“If you were to sum up your experience at We Day in one word, how would you describe it?”
“INCREDIBLE”
Tefani & Cimone, 17
Youth of YYC: Tefani & Cimone, 17
We Day: Empowering a generation
On November 3, I had the pleasure of going to We Day Alberta! This was my first year in attendance, and I was excited to be given the opportunity. I was not too sure what I to expect, but one thing’s for sure: when I left, I felt inspired.
There were many great things said during the event and great presenters on stage that gave truly inspiring speeches.
I want to draw your attention to two really great causes that were spoken about.
You may be asking yourself, “What in the world is up with this ‘rafiki’ thing?”
In Swahili, rafiki means friend. Each of these beaded jewelleries is made by a mama who, with the purchase of her art, is able to make a living, afford to send their kids to school, and show the world how beautiful and rich her culture is. Buying one of these gives mamas the opportunity to create positive change in their communities. Helping each other out, isn’t that what friends are for?
By buying a Rafiki Friend Chain you are participating as part of Free the Children’s Adopt A Village program, a program that gives a child the ultimate gifts of clean water, to school supplies, to healthcare, and more.
Interesting in learning more? Click here.
On top of being cute, for a family in a developing nation a goat can open many doors for possibilities. A goat can produce 16 cups of milk a day; that’s a lot of nutrition that families would otherwise not get. They would have the option of selling some of this milk to generate an alternate income. With this money families are then able to afford the essentials, like health care and education. Some of these goats can also have baby goats and the family would have the opportunity raise a herd. This program is one of many at Free the Children to help families in developing nations prosper.
The best part of all of this is that you can help!
1. Just sign up at weactprogram.com/wecreatechange
2. Collect 25 toonies ($50)
3. Roll them and donate them at an RBC* bank
One goat empowers a family economically and empowerment is equal to a world of opportunities.
* You can visit any branch to do this. Donate your coins at Free The Children account #1001437 and branch #0126511.
Detoxify your diet: H2O
Water is essential to the upkeep of a healthy lifestyle. Pure water is amazing, but who said you could only drink plain water? Part of many diet and beauty plans, detox water is full of vitamins and hydration. It helps to curb your hunger, clear your skin, and lose weight. Detox water is easy to make: just grab some fresh ingredients and water, add them to a mason jar, and refrigerate for at least 30min. You can reuse the same ingredients up to three times. There are many recipes for detox water to add a little flare to your daily dose of H2O. Here are some great recipes to try at home.
- 2 litres water
- 1 cucumber, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 10-15 fresh mint leaves (bruised)
- handful of ice
Strawberry Grapefruit Detox Water
- 2 litres water
- 3-5 strawberries, washed and sliced
- 1 medium cucumber, washed and sliced
- 1 small grapefruit, washed and sliced
Apple Pie Detox Water
- 2 litres water
- 2-3 apples, washed, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Apple Cider Detox
- 2 litres water
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 apples, washed, cored, thinly sliced
Blueberry Mint Detox Water
- 2 litres water
- 1 pint blueberries, washed
- 7-10 mint leaves
- 1/2 lemon, washed and thinly sliced
Spicy Detox Water
- 2 cucumbers
- 2 inch knob of ginger
- 1/2 lime
- 1 cup of parsley
- dash of cayenne pepper
The science of being asleep
Sleep is a rarity to some and a regularity to others. For myself, and I am sure to many other teenagers, sleep is a glory which we usually fail to achieve. But what does sleep do to our bodies that we always crave more?
It is recommended that teens get an average of 9.5 hours of sleep (National Sleep Foundation). This is in order for our bodies to perform the essential cycles of sleep that cares for our memories, muscle healing and release of various hormones. Much to everyone’s dismay, sleep is not all about Inception-esque drama, rather, it revolves around a pattern of 90 minute cycles between rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM).
NREM contributes to ~75 per cent of your sleep and divides into four stages. The first stage is the time of light sleep, where you are half asleep, and half awake. This is the time that we all struggle with the most. But we must persevere and count those sheep to move onto stage two. The second stage allows our bodies to isolate ourselves from the environment, our senses adapt and tune out and our body temperatures lower. Stages three and four are where the magic happens. These stages are where the real revitalizations occur, with energy being restored and muscle and tissue cells being repaired. This is also the time when hormones, such as the human growth hormone (hGH) are released. That is why sleep is incredibly significant to us when we are young.
