President Linda Anderson called the meeting to order with singing of O Canada. Next President Linda announced because one of our presenters had an exam in the afternoon, we are altering the order of the program today. Judy Cochran was asked to come forward to introduce one of 4 delegates that will be presenting today.
Addison Deines is a 16-year-old, Grade 11 student at Chestermere High School. A fun fact: her grandpa was president of the Rotary Club in Prince George, BC in the early 2000’s. Addison has an exam she will have to rush off to attend after her presentation. Addison reported via zoom on her camp experience. She attended the Rotary Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp (RAYEC) last August. There were many activities including paintball, hiking, archery, rafting and ziplining. Her group business was called Granny’s Snip and Stitch. They made rice heating pads, blankets, hand-stitched scrunchies, DIY scrunchie kits and tab ties. They secured a $300 loan to carry out their project. They were encouraged to do something they enjoyed. Addison says she learned a lot and had lots of fun as well. They were able to pay back their loan with a small profit. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Calgary West for sponsoring her attendance to the camp. She used pictures on her PowerPoint presentation via zoom to show her products and some of the participant activities. The camp was held at Eagle Nest Ranch, a beautiful setting. She was able to answer one question from the Rotarians. A questioner from the room asked to whom did they sell their products? Addison said that there was a product fair on the last day of RAYEC and mostly parents and some locals were the purchasers.
Judy Cochran thanked Addison for her presentation and offered her good luck on her exam.
Back to President Linda Anderson to resume the program.
Land Acknowledgement Tsuut’ina Nation:
Whether our families just moved to Calgary a couple of months ago or have lived here for generations, we are actually all immigrants. Before our arrival, Canada was already occupied by indigenous societies for thousands of years. Waves of immigration and settlement forced many indigenous peoples away from their traditional lands and disrupted their traditional ways of life, leading to transgenerational trauma. Nowadays, Canada’s immigration policy is among the most welcoming worldwide. As we welcome new immigrants to Canada, we must not forget about history. It is important to acknowledge that we committed less than acceptable behaviour toward Indigenous people to the benefit of our own.
We had the following in person guests today, Brian Gentles, Ross Mayer, Courtney Wilson, and Tara Quinney.
President Linda then noted some Famous Rotarians: Winston Churchill, Orville Wright, US Presidents Carter, Reagan, and Bush (x2). Also noted that Donald Trump is a Past President of the Rotary club of New York.
Now back to Judy Cochran for the rest of the Youth Presentations today. Judy wanted to acknowledge Brian Gentles from Heritage Park Rotary Club and Don Beavis from our club who were “senior” counsellors at RAYEC in August. Thanks for being with us today.
So, what is RAYEC?
RAYEC - Rotary Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp is for youth who have an interest in business. This one-week entrepreneurial-based camp combines the education of business training with a summer camp atmosphere. Campers hear from guest speakers and participate in workshops to learn the components of a business plan such as marketing, advertising, cash flow and record keeping.
Youth are put into business teams where they come up with a business idea, meet with suppliers and bankers and build a product or a service. On the final day of camp, these youthful ventures are open for business. Campers pay back their business loans and split their profits amongst their business team. It’s not only about numbers and business plans. The youth also get to participate in a variety of summer camp experiences and recreational activities as well.
Delegates can apply to be a junior counsellor the year after they attend camp.
Dates: Early August for a week
Place: Eagles Nest Ranch in Cypress Hills, Alberta.
Ages: Ages 13–15-year-olds.
One neat thing RAYEC suggests their delegates do, is to give back to their communities by pledging 5-10 hours of volunteer time.
Next up is Tara Quinney. We are getting to know Tara quite well. She participated in the 4 Way Test Competition and attended RYLA last May. Tara is 15 years old, attending Saint Gabriel the Archangel High School. A fun fact about Tara is that she plays hockey and volleyball.
