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YW2010: What’s Up for Thursday

kaitlin
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We’re halfway done Youth Week, and we let you in on what’s happening today, but there’s still tons of events to hit up during the rest of the week (don’t event get me started on the weekend…awesome!).  Here’s what’s going on on April 29th:

The youth at National Philanthropy Day are spending the day getting inspired on how they can make change and practice philanthropy in our awesome city!

Feeling artsy? Come paint Pottery @ the Chill Zone – let your creativity run free, and have snacks and meet new people while you’re at it!

Did you know by donating one pint of blood, you can save three lives?  Thursday marks the start of Young Bloods Week…so if you’re 17, head over to Canadian Blood Services and donate!  You’ll get cool snacks and a chance to win some prizes while you’re there!

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Want to celebrate the cultural diversity in our city?  Head over to the Multicultural Fair at Sir John A. MacDonald Jr. High!

The Calgary Public Library is also getting in on the Youth Week action – If you head over to the Shawnessy branch, you can join in Game On! and enjoy a full night of video games…If you head over to the Village Square branch, you can share your talents, or chill and watch other youth perform at the Teen Open Mic Night!

Finally, if you’re into deep discussions about how we can make the world a better and more peaceful place, check out the Global Peace Cafe at the Crowfoot YMCA

Want more details on an event listed above?  Check out the Youth Week Events page.

A Lil’ Something Something

alice
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Do you like surprises, random objects or presents? If a flying alarm clock or a portable ping pong set is something you would like then the somethingstore might be just for you!

Got a calvin klein tie, pretty cool gold color, to give to my muse at christmas..also a sort of funky purse.. not my style but unlike any ive seen so kudos for originality–Gwen

How this work is you order something and a random something will be sent to you. Each something is $10 USD (approximately $14.75 CDN) and a week or two after your package will arrive. The object sent out is guaranteed to be valued over $10. I personally think this a fun way to do gift exchanges without the stress or spoil the surprise.

My experience was great! The process is easy, and the anticipation is thrilling. The gift I recieved was very cool, and the value of the item was not a concern at all. –Ashely

Some of the neat quirky things people have received is: a USB Rocket Launcher, roll up piano, ipod shuffle, RC Ford Mustang and Fossil Watches.

As of right now, the website does not take in consideration to gender or age. This has its pros and cons, but that makes it more mysterious plus you could always pass it along and give it to someone else. I recently just ordered something and I am really excited! I will give an update as soon as I have received it! 😀

One Nation Poem

kaiz
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Hey, here’s another poem from my sweet rapper friend Alex Dias. I hope you guys enjoy it. To find out more about the different religions around the world, click here.

One Nation
By: Alex Dias

We fight Muslims, call ’em terrorists,
For no reason, like the Communists,
Today continues on the senseless fight,
Much like the apartheid, black and white.

They went in looking for WMDs,
All they had was cheap IEDs,
In response to an invasion,
Against conquerors, a revolution.

We label them extremists,
While we are supposed “pacifists”
Curse their view of heaven,
Blame on them, nine-eleven.

Yet, our religions are the same,
We share the idea of Abraham,
Adam, Eve, as well as Jesus,
We all wait for God to save us.

We share Judgement Day,
Fight regardless, come what may,
We all love our family,
Lay down our lives thoughtlessly.

Millions die each day, in a war,
Suicide bombings, bombings of cars,
All done to love and protect,
So why do we create sects?

If someone invaded your country,
Would you fight back? Mutiny?
So, why do we still battle?
Let us live in peace and settle.

Youth Week April 28th

YouthWeek
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Hey All!

Youth week is in full swing! The agenda for April 28th starts of with the exciting Media release of the Youth Vital Signs survey! For those of you who’ve been following cyfc for a while, you’d know that a few months back we, in partnership with the Calgary Foundation, hosted a Youth Vital signs survey which allows youth like you to grade the city of Calgary in 12 areas. This gave youth the opportunity to voice their concerns about waiting for hours in the cold blizzarding snow for the bus to come during those dark winter months, the recreation and art facilities that the city offered and it even allowed youth comment on the cultural identities and communities in Calgary. And now that we have all the stats in, its time to release the results to the public! So come join us at 10:00 am today at Crescent Heights High School (1019 1st S.W.) for some fun and chill out with the media!

