs. Since its creation in 1977, Katimavik has enabled nearly 30,000 Canadians to be involved in more than 2,000 communities throughout Canada. Youth also benefit from Katimavik’s structured learning program that focuses on the development of lifelong personal, professional and social competencies in the areas of civic engagement, healthy lifestyle, cultural discovery, official languages, communication, environmental stewardship and project coordination. For further information on Katimavik please visit www.katimavik.org or visit their blog at www.gokatimavik.com
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