06 Mar Volunteer in Profile: Alexandra Wadey

Through Youth Central, Alexandra Wadey has found her voice.
 
Serving on the Mayor’s Youth Council for the past three years, she helps to choose topics relevant to youth and report her findings to the City of Calgary. The Mayor’s Youth Council generates positive, meaningful change in the community.
 
“As youth, we spend six to seven hours a day in a classroom getting talked at,” Alexandra says. “Because of what Youth Central does, there are people interested in what we’re saying and actually listening.”
 
The highlight of her experience in the Mayor’s Youth Council is meeting with Mayor Nenshi twice a year.
 
“I’m always so awestruck when we meet with him,” she says. “He is so engaged with what we present to him. He cares. Things change in the city because of what we say.”
 
In addition to meeting new friends on the Mayor’s Youth Council, Alexandra has also encouraged several friends to join the program, creating a ripple effect in her school.
 
She says, “I talk about Youth Central all the time, and so do my friends, because it’s such a huge part of our lives. I didn’t realize that volunteering could be this contagious. Even people I wouldn’t expect to want to volunteer hop on board.
 
“I’ve learned how awesome it can be for youth to get together. When they actually care, really cool things can happen.”
 
Alexandra says she is motivated to volunteer because she can see the positive outcome.
 
She is also a part of the Youth Week Calgary steering committee, where she is a leader in connecting with businesses and agencies to encourage them to participate in a week-long celebration of youth every April.