But if a survey is not enough for you to voice your ideas and express your creative mind, then come on down to the Youth Slam open mic! It’s happening as part of the Calgary International Spoken Word Competition and youth are welcomed to compete for a spot on the main stage on at LiveStyle . The event starts at 7:00 pm at EPCOR center and tickets are $5.00 each. So come on down and unleash those words!

Youth Week Events for Wednesday

admin
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Black Violin

admin
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CALGARY INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENʼS FESTIVAL PRESENTS – BLACK VIOLIN

Every so often Calgary is visited by amazing musical acts.  I’d like to take the time to tell you about Black Violin.  Check out the press release from the organizers of the Calgary International Children’s Festival:

Young men who mix the brashness and beats of urban hip-hop with the soaring lines and fleet finger work of orchestral virtuosos. — New York Times

Calgary, AB – P. Diddy, Alicia Keys, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Aretha Franklin and the Eagles  are just a few of the artists that Black Violin (USA) have shared the bill with and now the duo is  coming to Calgary. On May 28 & 29 the ingenious duo of Black Violin will present their inspired fusion of classical and hip-hop as part of the line-up of the 2010 Calgary International Childrenʼs Festival, presented by Qualico Communities.

With their neo-classical and urban style of violin mixtures, vocals and funk, Black Violin presents music that crosses age, cultural and musical boundaries – and with it an incredible opportunity to inspire young people. Kev Marcus, and Wil B, both classically trained musicians and graduates of Dillard Performing Arts High School, used their musical talents to earn full scholarships to college.  Now, they want to make sure that young people get the same exposure to the arts, and therefore the same opportunity that they did. They have been given an Award by the Brooklyn Center for Performing Arts for their Outstanding Contributions to Middle & High School Performing Arts Students.

Black Violin began gaining notoriety when they were awarded “Showtime at the Apollo Legends” in 2004. They have performed at the 2004 Billboards Awards with Alicia Keys, toured internationally with Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, performed at the NFL Kick off party with Sean “Diddy” Combs, and has shared stages with hit artists who include: Stevie Nicks, The Eagles, Nas, Kayne West, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne, Linkin Park, Aerosmith, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Fabolous, Ciara, Tony Touch, Iconz, Wreckonize and Ludacris. Also they have performed on various albums for artist such as Brooke Hogan, Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, Lil Kim, Bone Crusher, Bad New Brown, and Jean a Latin musician on the Sony International Label.

Black Violin will perform at the Calgary International Childrenʼs Festival, presented by Qualico Communities, Friday, May 28 @ 10am and Saturday, May 29 @ 7:30pm in the Jack Singer Concert Hall of the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $12.50 for the Friday performance and $15 for the Saturday performance. For tickets and information visit calgarychildfest.org or call 403-294-9494.

Another Poetry Moment: The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

zeeyaan
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Here is another great Robert Frost poem for you to enjoy. Read the poem below:

The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

What do you think of this poem? Do you like it?

YW2010: Events to Watch for on Tuesday

kaitlin
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By now, hopefully you’ve heard about Youth Week – this awesome week (happening right now!) made just for young people in Calgary!

We’ll be keeping you posted about what to look forward to each day of Youth Week here on YAA…

On Tuesday, April 27th…here’s what’s coming up:

Finding it hard to keep up with school, work and your social life??  Well then,  stop by Up in the Air!, Starting at 5pm, this awesome workshop will help you learn to juggle (literally and figuratively), so that you can balance all the areas of your life. 

Are you a basketball pro?  Got skills that could rival the Harlem Globetrotters?  Hit up the Basketball Skills Competition happening at Westside Rec and show off your b-ball talents!  It’s starting at 6:30pm…

Ready for more?  Check out the full list of EVENTS on our Youth Week page!

So You Think You Can Dance… For a Really Long Time

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A Message from the Organizers of So You Think You Can Dance…For a Long Time:

Challenge your friends and raise money for charity in the ultimate dance competition…

We invite all Calgary and area youth or the young at heart to register to become a competitor for So You Think You Can Dance For A Really Long Time, a dance-a-thon fundraiser in support of The Mustard Seed.

