The summer Youth Connections Program has involved learning new things everyday, action packed activities all summer long and lots of fun. For the Youth, one of the highlights from this summer was going to Camp Kintail. We had a great time and tried to fit as many activities as we could into the day. The most talked about activities were also the scariest! We completed the high ropes course which is a series of ropes fastened to 50-foot poles and features a 330-foot zip line as well as a 100-foot slide in the middle of the bush aka “The Shady Chute”.
Another highlight of the summer was meeting Ryan O’Reilly and seeing the Stanley Cup in Goderich. One youth said, and I quote, “This is the best day of my life!”
Monday mornings were kicked off with a cooking group where we made many of the youth’s favorite dishes. The top favorites were “create your own pizza” and omelettes. The youth even took their new skills home and remade the meals for their families. I think the cooking group was one of the most favoured activities we had because the youth were always talking about it and researching what we should make next.
Each week we volunteered all over our community. We volunteered at Malcolm Place retirement home, the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley, and RVilla retirement home in Ripley. All of these places provided opportunities for the youth to learn new skills, meet new people and obtain their high school volunteer hours.
Overall, the summer with Youth Connections program was awesome. I had so much fun working as the Youth Connections Team Leader and getting to know everyone! I am off this September for my fourth year at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto to complete my Bachelor of Applied Science in Family and Community Social Services. The Youth Connections Team Leader position has been an amazing opportunity for me to further my skills in the social services field. I am excited to take what I have learned this summer and apply it to my career in the future.
- Brooke Leppington, Youth Connections