REM is the latter 25 per cent of the sleep you experience. This is where your dreams awaken and energy is provided to the brain and body. Due to the brain’s active state, your eyes will have rapid movement, as the name suggests. However, your body will be relaxed and stoic in movement.
We all want it, but never really knew why. I hope we can all realize the importance of getting the necessary amount of sleep every night. As Shakespeare once wrote in Hamlet, “To sleep, perchance to dream,” may we all have the chance to dream for the 229,961 hours we approximately sleep in our lifetime. Sleep allows us to perform and be rejuvenated for the rest of our lives and hopefully, we all have better fates than Hamlet.
Youth of YYC: Matt, 16
“This year I just came back from France participating in an international lifesaving competition. It was really cool to meet people around the world. I might go to Japan or Australia to compete again next year.”
Matt, 16
Communet: Spread love, not hate
Communet is a popular app where you can write anonymous messages about people at your school. It’s a great way to send messages of 
encouragement to other students or to compliment someone you are too shy to talk to in person; however, it is also an easy way to post mean messages about others. So how do we stop the hate? Certain schools have taken matters into their own hands by monitoring what is said in the school’s forum. The only problem with this is that there is no way to remove the messages and they cannot tell who is writing them. The administration can try to track them down by doing some investigating in the school, but can not virtually track them down without getting the police involved. Although Cyber Bullying is frowned upon, it is only illegal if the person being attacked is being threatened or feels unsafe. Getting the school involved is great on a bigger scale, but what about all the smaller comments that can’t be tracked down by the police? The easiest way to stop the hate from coming in is to encourage other’s to be kind to one another. Although you can’t eliminate all of the hate, you can at least drown it out by flooding the app with positive messages aimed towards a specific person or the entire school in general. When a persons sees someone take a stand to fight cyber bullying, it encourages them to do the same.
I think Communet is a great idea for an app, with just a few, simple modifications like the report button; the app could be amazing. I’ve seen messages like “hope everyone had a day that’s just as awesome and they are,” and “Shout out to all the beautiful, lovely, talented people who make Bishop Carroll the best high school in Calgary.” These kinds of messages can really put a smile on your face and motivate you to do your best. But when the app is being used for the wrong reasons, the feelings can quickly turn south. All it takes is one rude and negative comment to ruin someone’s mood or maybe even day, so give some love to your fellow students!
Ebola: Real danger or perceived?
Ebola. It’s on our minds right now, and while some of us feel safe, other are worried it will get to us. Some people are starting to get really worried. But is it actually a danger to us, or are we just in over are heads? According to statistics, an American’s chance of getting ebola this year is only 1 in 13.3 million!
That’s even less then dying from a plane crash or lightning this year, and yet very few people are worried about that. That percentage is actually higher than it should be. The reason for this is that starting from the first reported case of ebola in North America, the average case being brought over from a foreign country is averaging around one per month, and is usually spread to two more people. But you have to remember that the people getting infected in North America are usually doctors and nurses; people who are dealing with the fluids of patients, and thus have a lot higher chance of catching the disease. So in reality, unless you are a doctor or nurse working with ebola patients, your chance is even lower. These statistics are also for Americans, and ebola has actually arrived in America. Ebola hasn’t even gotten to Canada yet, and so your chance is even lower. Even in the biggest ebola outbreak ever, the chances are astoundingly low, that is, at least, for us in Canada.
So really, why are we worrying? The chance of getting it is so low, and even if you catch it there’s around a 30 per cent chance you will survive. Ebola is only a perceived danger to us in North America. The people who should be worrying are the ones in places like Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Monrovia. Instead of worrying, we should increase our efforts for helping these people. Over 12,000 people have been infected in these areas, and almost 8,000 dead! These are the people who should be worrying, and who we, as privileged Canadians, should increase our efforts to help these people.
The science of being happy
You know when you have that spring in your step and then laughter and grins ensue, but have you ever thought about the science behind the body’s output of happiness? According to Psychology Today, there are four “happy” chemicals. These chemicals are dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphin. They each have a specific function that contributes to what we know as happiness. Dopamine acts as a rewarding system that engages you into a state of pleasure. Serotonin seeks to boost your self-esteem and confidence. Oxytocin gives you a sense of relationship and attraction to other individuals. Thus, it is commonly referred to as the “cuddling hormone” or the “bonding” hormone.” Endorphins are molecules that are released during strenuous physical activity, as it works as a pain-killer for the body.