Collect pledges from your family and friends (minimum total of $20 in pledges to participate), and then join us at Eau Claire Market Centre Court on Saturday, May 15, 2010 from 11:00am until 6:00pm.

Come prepared to dance the day away with your friends to great music from our Vibe Dance Party DJ while you enjoy cool entertainment. Dress to impress, show off your moves and a positive attitude, or raise the most pledges for a chance to win fantastic prizes! All contestants will receive a free lunch courtesy of Subway and Coke and snacks courtesy of Old Dutch, Hershey and Lassonde!

For more information and to register visit http://www.theseed.ca/dance. If you have any questions send an email to dance@theseed.ca or find So You Think You Can Dance For A Really Long Time on Facebook! There are a limited number of spots available, so register soon!

Presented by Mac’s Convenience Stores (downtown Calgary locations).  Thanks to our other event sponsors and promotional supporters: Vibe 98.5 and Co-operators Insurance.

Something to Consider: Cell Phones

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

william
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Last week I reviewed a novel called “I am the messenger” by Markus Zusak. I decided that since that book was so awesome, I would read and review another one of his novels. So this week I’m reviewing “the book thief” by Markus Zusak.

This novel is narrated by “death”, I found that quite interesting. Death is represented as a conscious being, with emotions and morals. In this novel death is not evil but wise and fair. It is very strange to have a narrator that is all knowing and constantly jumps through time, a narrator who knows the ending before the story begins, but I found it quite enjoyable.

Despite the narrator being death the protagonist of this story is a 9 year old girl named Liesel. She is a poor girl growing up with her foster parents in Nazi Germany, this is a story of her growing up and discovery the different aspects of life and books-something she can not resist.

This novel reminded me of “to kill a mockingbird” with the way society is explored though the perspective of maturing children. This story is moving and beautifully written.

One of my favorite things about this novel was how death believed that humans are evil but at the same time capable of great beauty. I would recommend this to anyone 14+ and enjoys reading; I give this novel a 5/5.

YW2010: Hoops Extreme

YouthWeek
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Hey all you basketball lovers! I just came back from Hoops Extreme! (a Youth Week event we told you about yesterday) and I have to say….it was AWESOME. Even though the weather was freezing outside, the competition in the building was steaming hot.

Surprisingly, lots of youth showed up to compete in this 3 on 3 competition and show off their skills. There were people from all different age groups. I was even surprised to see grade 6 kids who entered their team in this competition. It just goes to show that skills knows no age.

Along with the competition, there were also contests. There were 3 pointer shots contests, half court shots contests, and I even saw a couple of guys dunking!!!! The YMCA did a great job in providing many volunteers!  I had a chance to mingle with some of the players and hand out a bunch of Youth Week stickers. A lot of them said that they were gonna’ check out the website. Many of them hadn’t heard of Youth Week so they were pretty excited to hear all the events coming up.  Meng, my fellow Youth Week planning committee member, did a great job of telling people of all the upcoming events and we handed out two VIP passes to another Youth Week event – “One Night Only at the Creative Kids Museum” coming up at the Telus World of Science (I recommend checking it out, I hear it’s really cool).

To end off this awesome day, YMCA handed out a bunch of gift bags to the kids. Inside the bags there were basketballs (which you had to pump), huge bags of candies, and water bottles. Some people even got really cool sports bags.  Everyone who attended (including us) got a free YMCA Hoops Extreme t-shirt.  I also went to the kick off on Friday April 23rd and there was a motivational speaker and the kids got pizza!! There was registration, some competition and practice. If you missed out this event, I’m sorry to say..but you missed out on a great day. Check the blog in a couple of day for some pictures, and for updates on more Youth Week events. PCEEEEEEEE EZY.

YW2010: Kicking Off the Week!

kaitlin
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It’s official:  Youth Week Calgary officially begins today and runs until May 2nd!

