Future leaders hone their skills

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Winnipeg Free Press, Monday June 8, 2009
Reproduced with permission.

United Way allows youth to shine

Michael Champagne sits on the youth relations strategy council, which oversees the agency's youth engagement, and Inderveer Mahal sits on the youth connections council, which provides grants to projects initiated and driven by youth.

"The United Way and the staff here are able to legitimize our efforts and our concerns," explained Champagne, 22, who has volunteered with the organization for the past three years. "When we volunteer, we feel accomplished and we feel appreciated. We have no problem giving because we know it's going to a good cause and it's appreciated."

Originally from Shamattawa First Nation, the North End resident has seen first-hand the effects of poverty on his neighbourhood. He is employed at the Ndinawe Youth Resource Centre (funded by United Way) and lists a loss of cultural identity among aboriginal youth as a major problem. He said that is another reason he volunteers, fashioning himself as a role model.

"My whole goal in volunteering is to show that people from the North End -- young aboriginal people -- can be motivated and can actually contribute in meaningful ways to their community. I feel like I represent my demographic, so it's more than just me being involved, it's me (setting an example.) I feel like this is a good opportunity for me to be a leader."

For Mahal, 19, volunteering for the United Way takes on a different meaning. Having grown up in an affluent neighbourhood where she wasn't subjected to daily reminders of the effects of poverty, she first became involved with the agency through a school project. Now entering her fifth year on the council, the Lindenwoods resident said she enjoys knowing that even though she is young, she can make a difference.

"For me, it's a way to take the improvements that I want to see in my community and what other youth want to see -- and it's like an action plan. We have this idea and we can actually go out and make a difference. It's taking ideas and making it tangible," the University of Manitoba student explained.

Her council sees many grant applications from young people interested in projects dedicated to the health and well-being of young people, addressing issues of literacy, drugs and violence. "A lot of that is coming from the youth directly, so they're recognizing that these are our concerns and we want them fixed," she said. "When you're part of United Way, you really get to see your vision turn into reality."

If you are interested in becoming a youth volunteer with the United Way, contact Leigh-Anne Bowles at 391-1487. You can also apply online at unitedwayyouth.mb.ca.