Last updated on April 1st, 2021 at 02:02 am
Back in Grade 7 when school mandated that we do at least 40 hours of volunteering before we graduate, I didn’t know it’d unlock a culture of giving with me I didn’t even know was there. Hazel McCallion’s Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee. The Square One Youth Centre. The Trillium Health Centre (formerly known as The Mississauga Hospital.) Between these and other high school activities, I’d graduate with more than 2,500 hours volunteering to my name, firmly cementing volunteerism as a driving force in my life.
Even now I see its effects. Spending time helping my church perfect its messaging and raise its kids. Thinking of what we can do to help each other first before thinking about what I can get from others. Giving back to the world is important, and it’s up to me—and adults like me—to teach this to the youth of tomorrow so they can shape a better future.
See, youth get it. They’re not so bogged down with the harsh lessons of adulthood that they’ve lost hope that the world can be a better place. They’re creative. Optimistic. They have the potential to become great people, and it’s up to us to nurture that and give them the tools they need to make it there.
This sentiment in mind, RBC’s celebrating Canada’s 150th with the #Make150Count campaign, a national movement where they’re empowering youth across the nation to do acts of good with their resources at hand!
