Nurturing heroes to navigate life’s adventures through qathet Youth Can
Empowering youth to lead their own adventures and blaze a trail for themselves.
It’s not every day that Dungeons & Dragons is mentioned as a tool for developing leadership skills in youth, but it does just that for youth at qathet Youth Can.
“We had some hilarious online Dungeons and Dragons stuff happen. It’s really good for team building and problem solving,” explains Jayde, Coordinator of qathet Youth Can. “We’ve had opportunity where local community members used to be Dungeon Masters and trained youth to host their own campaigns. There’s a lot of work that goes into that and it’s been really quite impressive.”
Through support from United Way British Columbia, the youth in Powell River are empowered to create and choose their own adventures, not just in a game, but in life as well.
Every quest has a start
Five years ago, the qathet Youth Can began to support youth leadership through volunteer opportunities. While working at Volunteer Powell River, Jayde submitted an application for a grant which formed the beginnings of qathet Youth Can. At the time, they also received assistance from United Way.
“I feel really passionate about supporting youth leadership here,” enthuses Jayde as she recalls the evolution of the organization. “It became very clear to me doing this work that there was a huge gap in the support we offer young people.”
Open to youth 15 to 29, qathet Youth Can holds an inclusive space where everyone is welcome. They also connect with youth through social media. While focused on volunteering, the program has also taken on a larger life as well. “It’s about making the community a better place to live. A major path towards that is volunteerism but it’s much more than that. It’s the big picture ideas, the philosophical ideas of how do we want to live and join together in community,” explains Jayde.
Bringing heroes together to support one another
There’s an ebb and flow in participation and youth interest. “Sometimes it’s the environment, sometimes it’s about local advocacy, or it’s about learning, gaining new skills, sometimes it’s about art, sometimes it’s about, you know, making third spaces for their peers. Sometimes it’s about mental health, but all of those things continue to be.” At its core, the program is led by the youth who participate, almost like a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ book. They are the ones who decide what activities they want to pursue.
qathet Youth Can exists to tackle a variety of issues youth face; harm reduction being a big one. “We’ve collaborated with the Youth Community Advocacy Team on concepts around safe partying or naloxone training,” says Jayde. She continues, “I would also say that the lending library, the clothing swap, and the free food and stuff is all part of harm reduction too. You know, what can make things easier for their peers to live and stay here.”
Along with harm reduction, the program also connects youth in meaningful ways to one another, to peers, and to their communities. It’s about addressing isolation and loneliness, as well as providing mental health supports.
Jayde is filled with pride when she talks about the youth who participate in the program. “We’ve done a series of free mental health workshops, like the living in colour online wellness series. One of our youth in the program went on to create the Brooks Mental Health Advocacy Group Wellness Lounge at her high school.”
The challenges along the path
Singing songs, reciting poetry, and telling jokes to the seniors at Willingdon Creek Village with our friends from the Girl Guides!
With every quest comes challenges. For Jayde, one challenge is space. “We have a space in the mall, but I would love to expand that. I would love more programming and to have the space open all the time.”
She also mentions programming continuity, “Consistency is what makes youth feel safe.” The United Way BC funding has allowed the program to continue running from March to August, giving them the consistency they need for a safe space. It allows the youth to explore “positive risk taking” and gives them the opportunities to achieve their potential.
Giving them the skills and confidence to complete their quest
When it comes to the quest’s objective for qathet Youth Can, Jayde mentions confidence and skills. “There are many youth that I know who have grown exponentially in their confidence level,” she says with admiration. “For example, we have five youth representatives on the qathet Pride Board now. There are others who are very strong public speakers now and have made presentations to City Council and formed their own delegations. They’re not afraid to step into those adult spaces.”
Giving voice to youth allows them to grow and shape who they want to become while they journey to adulthood. It also gives them space to determine what kind of community they want to be part of and to make an impact upon it.
As Jayde says, “There’s a lot of optimism and hope in the spaces that we create.” It is this optimism and hope that empowers the youth to pursue their dreams, make a difference in their community, and discover their inner hero.