Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting some articles that were written over the past year about the events and accomplishments of the EYC in 2009. I hope to post them in chronological order just to show all the awesome things youth have done down here at the centre.
The following was originally printed in the Essex Voice and Essex Free Press back in March:
TYPS Confrence Article
by Marc Rocheleau
At the end of the month, one local organization will get to show-off their accomplishments on a national stage.
On March 26, staff and members from the Essex Youth Centre (EYC) will attend the 11th Annual Town Youth Participation Strategies (TYPS) conference in Ottawa. Created to help share ideas between groups, over 40 youth centres and initiatives from across Canada will be represented at the four-day event.
"The conference is pretty hard to describe," said 16-year-old EYC-member, Jasmine Wood. "It's basically a big gathering – you learn about different youth centres and different things that they do or you can do."
A main attraction is bragging booths: Small kiosks setup to show-off what centres have accomplished. In the EYC's case, they plan on displaying members’ quotes about the program and Wood's recently-finished Dare To Dream Project; a book of art and poetry that promotes mental health awareness.
In addition, the centre will highlight it's comic book, the EYC Super-Team, which includes everyone at the centre and is drawn by 17-year-old member Kelly Howe.
"It was one night in August where I was here for 12 hours," said EYC event co-ordinator and comic book script-writer, Sylvia Caetano. "All of a sudden we just sat around the ping-pong table... figuring out powers and hero names for everyone that came down here and that's how it started."
Issues and a group drawing of the Super-Team will be on display at EYC's bragging booth and a contest will be held to create a new super-villain. The winner gets a Super-Team t-shirt and a copy of the issue their creation appears in.
EYC's presentation will also incorporate elements of the Super-Team, as members Brittany Jackson, Wood, Howe, staff-members Caetano, Sue Vermast and Executive-Director Sandy Larivee appear in homemade versions of their alter-egos’ costumes.
"When Sue Vermast and I were talking about the previous conferences before 2009, she said, 'what can we do to blow away last year's presentation," ( which took the top award at the conference) said Caetano. "... I said to her, the comic book. This comic book is about every single person that comes down here."
The four-day conference includes the TYPS Olympics, a competition with physical activities. Several workshops are also planned and those interested can take a trip to Parliament Hill and hope to meet with our Member of Parliament.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the Parliament buildings," said Wood. "I think it would be cool to see and very interesting for me since I just took law."
TYPS was formed in 1993 and started workshops in 1997. After receiving recommendations, they began their annual conferences in 1998. Continuously expanding, they provide tools for community programs like EYC. Special thanks to the Optimist club of Essex and the Essex Kinsment Club for their support in sending youth to this exciting event.
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