Tara Quinney appeared in person at our meeting to thank Rotary for the opportunity to attend the RAYEC camp in August. It was an adventure while learning in an enjoyable and interesting way. The camp was collaborative and fun. There were speakers about business as well as youth programming. Tara’s group created a business of unique packaged spices. She felt they hit the demographics in their target market and made a moderate profit. Youth leaders were also connected and engaged. It was easy to make friends with 20 – 40 girls in a cabin. Tara completed by saying it was a positive and informative program.
Judy thanked Tara for her presentation and for being our only delegate to be at the meeting in person. Judy totally would have been buying spices!! Loved hearing your experiences.
Questions:
How many campers attended the RAYEC Camp and how much does it cost the club? There were 60 campers and 10 youth leaders of all ages. In the end 58 students were on the bus. The Camp costs $1000 per camper.
Now for our last two presenters who attended the RYPEN Camp.
Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN)
RYPEN promotes personal growth, connections, and leadership in a safe environment by providing challenging opportunities and tools to empower youth who have demonstrated courage and perseverance in their daily lives. These delegates are potential leaders but need a little more guidance and direction to gain the self confidence they need to reach their potential.
- The camp is run by former RYPEN attendees!
- Dates: Mid-September for 4 days
- Place: Camp on the Little Bow Travers Reservoir
- Ages: Ages 13–17-year-olds.
Our two delegates are part of Umoja Community Mosaic. Jean Claude Munyezamu was instrumental in coaching and guiding both boys along the way. Huge thanks for that. Both boys sent in short videos. First, we have Kirubel Belay. Kirubel is 16 years old. He attends Central Memorial High School and is in Grade 11. He plays soccer on a team and has travelled to USA and British Columbia for soccer. He has a part time job as a dishwasher. Kokob (Kahob) Baraki attends Central Memorial High School and is in Grade 12. Kahob plays soccer for Calglen, he also works part time at Skip the Dishes.
Judy warned us that the sound on the video recordings was not great, and it was not. We did get to see the two delegates to RYPEN and Judy read her transcribed notes of their presentations. So here is what Kirubel Belay had to say:
“Hello, my name is Kirubel. I would just like to thank the Rotary club for inviting me to the camp. The camp was amazing, full of activities that taught me about leadership, and I made a lot of new friends. One of the activities that resonates with me is where everyone is in a line, and when a situation was given, we had to step out of line if that situation impacted you in some way. A lot of people were impacted by the same situations that made me feel and know we are all the same. The camp taught me a lot of communication skills and leadership skills. Overall, it was an amazing camp. Thank you to the Rotary Club for it.”
Next Judy read comments from Kahob Baraki.
“My name is Kahob Baraki. I would like to thank the camp and the Rotary Club for inviting me to this camp. This camp was absolutely amazing starting with the activities that we did, the people that we met. It was one of the best camps. I would like to say I ever went to. I didn’t go on a lot of camps but anyway, the camp I feel like it taught me to be more friendly to people because you don’t know what they are going through. I feel like it taught me to be a better leader in general and you know just to be more social - more social and more friendly. The activities that we did, taught us a lot about knowing and acknowledging other peoples’ problems, like understanding other peoples’ issues. I feel like that was the best part of the camp. The best activities were pretty much all of it. It was all teamwork. All the stuff we did was all about teamwork. I would love to thank you for inviting me there. Thank You!”
That concludes the presentation segment of the program. I would like to thank all our delegates. First for attending the camps, second for being stretched outside your comfort zone at camp and third sharing your experiences with us today. The one thing that gives me the most joy is watching our youth transform into such self-confident leaders. It warms my heart and puts a smile on my face. We are in good hands. A donation to Shelter Box will be made in their names as a thank you to all our delegates.
Judy Cochran switched gears now to say a bit about ZIC – yes, another acronym. ZIC stands for Zone Interact Convention. The first ever Zone Convention for Zone 28 and 32 was held this past weekend. It brought in delegates and their chaperones in our two Zones from across Canada and the USA. This was the brainchild of three amazing young adults who once attended Interact themselves, then served as reps at the District level. Their names are Kamil Kanji, Iqmat Iyiola and Rebecca Avileli. Judy also knows these three from RYLA where they are all counsellors. Support came from two advisors, Past DG Christine Rendell District 5360 and Tracy Vavrek also Past DG of District 5370.