Increasing these neurochemicals will thus, increase the sense of elation that one may perceive. Since dopamine is stimulated by rewarding actions, set a goal and work to achieve it. In addition, try eating foods rich in tyrosine, like bananas, avocados and almonds. Serotonin is all about you, literally. So believe in yourself and do not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. In an age, where communication occurs primarily through screens and keyboards or keypads, make sure to have that human to human interaction. These types of social contact will aid in increasing your oxytocin levels. To raise your endorphins, exercise regularly and sweat your problems away.
Happiness is a complex and sometimes, confounding sensation. It may not be able to be brewed down into an exact science. But then again, it is science after all.
Healthy watches
According to a recent DailyTech article, Nintendo will be dabbling into the watch market to provide a healthier and fitter lifestyle for its consumers. Nintendo’s watch will be a 24/7 sleep monitoring device. Nintendo will join various competitors already catering to the healthy watches market.
Devices like the Jawbone Up24 and Fitbit Force have been gaining rave reviews from sites like Cnet Review. These devices have the same promise of having a convenient notification system to entice the wearer to lead a healthier lifestyle. Consumers have been driven to this market through previous devices, such as Nintendo’s own Wii Fit. The desire for a more expedient and direct way of monitoring health is what causes innovative supply to meet its newfound demand.
But as a young person, I am doubtful of the effectiveness of the notifications provided by these watches. Sure, the colourful and bright designs of these watches like the Up24 are enticing. I don’t think it will be enough to change the health environment for those who struggle with consistent motivation. But for those who already are leading a healthy lifestyle, these devices would further improve their active lives by offering miles trackers, calorie counters and sleep monitors, like Nintendo is proposing with their device.
These watches may not work for everyone, but it is surely something you want to watch out for.
Youth of YYC: Daniil, 16
“I’ve been making short films since grade 9. I like everything bit of it because you get to create and write a story, then go out with your friends and laugh while filming. Then you get home and laugh again when you go to edit. It’s the only thing I know how to do very well, and I love it.”
Daniil, 16
Authors in the shadows
Calgarians are fortunate enough to get Wordfest, an annual event that hosts numerous authors from around the globe; however, my school, Webber Academy, was even more fortunate to host Veronica Roth and Tahereh Mafi last Friday.
You’re probably thinking, “Well, Veronica Roth isn’t an author in the shadows,” or perhaps, “Wow! You are so lucky to see Veronica Roth!”
Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably about Veronica Roth, right? You probably totally didn’t even consider the second author, Tahereh Mafi, or even realized that she was an author too.
Coincidently, this is a topic that was brought up during the talk between Veronica and Tahereh.
Readers frequently point out that there recently has been a “dystopia boom.” Examples include: The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, Matched, and the list goes on and on. And before dystopia, it was the “magic and mystical creatures boom,” during which books like the Harry Potter, The Twilight Saga, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Mortal Instruments series were popular. You’ll notice that all of these books are series. Although it’s probably and hopefully not the only reason, writing series for books during each era of book genres would economically be great.
Out of these booms in the book industry, people are “discovering” skilled writers. For instance, it was only until John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars became a bestseller that his other books, such as Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines, also became popular. What people don’t realize is that John Green and his books have existed for a while. Readers nowadays are following too closely to bestsellers and not enough on actually good reads.
I encountered this phenomenon just months ago, when If I Stay was released in movie theatres. Three years ago, I had read the book version of If I Stay and in the theatre, when I heard people say, “They should make a book out of this movie,” I was utterly shocked. I fought the strong urge to stomp up to them, buy them each a copy of the book and make them read it, because it already exists. While movies may promote books, it’s sad how little people know about great books until the movie version comes out.
Don’t limit yourself in the confines of bestsellers. (Not that any of the current bestsellers are bad). Try reading other books. Ask for recommendations.
Calgary Civic Symphony: The Mighty Carthy Organ
Have you ever heard an organ in action before?
