I have to admit, I think Calgary is a pretty neat city. Having lived in so many different places in both the States and Canada, it’s hard not to have an immense appreciation for this place. However, perfection doesn’t exist, and there is ample room for improvement. Improvement is exactly the aim of Mayor Nenshi’s 3 Things for Calgary initiative… think about three things you can do to make Calgary better, do those three things, and encourage three more people to do the same. Basically, we start a chain reaction of good deeds all throughout our city!
So, what are my 3 things for Calgary?
- Involve! My first goal is to involve myself more with positive influences in the city. Life is so much better when you’re in the midst of the action. Volunteer organizations, sports teams, and school clubs all offer this opportunity. I began this initiative by joining the Mayor’s Youth Council of Calgary, a great decision might I add.
- Include! We all have a lot of friends. And I don’t mean the Facebook ones… I’m talking about the real-life ones. The close friends we see daily, our classmates, those we volunteer with, our neighbours… the list goes on and on. My goal is to use these people! No, not in a manipulative way! I plan to use them in a way that allows them to showcase their talents. An example? Last month, I got my friend to sign up as a Best Buddies volunteer at my school. (Best Buddies is a program in which we undertake a mentally disabled child as our buddy for the year. We eat lunch with them, socialize, etc. in order to make them feel just like any other high-school kid!) Yes, maybe I dragged her in with slightly exaggerated explanations of the amazing food that always accompanies the meetings, but it definitely worked. I am proud to say she is presently an active and enthusiastic volunteer! “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” – Chinese Proverb
- My third and final ‘thing for Calgary’ is to INSPIRE! How? Social Networking. I plan to blog, photograph, status update, share, and do everything else I can to let people know about the things I’m participating in along with my friends. I know I’m always inspired by blogs and photos of people’s experiences. I’ve always been a watcher though, never a do-er. I usually find myself seeing what other people are doing and staring in awe. “WOW! I wish I could do that!” Not anymore. This initiative, hopefully, will allow me to let people know of what I’m doing and all the details that go along with it. I’ll keep it in a simple enough format that others will believe it is easy enough for them to undertake similar activities. I really hope that people become inspired, but also that they act on this inspiration.
And that’s it! My 3 Things for Calgary. With all the buzz that this is causing, I definitely hope to see more people around the city participating. In fact, I’m already beginning to see signs of it everywhere! The lady in the office next to my mom’s desk at her workplace came over and introduced herself. Her initiatives include becoming more familiar with the people she works with. There are so many ideas that have come about with Mr. Nenshi’s proposal of this initiative and positive change really has become more prevalent. So here’s to a better Calgary; who says our city can’t design the formula for world peace?