15 May Largest Youth Week ever shows positive attitude towards youth

Posted at 14:57h in Programs, Youth Week by
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This year marked the most successful Youth Week in the 16-year history of the program. We estimated over 100,000 participants, a new record for Youth Central.
 
There were 53 stores, organizations and schools who celebrated and acknowledged youth contributions in our city by hosting over 100 Youth Week events from April 20-27, 2014. This is a big increase from 2013, when 37 organizations hosted 75 events. This year, there were an estimated 100,000 participants, up from the record of 82,000 in 2012.
 
“We see more and more that adults in Calgary are eager to engage young people,” says Ros Doi, Program Director at Youth Central. “There’s a shift in thinking; in general, youth are not perceived as ‘punks’ anymore. They are seen as valuable, contributing members to our community and Youth Week is a way to showcase how incredible they are.”
 
Highlights included a kick-off party at Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, a Futures in the Arts Panel Discussion at the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts, a Market Mall social media gift card contest, and several leisure centre events and discounts.
 
Youth Week steering committee volunteers Rebecca Yang, Alexandra Wadey and Carissa Backus represented Youth Central to promote Youth Week on Breakfast Television (City TV), Global Calgary, and 660 News.
 
“I’ve learned how awesome it can be for youth to get together,” says 17-year-old Alexandra Wadey, who has volunteered with Youth Central for the past three years. “When youth actually care, really cool things can happen. That’s why Youth Week is so important. It shows youth that we are valued in Calgary and encourages us to spread the message in our city.”
 
There were also over 500 tweets using the hashtag #YouthWeekYYC, including ones from Mayor Nenshi, Virgin Radio, EPCOR Centre, YMCA Calgary, and more.
 


 


 


 

 

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