A New Way of Thinking

The name’s Steve. I’m one of two rookies on the Youth4Change team this summer; the other being Sandra. I just finished my first year of environmental science at Mount Royal University in April so I (as well as my parents) thought it would be a good time to search for a summer job. I was lucky enough to be hooked up with an interview for Youth4Change through my sister. I started May 9^th. Prior to this, I had no knowledge whatsoever dealing with the issue of sexual violence. The facts overwhelmed me.

1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be affected by sexual violence before their 18^th birthday. Not only did this surprise me, it also frightened me. Learning that such a problem was so frequent yet so undisclosed did not sit well with me. Through the first 18 years of my life I had no idea how big of an issue sexual violence actually is. It was nice to join a youth oriented team such as Youth4Change that was created to engage adolescences on the topic of sexual violence. Since starting here around two months ago my whole view on the world has taken an entirely new direction.

Sexual violence is an unacceptable topic in our communities. This needs to change. It is an avoided conversation piece because it makes some people uncomfortable. If we want a sexual violence free society, we need to educate people on the problem and make them comfortable communicating about it. Education is the answer. If we teach today’s youth (the future) to be talkative and informative regarding sexual violence, then we are one step closer to a world without sexual violence.

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Limitless Learning

Hey All!

I'm back at CCASA for a new season, for new experiences and more fun times! It feels so great to be back in such a non judgmental, friendly, welcoming place. On the youth4change team I work with Sandra, Steve and Joe who have taught me so much in the short while I have been back.

It's incredible how much I am able to learn from their experiences and ideas. Yes, I am the veteran on the team and do have more experience with CCASA however, the new things I learn everyday from each one of my team members is incredible. At CCASA we have some forward thinking beliefs that contradict what society is telling us everyday. It's hard to wrap your head around sometimes and especially difficult to express thoughts to people who aren't immersed in this work day in and day out. Working in this environment with great team members has allowed us to have some really stimulating conversations. I always come out with a new way to verbalize a thought or idea that I can share with my friends, family and you guys!

CCASA has provided us with an opportunity to learn and grow as people. This issue is so complex that I take every opportunity I can to learn. I feel like the more I read and the more I try to absorb I feel like the less I know. We are such a diverse group and getting other people's perspectives can really help shape my own. I love getting the male viewpoint on different concepts and readings. It really demonstrates the way our society is constructed and hopefully allows me to gain a deeper understanding of the issue and the impact it has on both men and women. Being given the opportunity to analyze, critique and apply my own experiences has helped shape me as a person at work but also in my day to day life. I look forward to sharing my thoughts, experiences and perspective with you throughout the summer. Continue reading

Round 3!

Hey everyone we're back, and ready to go for round three of Youth4Change. It has been a very interesting start to the third summer of the Youth4Change program. We have some familiar faces and some new ones. Alex is back for her third summer and has settled into the role of the wily veteran nicely. Joe is back for his sophomore season. Stevo and Sandra are our rookie members.

Our summer is starting off with a BANG! Our website is finally completed and we have been super busy planning our launch event. We want to give a quick shout out and mad props to Telus, our website funders, as well as Louder Than 10, our web designers. This site is going to be an amazing resource for our fellow youth. Everyone holds a stake in creating social change to end sexual violence! I seriously recommend all of you check out our site, www.ccasayourworld.com.

We are excited to share our thoughts on different issues and our experiences out in the community. Be sure to stay up to date on our blog about upcoming web contests and activities, we have awesome prizes to give away!

Looking forward to talking with you more this summer!

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