YOUTH ARE AWESOMEA PROGRAM OF YOUTH CENTRAL

Apple has done it again. The new fifth generation iPod nano is amazing. The bugs from the previous iPod nano have been fixed and tons of new features have been added to this new and improved iPod nano. The new iPod nano is smaller and lighter then the previous one. It also has a video camera and a voice recorder, which is perfect for capturing funny moments and giving yourself reminders. If you get tired of the music you have you can always listen to the radio on the iPod nano. And its the perfect mp3 player to take to the gym – it has a pedometer built into it!

For young women ages 12-17 only! This FREE conference will inspire and enlighten young women about the opportunities for non-traditional careers in science, engineering, entrepreneurship, and technology.  During fun-filled workshops with some of the most successful women in our community, participants will gain confidence, connections and career options.

Due to the success of women in these programs, the Beauty and Brains Conference aims to help young women explore and network with professional women involved with such fields of work. This all-day event will provide young women with a chance to meet other like-minded women while learning more about these fields of work, the important role that they have in Calgary and possible education paths. Participants are invited to a fun filled day where they’re able to make lasting connections, enjoy a delicious lunch, win great prizes and take charge of their future!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

TELUS World of Science – Calgary
701-11th Street SW
Calgary AB
T2P 2C4
1 block west of the 10th St. C-Train Station

CLICK HERE for more information about this awesome event!

Registration has begun! You don’t want to miss out, so click here to register 😀

In 2005, a young filmmaker in the states adapted a slam poem written by his friend, entitled “Slip of the Tongue”, with the intention of applying images to a poetry recording.  This four-minute short was submitted to the Media That Matters Film Festival, as well as the 2007/2008 Reel Youth Film Festival based in Vancouver, where it won the People’s Choice Best Overall Film award.  It is now also featured on Citizen Shift – “the National Film Board of Canada‘s participatory Web platform exploring today’s crucial issues through films, photography, articles, blogs and podcasts”.

Usually, saying that you are a “Gleek” would not be the coolest thing ever, but this Fall, Glee is the biggest new show!

Glee is a comedy about a teacher who risks taking over the glee club at his school. Everyone thinks he’s nuts, because this glee club consists of five members, and let’s face it, they aren’t all that wonderful. But, everything is about to change.

Glee not only is full of great dance and song numbers, but it inspires the underdog in all of us. There is a hero for everyone in this show, someone we can all relate to. This is what really makes us all want to become “Gleeks”. We see that we can all shine no matter who we are.

Become a Gleek too! Watch Glee!

Remember the Rubix Cube? Different colours, brain twister toy, IMPOSSIBLE to solve? Now there’s a Rubik’s cube that’s computerized, just in case the original wasn’t hard enough. This new cube, called the Rubik’s TouchCube doesn’t require you to twist or rotate it. Instead, just a simple swipe of the finger will do it. There’s many different gadgets that can help you out. A hint, scramble, and solve button are all there for the user.

This cool cube will be on sale in October, so if it’s something you’re interested in, look for it at Best Buy, Amazon.com, and Hammacher.com.

For more information, click here. And good luck on solving the puzzle!!

Canada World Youth (CWY) is a Canadian non-governmental organization that uses informal education and international exchanges among youth to develop engaged citizens. Since 1971, CWY has carried out programs with more than 60 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. Their mission is to “increase the ability of people, and especially youth, to participate actively in the development of just, harmonious, and sustainable societies“.

Currently, they have three programs running. In particular, I’d like to draw some attention to the Youth Leaders in Action program.

Youth Leaders in Action is a six month long volunteer program (read: six months of adventures, excitement, and fun!) for a group of about 18 young people (ages 17 to 24); nine are from Canada and nine are from a partner country. They spend three months in a community in Canada followed by three months in a community overseas, living with host families and working together on a project. Each Canadian participant is paired up with a participant from the exchange country for the entire time. In this project, not only do you get to travel overseas, but you will discover other cultures and maybe learn another language!

The two other programs CWY is running are Global Learner and InterAction, which do not last as long as Youth Leaders in Action, but are also unique learning experiences. You can learn more about CWY on their About CWY page.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to be away from home doing volunteer work for half the year? I totally think so.

Have you heard of the marshmallow test? It may sound delicious, but it really is a test of self-control for early age children. This test was conducted around the 1960s and it is being brought to our attention in the recent years.

This test is simple; a pre-school child is being brought to a empty room a marshmallow in a plate. Then, instruction is given to the child: if you do not eat the marshmallow after a while, you will receive another one; however, if you do eat the marshmallow, then all you will get is the only one you have eaten. Then there is waiting…

Eventually, there are a group of children who tried to resist the temptation to eat the marshmallow, as a result, they receive the reward of another marshmallow (let us call these kids the alpha group); on the other hand, there are a small group of children who tried but could not succeed (beta group); finally, there is a very small group of children who would just proceed to eat without worrying about getting another one (gamma group).

So What?…

Well, years after, when most the children who participated in this little test have grown into gals and lads, the researchers then look at the lives of these people. Interestingly, they found that:

1. Alpha group scores higher on SATs than beta and gamma group.
2. Alpha group manages stress better than the others.
3. Alpha group has less chance of having behavioral problem than the others.
4. Alpha group is able to maintain friendship better than others.
5. Alpha group is able to plan ahead and more easily cope with problems.