There’s tons of really cool events happening for all you awesome youth out there, and today we are kicking things off with four new events:

The Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) in Calgary is kicking off Youth Week by celebrating Global Youth Service Day – a day that encourages youth all over the world to give back to their community through volunteering.  Today, the YVC is working on their ReGeneration Project – they’re planting a beautiful community garden for a youth transitional home in Calgary.

Into basketball? We let you in on a really cool tournament happening this weekend at the YMCA @ Bishop McNally High School…Hoops Extreme! is your chance to enjoy some b-ball this weekend!  Whether you already signed up yourself and two friends to play in this 3 on 3 basketball tournament, or you’re just interested in popping by to sit in the stands and soak in all the action, it’s going to be a great day!

Hey all you film-lovers out there!  The Cochrane Youth Association is celebrating Youth Week by holding their annual Film and Art Festival tonight at the Cochrane Ranchehouse Theatre.  Filmmakers from Cochrane, Calgary and the surrounding area were encouraged to submit short films to be judged, with the results revealed tonight!  Plus, there’s going to be youth entertainers performing all night!

Whether you’re a huge comic book fan, or just want to take in all the celebs that will be there, the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo is happening this weekend.  There’s something for everyone at the BMO Centre both today and tomorrow, whether you’re interested in seeing Leonard Nimoy (a.k.a. the original SPOCK!) or are a Twi-hard (there will be THREE Twilight stars present this weekend), or want to meet some of your favourite sci-fi/comic book writers and illustrators – it’s an event no to be missed!

For more details on all of these events, check out Youth Week’s Events listing page – start planning your week now!

National Volunteer Week: Where You Can Go to Make a Difference this Summer

kaitlin
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It’s officially the last day of National Volunteer Week 2010 in Canada.

In honour of this awesome week that encourages everyone to not only to volunteer, but to show appreciation to volunteers in their own community, we’re bringing you a really cool opportunity that may make your summer a whole lot more fun…and a whole lot more international.

Ever wanted to do something good for other people while learning about a new culture and travelling abroad?  The Global Volunteer Network (GVN), which provides cool volunteering opportunities in 21 countries all over the world, has created a special project just for youth that are 15 – 17 years old.   The Vietnam Youth Tour will take you to Tam Ky, Vietnam for a 10 day trip (from July 25th – August 7th) where you will get the opportunity to care for the children and babies who live in the orphanages that GVN works in, with the help and supervision of GVN staff.  Plus, you’ll get to do arts and crafts with these children, and could even help teach them English, work on school restoration projects, and learn about the Vietnamese culture in depth.

All of this and you’ll get a great opportunity for personal growth and to meet tons of of new people from all over the world…so what are you waiting for??  The program was created by Erin Courtenay, a former GVN volunteer, and you can contact her for more info (erin.gvn@volunteer.org.nz) or click here to sign up!

Pearson Art IB show

lisa aka "Mangomaru"
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Last Tuesday and Thrusday of last week, there was a spectacular show of art work presented by the grade 12 art IB students. Being good friends with many of the artists, I attended both art shows to show my support; besides, I was also curious as to the art pieces my talented friends had created. Conforming a regular classroom into a makeshift art gallery, splendid and breath taking art greeted my eyes as I first walked into the room. Cakes and drinks were served at a table upfront, and wide corridors and carefully arranged art displays allowed many students, parents, and teachers to view different sections of the art show. All the artists claimed different portions of the room to display their art, and were fortunately present beside their art pieces, happily answering questions and explaining their mental processes throughout the creation of the art pieces. These art students are not your average passive painter, or run of the mill sketcher; these art IB students are dilligent, hardworking, and extremely gifted artists that are expected to spend hours after school, at lunch, in the mornings, to create their amazing studio art work, all planned and recorded in their art journals. These art journals are required to be filled with the artist’s perspective’s of works by other artists, plus anaylze and plan their own art pieces, explaining concepts such as the use of images, symbols and themes present in their artwork. At the end of their year, an assesor comes and examines their artwork, grading on not how well an artpiece is done per say, but also how effective the art conveys a theme or a story, and the mental aspects of what went on inside the artist’s head. Life sure isn’t easy for an art IB student, but it definitely is rewarding.

I was simply astounded at such beautiful art pieces, conveying a lot of emotions, symbolism and detail.

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