Garfield Ganong, his wife Cheryl and Judy were volunteers over the weekend. There were other volunteers from various clubs here in Calgary, including Kurt Kowalchuk, DGE. Key speakers include Drew Kessler, Zone 28 & 32 Director. Steve Levitt, DG 5360 and Brian Rusch. From Brian ” I think in the U.S. and much of the Western world, the next stage in LGBTQ rights is for us to live our lives openly and authentically. No matter who you are or what you do for a living - your life, your authenticity can be an inspiration to others." Brian is a Storyteller, Motivational Speaker, Board Director and Advisor, Global Charity Consultant and Strategist, Non-profit Board Member. He spoke at the RI Convention in Houston. Besides the speakers, there were activities that stretched their delegates outside their comfort zone. And some activities that are for sheer fun and stress release. All these builds relationships, connections, and collaboration.
We all gave the conference a thumbs up – yes, there are learnings and improvements to be made. The impact on the delegates was amazing. This is one way to grow Interact not just the numbers but the impact in the communities served. Garfield’s Comment: It was amazing to see how mature and focused on service these Interactors are.
The Youth Committee will continue our focus on bringing an Interact Club to Calgary West. Stay tuned for more on that.
Judy closed the Youth segment and thanked the club for our attention and support. Youth is important.
President Linda Anderson took back the podium to announce the speakers for the “Mad Minutes”.
First up is Marlene Doherty with an announcement about Global Polio Eradication. This year’s campaign Move for Polio will be complete on October 31, so record your kilometers, paint your pinkie purple as a conversation starter, buy a T-shirt from Marlene or go to the Rotary Foundation website and donate.
Courtney Wilson, our Rotary Employment Partnership Coordinator from Inclusion Alberta was introduced by President Linda for her Mad Minute and told us about 3 new employees who have taken positions at the Canadian Government and Storybook Theatre. If you know of any employers that may have positions for the developmentally challenged, give Courtney a call.
Barbie Hames was happy to report that the bowling went well for Polio as an additional Move for Polio event. As always Barbie has some milestone moments to announce.
Wedding Anniversary for Bill and Shelley Quinney - 56 years
Birthdays - Clarence Buckley, Gerry Meeks, Don Edie, Denise Penner Collins
Anniversary of Membership:
David Watson – 45 years
Pat Fitzsimmons – 2 years
Jean Claude Munyezamu – 1 year
President’s Messages:
- Steve Leavitt provided Linda with several the “Imagine” Rotary pins, RI president’s theme for the year. Please feel free to grab one on the way out.
- Friday, November 11, Rotary Remembers – 10:30 to noon and includes a meal. Tickets are available on the District 5360 website. See Clubrunner for details. Lt Col. Dr. Jim Hennessy will be the speaker and his topic is, Under Appreciated; Canada’s Role in World Affairs Since 1914.
- Pub Nights – to recommence in November
- Calgary Chinook is hosting a pub night at Dixon’s pub on Bannister Road Oct. 27, 5:30 to 7 pm. Speakers are Will and Cathy Garth on Dreams Transportation. Food and drink at your expense.
- Week of Giving – if you have a charity that you would like to be included in the December gifting, let Linda Anderson or Bill Lawless know. In the past we have provided donations to Food Bank, Alpha House, Can Read. We have filled purses and shoe boxes.
- Next Monday is Halloween – the theme for the meeting is “Let’s Be Kids Again”, prepare for some fun! This is an in person meeting only. No costumes are required for admittance but as the activities may involve ink don’t wear your best tux.
President also announced that she would like to recognize Don Edie today. Unfortunately, he is not able to fulfill duties as President Elect Nominee and the club is looking for another nominee. Also, Don Edie celebrated a birthday on October 21. He also just got engaged!
Thought for the Day!
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
The End
.png)