Of course, this is just a little marshmallow test, it is truly amazing how little details like this in life can tell you about people.

So, lastly, as a reward for reading this long description and explanation of the test, here is a clip of video of the test in progress:

YouTube – kids and the marshmallow test

Well, there you have it. Isn’t it interesting how a little self-control test can tell you about a child’s future?

To learn more: The secret of self-control : The New Yorker

Try finding your way around the world! At age 13, Laura Dekker wants to embark on a solo mission to circumnavigate the globe in her 26-foot sailboat, “Guppy”. Her father supports her dream, but her mother and the Dutch courts are making an effort to postpone the trip until Laura is older. Currently, 17-year-old Mike Perham of England holds the record for the youngest solo trip around the globe, while 15 and 16-year-olds Jessica Watson and Abby Sunderland (sister of Zac Sunderland, the former record holder) are planning journeys of their own. Is 13 too young to travel the world alone? And how old is old enough? What do you think?

The Demonata is a 10 book series that follows multiple characters that are a special form of demon know as demonata. Demonatas are a type of demon that inhabit one of the millions of demon universes and can cross into our world on certain occasions.

Demonatas are hideous looking creatures with the intellect and killer instincts of a carnivore, the strength of 10 adults, and the capability of using magic. They are heartless beasts and only answers to demon masters – who have human intellect and are about 1000 time more powerful.

The series leaps through time, and follows the lives of humans with magical capabilities. It also deals with fictional organizations like the lambs (werewolf hunters) and the disciples (demon killers). But ultimately, the story revolves around a special demon master and an even more special family.

  Before you pick up a book of this series you should know that it is written by an author who believes that in life there are no happy endings, no heroes, the good guys don’t always win, and they don’t die glorious deaths. Darren Shan has no problem with allowing a major character die tragic and gruesomely.

– William

For many of us, even if we don’t want to admit it, educate is important!  We spend most of our days at school, so shouldn’t we students have a little bit of a say in what happens with our education system?  The Minister of Education thinks so!

SpeakOut! Alberta is a site dedicated to providing a space for Alberta’s students to talk about and learn about education issues/advancements being made in the province.  Have an idea?  Check out the forums.  A suggestion?  Why not respond to the Minister’s videoblog!  Wanna be in the know?  Subscribe to the Alberta Ed. blog.  There is something for every student to delve into and – hey – it’s our education! Get involved!

If you’re interested in becoming even MORE involved, check out the “Council” tab and learn about how you could get on the Minister of Education’s Youth Advisory Panel!

FreeRice is a website that is devoted to donate rice through the UN World Food Program to help end world hunger! All you have to do is go on there and answer some questions!

Questions range from English vocabulary to Math questions to identifying countries on a map. For each correct answer you give, 10 grains of rice will be donated through the UN.

It’s pretty fun and relaxed and you can improve your knowledge while helping to end world hunger! So go there now and help out for a great cause!

Passionate about human rights?  Interested in volunteering your time or learning more?  

The Race for Rights Anti Racism and Human Rights Conference is scheduled to take place on Saturday December 5th, 2009. It will be the first of its kind in Calgary. From prominent and inspiring speakers to heated debates, the Youth Conference will feature many knowledgeable people in the field of human rights as well as numerous enthusiastic youth participants.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided and door prizes are also available! If you are interested in participating, volunteering, or would just like some more information, please email the Race for Rights Steering Committee at raceforrightsconference@gmail.com

With post-secondary early acceptance just around the corner, no doubt many of us are thinking hard about what we want to do with our lives. 

We’d like to highlight some students who took the creative path with their life, like Wataru Itou.  This Tokyo art student poured over four years of hard work into the paper city you see on the left, and is well recognized as a “master of Paper Craft”. 

Closer to home, Broken City Lab is a group of art students in Windsor, Ontario, who have come together to use their talent to “educate, inspire, and facilitate a new way of viewing the potential for interacting with and in [their] city”.  This group is very similar to our own Imaginary Ordinary – a real-life social networking ‘site’ where people of all ages from around Calgary can “meet and connect with one another”, which was funded in part by The Calgary Youth Foundation (a CYFC program).

As many of us get ready to start on our path into the “real world”, keep in mind that your potential is limitless!

Looking for something to do this weekend? Come down to Mount Royal University and check out the 2009 EcoLiving Fair!

September 26 & 27, 2009
10:00 am – 4:00 pm

It’s a two day showcase of individuals and groups who have come together to share their environmentally friendly projects and ideas with us Calgarians. You can learn ways to shrink your eco footprint and check out some awesome new technologies!

The showcase will include:

• Environmentally friendly building practices
• Urban Environmental Solutions
• Alternative Energy Sources
• Energy / Water Conservation
• Energy Efficient Devices

Also, there will be man powered shuttles between the events at the EcoLiving Fair and the Calgary Farmers Market. How cool is that?

And it’s free! (Donations are appreciated). So come and see how you can make your lifestyle a little greener.

 Here’s the address:

Mount Royal University
Centre for Continuous Learning Building
4825 Mount Royal Gate SW

Check out the map to get to the Fair.