By Raissa Amany and Vidhi Desai
After two flights, and one layover later for Raissa, we both landed in a city known as the Paris of the Prairies, or Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Vidhi and I had the amazing opportunity to present at the Canada World Youth Summit on behalf of the YCRH. This gave us a chance to network with like-minded youth, and learn from others from across the country.
We were immediately greeted by kind Canada World Youth (CWY-JCM) staff at the airport and quickly settled in at our accommodations for the next three days. Even though it felt a bit out of our comfort zone, it was still a welcoming atmosphere. Seeing a bright blue pool situated in the center, overlaid by greenery bordering curvy pathways; the hotel was based on fantasies that only the most creative minds could imagine. Tired and hungry, we went to our room; we had one coffee pot, an ironing board and a bathroom with a weird lock. That day we rejoiced, since we live in different provinces, we used this time to spend time with each other.
Soon after arriving, lunch was scheduled for the attendees. When we walked in, we were hit by the crowd. This may sound ordinary, but eating lunch with people from deep Winnipeg, New Brunswick, central Quebec and Saskatoon was as equally fascinating as seeing The Saskatoon Inn for the first time. We shared stories about our provinces, what Winnipeg winters looked like, and what motivated us to come to the CWY-JCM National Youth Leadership Summit. Many folks expressed that it has been their first time being back at an in-person conference since COVID-19 and wanted a chance to connect with other young leaders across the country. The evening of our arrival was filled with us exploring the quintessential small town, yet still filled with interesting activities to explore.
Our first day of the summit began with keynote speakers ranging from Indigenous Elders, MLAs, and leaders within the CWY-JCM organization. After the opening keynote, we immediately began preparing to deliver our workshops for the day. It was exciting to see many of the delegates interested in our workshop titled “You are never too young to lead social initiatives.” During our workshop, we presented both the structure of the YCRH, as well as showing the delegates how we worked and maintained our partnership with The Sandbox Project, and other organizations. In the second half of our workshop, we presented how research can be used to elevate your social initiatives and introduced some of our current projects, such as Photovoice and a Children’s Book on Youth Resilience. Overall, we ended the session with delegates presenting mock research projects in teams, along with final words on how to create meaningful adult/youth partnerships.
Our second day was filled with more keynote speakers and sessions led by other youth-serving organizations. We both learned about financial literacy and how to be there for others. The afternoon was filled with a trip to the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, where we learned more about Indigenous cultures. It was amazing to see Bison wandering around in the plains, as well as getting the opportunity to try Bannock and Labrador Tea.
Raissa had a chance to be interviewed by the National Observer about her experience presenting at the Summit and commented about the mental health trends that we are seeing in our current society.
Before we knew it, it was the last day of the summit. There were amazing closing remarks and one last time for us to get to know each other. The three days felt like a minute, as it was bittersweet for us and we aren’t sure when we will get to see each other again in person.
We both want to thank the CWY-JCM staff for the opportunity to present and gather with like-minded individuals. Additionally, we want to say thank you to both The Sandbox Project and the YCRH for supporting us on this journey. As such, we both will continue to foster the networking we gathered at the summit and share the learnings we’ve collected to our members and beyond.
Raissa Amany is an Undergraduate Honours Health Sciences Student at the University of Ottawa specializing in Population and Public Health. She is passionate about the intersectionality of public health - specifically within the realms of health equity and child and youth health.
Vidhi Desai is an Undergraduate Honours Psychology and Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology Student at the University of Calgary. She is passionate about youth development, social determinants of health, and national trends regarding anxiety and depression.