Written by Fianna McKnight
Summer is finally coming to an end, and lots of things are right around the corner-- going back to school, fall weather, and most excitingly: a new term with the Arran-Elderslie Youth Council! We’re so excited to get back to regular council proceedings, but before all that, we want to recap this past month’s events!
On August 7th, several members of the Youth Council gathered to set up a booth at Artists on the River, Paisley’s annual arts festival. We were so excited to have the opportunity to chat with people and answer questions about the organization, as well as to collect donations and sell our merchandise. It was hugely successful, in our opinion-- we had so many wonderful people come out to chat and buy stickers or buttons! We want to thank anyone who was there on Saturday for making it so worthwhile.
Also running August 7 were our Second Official Walking Tours of Paisley. These walking tours lasted around an hour and highlighted all of Paisley’s best assets under the seven community pillars-- civic structure, commerce, environment, faith, arts, history and heritage, and health. All of these tours were written and led by youth from the council, and there are more to come! Tours of Chesley and Tara will be held in late summer and early fall, with dates and times to be released on our social media. Follow us @arranelderslieyouth on Instagram and Facebook to get updates!
This August, we also launched our brand-new event, Explore AE! We’ve mentioned it before, but this is a scavenger-hunt-style contest consisting of 20 “stops” scattered about Arran-Elderslie. Participants who find and post at least 12 of the 20 locations (complete with our hashtag, #exploreae2021) will be entered into a draw for some amazing prizes to be announced in the coming weeks! In our Instagram bio is a link that leads to a digital brochure with descriptions, photos and the location of each stop, both for your convenience and so you can learn more about this wonderful community. This event will extend from August to mid-October, so get hunting soon! A huge thank you to the Chesley Kinsmen for their generous donation toward our prizes for this project-- it wouldn’t be the same without you!
Finally, about the next council term-- we need more of you! The youth council functions on youth volunteers, so if you are a youth, or if you know someone who may be interested, don’t be afraid to reach out! You decide your level of commitment, whether that be participating in all of the projects or just attending meetings to give input. AEYC functions because of our community’s youth, both as members and as supporters, so your work is valued, no matter what you do! Volunteering for the youth council will give you valuable hours toward your OSSD requirements and some amazing skills to add to your resume for the future. If you’re interested, reach out to us on Instagram @arranelderslieyouth or fill out the form in our bio, and we’ll be in touch!
Now, this is where we’d usually have some book recommendations based on a designated theme. However, this month is National Immunization Awareness Month in Canada, and in light of the past year and a half, we’d like to instead encourage you to get the COVID vaccine as soon as you can! The internet has been rife with misinformation lately, so we implore you to do careful, critical research if you have concerns, and do your part in defeating the virus by getting your shots as soon as possible.
As always, stay safe, stay tuned, and we’ll see you next month as the brand-new Arran-Elderslie Youth Council!