I know I haven’t. So that made me even more excited to attend Calgary Civic Symphony’s first concert of the season, titled: “The Mighty Carthy Organ.” The pipes you see at the back of Jack Singer Concert Hall are not just for decoration, but rather part of the 6040-pipe Carthy Organ. It would come to life under the hands of three talented organ soloists alongside the Calgary Civic Symphony under the direction of Rolf Bertsch.
The program consisted of three pieces with the first being: Mars, The Bringer of War from The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst with Francine Nguyen-Savaria on organ. My inner music nerd rejoiced when I found out that this was going to be played, as I’ve probably listened to it over 100 times (no joke.) The Planets is a seven-movement suite that portrays the musical character of the planets in our solar system, ranging from The Bringer of Peace (Venus) to The Bringer of Jollity (Jupiter). With Mars, being attributed to The Bringer of War (dun dun dun.) Its sound is ominous, chaotic and powerful. It’s reminiscent to the epic battle soundtracks to many space films such as Star Wars. This was my first time hearing it played live and they exceeded my expectations.
The next musical treat was Symphonie Concertante for Organ and Orchestra by Joseph Jongen with Neil Cockburn on organ. I hadn’t heard of the piece or the composer, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was genuinely surprised. Symphonie Concertante is divided into four movements and I loved the last movement in particular. It’s entitled “Toccata (Moto Perpetuo),” let me explain what that means. Toccata, meaning “to touch,” refers to a piece of music with fast-moving and lightly fingered passages, which is played by the organ in this case. Moto Perpetuo translates to “perpetual motion” which refers to a piece of music characterized with a continuous stream of steady notes. Neil, a distinguished musician, truly demonstrated his dexterity on the organ in this challenging, but spectacular piece.
The final performance was Symphony No.3 (“Organ”) by Camille Saint-Saëns with Weicheng Zhao on organ. Saint-Saëns described this symphony as: “I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again.” I was familiar with his other works as well, The Carnival of Animals and Danse Macabre, so it was a delight to hear how the same composer borrows and transforms past ideas. I certainly heard a level of sophistication as musical themes emerged, intertwined and evolved towards an exciting climax. By the end, the entire hall was awash with the sound of the organ and orchestra before applause erupted from the audience.
What to take away from all of this
No amount of fanciful descriptions or recordings can compare to the experience of hearing a concert live. You really have to see for yourself the magic of the conductor leading all the musicians and blending it into a masterpiece. That’s why I encourage you, especially if you’ve never been to one, that you venture out of your comfort zone. Classical music may be attributed to “what my grandparents would listen to,” but in fact, there’s a large community of young and old during contemporary times that enjoy it too.
As mentioned before, “The Mighty Carthy Organ” is actually the first performance of the Calgary Civic Symphony’s season. They’ve titled the season as “Organic, Operatic and Exotic.” Organic, haha, very punny. The rest of the adjectives refer to their upcoming concerts: Bach for the Holidays, Popera!, Calgary’s Got Classical Talent and The Cello. As a fun fact, the Calgary Civic Symphony is a community orchestra, meaning all of its members are volunteers. This really shows their dedication and love for music.
For more information, please visit their official website: http://www.calgarycivicsymphony.ca/
Aurorafest: Another way to celebrate winter
A warm environment with unique costumes, entertaining games and enticing merchandise. Many may recognize it as the winter-time Otafest, and others as a crazy haven for people who have a vested interest in Japanese cartoons — otherwise known as anime and manga — however, Otafest Aurora is a special celebration of a culture that attracts people of all ages who love this form of entertainment. From merchandise to cosplaying, Aurorafest brings many festivities that we wouldn’t normally see to a condensed, one-day celebration. This year, Aurorafest will be held at SAIT Polytechnic on Nov. 29 from 10 a.m. to midnight.
Otafest Aurora’s main attraction is its goods — from pins to clothing to bags, Otafest has it all. Sometimes, the lines are so long, the time needed to wait for vendors seems to be an hour. The waiting time, however, isn’t as long as it appears to be. Such evidence comes from a writer for The Strange Five, Sam Ijaz.
“It was packed, the line extremely long, reaching the park outside. So, we stood in line, thinking it was going to be a half hour to an hour wait. WRONG! We waited at most 15 minutes and we were in. They had everything; toys, cosplay outfits, accessories, and free candy from a Pedobear (typical). I ended up picking up a cute stuffed Monkey King for my daughter. Dropping $30 is nothing compared to what others were dropping… Hundreds.”
