Our Katimavik (new window) Youth Terrance volunteered at the recent We Day (new window) celebration in Vancouver (new window). With only 1000 volunteer spots and every youth organization in the Lower Mainland (new window) clamoring to fill them, getting in wasn’t easy. It involved weeks of discussion between the We Day (new window) event coordinators and the Katimavik (new window) project leaders. Eventually, however, all four Katimavik groups in the area were there, either as volunteers or attendees.

While half of Terrance’s Burnaby (new window) group watched the event from Rogers (new window) sky boxes he says he was glad to be in the crowd of 18,000, dancing the We Day Dance (new window) as taught to them by performer Shawn Desman (new window). As Terrance manned the gate and helped pump up the crowd as part of his volunteer duties he also got to meet a lot of youths from various schools around BC.

Due to limited space, most of the school kids in attendance had to compete in some way for their spot, such as writing essays. As such they were the cream of the British Columbia school system (new window) crop. Terrance was “blown away” by just how knowledgeable they all were. “These were the people who were really into fundraising and the environment and stuff. The whole atmosphere was really great.”

Other than missing the first half of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (new window)’s presentation, Terrance was able to take in every speaker. Of all of these, the presentation by former child soldier Michel Chikwanine (new window) resonated most with Terrance. Chikwanine had taken a vow of silence in support of the Free the Children (new window) organization. To get around this he used signs to convey his harrowing story, which involved Michel killing his best friend and militants cutting Michel’s wrist and putting cocaine and gunpowder into the wound. “It was really intense” says Terrance.

Terrance left We Day (new window) feeling very inspired. “Never say that you can’t” he says is the main message he took out of it. “If a twelve year old kid can start this huge organization (Free the Children (new window)) anything is possible.”

We’re thrilled that our partnership with Katimavik (new window) gives us the opportunity to work with such great young people!