YCI volunteer with a Boys’ Club in Ethiopia
Since moving onwards from my former position as co-editor of McClung’s magazine and graduating from Ryerson University, I’ve continued to find ways to integrate the issue of women’s rights into my every day life. The way I do this is through my organization, Youth Challenge International (YCI).
I first got involved with YCI during my second year at Ryerson—I wanted to do something different during my summer break, so chose to volunteer with YCI in Vanuatu, where I was involved in constructing a school and facilitating environmental awareness workshops.
Returning to work for YCI after graduating from j-school seemed like a natural progression. (After all, it was my experience with YCI in Vanuatu that really made me want to get involved with McClung’s. I felt like I had the potential to harness the energy and enthusiasm that I had for my project in Vanuatu and transform it into positive civic action here in Canada. Immediately after returning from my overseas project, I started volunteering for McClung’s.) Although I’d have to lay my pen to rest for now, I’d have the opportunity to work in two focus areas that I identified as being important to my career goals: youth and gender equality.
(more…)