Otafest Aurora also provides many activities that are enjoyable. A “must-do,” as Victoria states, is visiting the Artist’s Alley, a place where artists sell their artwork and showcase their talent. Another inventive program is the maid cafe where volunteers dress up like maids and simulate a real maid cafe —like those found in Japan— and serve refreshments, snacks and other delicacies. “Smaller events like vocaloid, cosplay and photo gallery are also great ways to spend your time,” says Victoria, a frequenter of Otafest festivals.
In general, Aurorafest provides a friendly, warm community with entertaining events and swell products. Next time someone wishes for another way to celebrate winter, inform them of the fun they are missing at Aurorafest!
Folk U: A great opportunity for aspiring musicians
On Oct. 29, I took part in the Nuts & Bolts of Stage Mechanics course at the Calgary Festival Hall and volunteered to set up for the open mic following the class. Calgary Festival Hall is known to many folk music events, such as the Calgary Folk Festival and many small concerts of indie and folk musicians like The Strumbellas and Basia Bulat. This week, the Festival Hall conducted an event called a Folk U session. Folk U is a program geared toward education of young musicians in order to help them gain performance experience, exposure for their abilities, and learn the tricks of the trade. The course was primarily focused on setting up stage equipment as well as how to remain organized and efficient with technical procedures backstage. Overall, it was a very helpful, thorough course that provided good background knowledge of a tech worker’s responsibilities. The course lasted an hour and a half, and there was a quick break afterward before the open mic started at 7:30 p.m.
To say the least, the opening act was far from a soft introduction to the night. Smashing through the proverbial glass ceiling was The Static Shift, a three-piece band with a stunningly original style, a coalescence between Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Jack White. The Static Shift played all original songs, and should undoubtedly be added to any playlist of those who enjoy a classic rock sound with undertones of the blues.
Up next was Jake Vance, a folk musician starkly juxtaposing the stylings of the first act. Vance had the audience in the palm of his hand as he performed two captivating originals. The first, entitled The Poet, consisted of a mesmerizing guitar melody and flawless vocals, wrought with uninhibited emotion and depth, truly a commendable piece. His second song, called Olive Trees, was far from anything I had ever personally seen a folk musician do. Instead of having the guitar sitting sideways, one arm slung over, strumming the strings, he instead placed the guitar on his lap and tapped along the sides and on the centre, moving his hand up and down the fret board to create an unexpectedly phenomenal tune, and when pairing that with his captivating vocals, it was spectacular. Jake Vance made his simple, unique, and humble style truly an unforgettable one.
Shortly afterward, folk musician Vincent Christianson took the stage with two originals. Christianson played a clean, remarkable folk-indie style, with unobscured vocals and captivating guitar work. Playing two very refined originals, he surpassed many of the acts with his mature and masterfully written songs. Both closer to the ballad side of the folk genre, his songs Life Hit You Too Soon and Start Again were the unmistakable works of a prodigious young musician, with unparalleled vocals and impassioned lyrics. Having won folk music competitions previously such as the Sonic Youth Calgary Folk Music Festival Songwriting contest, Vincent Christianson is an absolute original.
A few acts later emerged the two-piece band called The Tomhoppers. Missing their bassist, The Tomhoppers made up for the absent member with ease, performing a spectacular three-song set, consisting of Cigarette Smoke by Arctic Monkeys, Come A Little Closer by Cage The Elephant, and Just One Drink by Jack White, which they had learned only hours before stepping onstage. The frontman not only played outrageously well on guitar, but also operated pedals that obscured the effects of the guitar, giving their sound a completely different vibe from everyone else’s. Not to be forgotten was the drummer, who played each song with exceptional stage presence and flawlessly delivered each song, bringing to life the energy and intention of the musicians he covered, but brought his own style to each piece. Overall, The Tomhoppers were outstanding, matching each other’s skill level and spirit to a tee, without question a band to watch out for in the near future.
If you’re interested in participating in either a Folk U course or open mic, the schedule for the next month can be found here: http://www.festivalhallcalgary.com/events/
Youth of YYC: Veselka, Ukrainian Dance, 15-17
“We’ve been performing together for as long as we can remember.”
Veselka, Ukrainian Dance, 15-17