3 Lessons Learned from the Youth Volunteer Corps Summit 2024: Virginia Beach

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, volunteering provides a plethora of opportunities. An opportunity I was recently offered was to travel to Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States for the YVC Summit Conference. This blog will discuss the most important lessons and my personal favorite experiences that I’ve gained while attending the youth conference.

1. People Might Not Eat You Alive

Because I am a part of the Calgary YVC affiliate, we had to travel internationally to attend the conference. Although we had two youth in our group who were a part of the International Youth Advisory Board and we received a scholarship to attend, we still had to find different ways to raise money to attend.

As a fairly introverted person, this was the hardest part of the trip for me. I had to *shudder* approach people and explain why they should donate to our cause. At first, I shied away from the general public and let the rest of the group guide the public relations. As I gradually gained more comfort around my group, I realized that I could approach fundraising as a challenge. I learned to brace myself and form connections. This would prove to be an invaluable asset during the trip.

2. Most People Don’t Hate You Already

I learned quite a few new things right off the bat when we landed in Virginia. The most important thing was that people are typically willing to form new connections if you are willing to initiate.

A common fear, one that is a part of the human condition, is the fear of rejection and exclusion. Because I’m human, I am no exception. Before the trip, I wasn’t too keen on beginning conversation or forming connections because I feared that others wouldn’t be interested in what I had to contribute. Although Summit involved a lot of networking, I was still surprised to see that people were willing to approach me and make conversation. I found that most people reciprocated my enthusiasm.

Shocking, I’m sure.

Understanding that socializing was less like jumping a chasm and more like shaking a hand helped me build a network quite quickly. You’d be shocked at how nice people will be if you’re willing to reach out your hand first. I met, and was able to connect with, a lot of insanely cool people.

One of these people was Bonnie Johnson, the first pick of the very first women’s pro softball draft in all of America (stay tuned for a possible interview!). Somehow, I had a wild stroke of luck to sit next to her on a flight of mine. If I hadn’t introduced myself to Bonnie at first, I would never have known how sweet, friendly, and accomplished she was. I never would have missed the opportunity to know one of the coolest women in the history of womens’ sports.

This lesson was so valuable. I was able to make lots of new friends and gain a lot more connections for it!

3. Always Try To Understand

We got to attend a variety of workshops during the conference. Personally, I found the poverty simulation workshop to be the most impactful.

We were given a family situation, a minimal sum of money, and the task to support basic living needs (utility, rent, food expenses) for a “month” (a 3 hour period). I was a child whose parents had been imprisoned and unemployed, with an unemployed 21 year old brother and two younger siblings to support. We started off the simulation with a very small amount of money and a camera to pawn.

In order to survive the month, the older brother had to drop out of college to find a job. I had to resort to thievery when I was dismissed from school. I stole two cars, three social security numbers, an EBT (a card for welfare services to wire money to those in need), jewelry, and money for a gun. Even after pawning and selling all of our possessions, we still would not have made it through the month.

Despite the obvious fact that the entire workshop was a simulation and not real, I found that I was willing to cheat and steal in order to protect my loved ones. And I wasn’t the only one willing to do this. School became a terrible waste of time that I could have spent stealing and plotting. The social security numbers allowed me to pretend I was an adult and purchase a gun, which I robbed houses with. I no longer had any pity for others who were struggling. Instead, I saw them as competition for the limited rich houses.

The smallest things aggravated us. Bank lines and supermarket lines were too long. The school wanted too much money that we didn’t have. There weren’t enough transportation passes. My family was so desperate to make it through the month without being evicted or starved, we were willing to be incarcerated for it.

I learned that it is important to always maintain gratitude and grace toward others – after all, if I was willing to do some shady things in a simulation, then who knows what someone really desperate would do – and I gained more empathy for others.

TL;DR

Attending the Youth Volunteer Corps Summit was such an amazing experience. I learned to overcome my fear of the general public. I also learned how to network and build deep connections, and I gained a deeper understanding of what gratitude really looks like.

Special thanks to Peony Wong, our designated YVC Coordinator, for being so patient with everyone and really making this trip possible for all of us!