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.

Looking for adventure, or a tour you can go on with your friends or your whole family?

Check out Westcoast Connection!

There you can learn about all types of different programs and choose the one best for you and yours. You can go to places like Austrailia, Europe, and Hawaii where you can learn new languages, and experience different cultures and countries.  Meet all new people, make life long friends, or just be with family. 

So click the link above and find the perfect program for you.

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing”
~ Helen Keller

Inside all of us is… everything we’ve ever seen, everything we’ve ever done, and everyone we’ve ever loved.

In a short 26 days, Where the Wild Things Are will be released in theatres. This much-awaited movie is based on the book by Maurice Sendak, and is about a misunderstood boy named Max who escapes from the anxiety at his house to an island, where there are creatures called the Wild Things.

The Wild Things need a king to rule them, so Max steps in and his dream is fulfilled. However, being king of these creatures isn’t all Max thought it was.

Conflict arises and relationships become complicated, and Max needs to figure out what to do.

If this movie is as good as the book, then you should definitely watch it. If you want to learn more about the movie or watch the trailer, click here.

Before The Latency performed at the Warehouse as Shiloh’s opening act on Friday, September 18^th they spent a moment answering questions for Youth Are Awesome. Brandon Lehti (vocals/guitar), Ryan Stead (guitar/vocals), Mathew Gendron (bass/vocals) and Jonny Wiebe (drums/vocals) allowed us to get to know The Latency up close and musical.

Youth Are Awesome: Everyone needs to know, what is your favourite kind of ice cream?

Mathew: Chocolate chip mint.

Jonny: Peanut butter chocolate.

Ryan: I like rocky road.

Brandon: Cookies and cream.

Youth Are Awesome: Where did you first start playing when you first became The Latency?

Brandon: In a town called Maple Ride, BC, just outside of Vancouver. We started playing together in 2006. We formed from a whole bunch of other bands, and our separate bands played a show together, Ryan, Mathew and I became The Latency. I used to play drums and eventually I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore because it was a lot of work, so we brought Jonny on board and now there’s four of us.

Metromint is fresh. It is flavourful. It is pesticide-free. It is beyond amazing.

I cannot stress how mind-blowing the combination of real mint and water is. The mint is grown in Washington State’s Yakima Valley, one of the finest mint growing regions in North America. They purify their water with reverse-osmosis, leaving their water like a blank-canvas so the emphasis is on the mint taste.

There’s a flavour for everyone; from fruity to chocolate-y, from really minty to not so minty. And not only does Metromint taste great, it also looks great. The sleek design of the bottle combined with the coloured label sure catches anyone’s eye.

And yes, basically, I am in love with Metromint… Keep up with them on their Facebook Fan Page!

Terry Fox, a legend and inspiration in all of our minds. The man who ran across Canada with a prosthetic leg, but who died before he could finish his amazing undertaking.

Next week, on the 25th of September is the celebration and remembrance of Terry Fox. Although his mission was ended tragically, he still reigns victorious. Because of him, we are inspired to raise the money he did not have the chance to raise. Because of him, over $400 Million dollars has been raised worldwide for cancer research in his name.

Next week, let us all show the appreciation and the perseverance of Terry by taking part with your school in the Terry Fox run! We can win the fight against cancer!

To learn more, visit The Terry Fox Foundation.

What makes your life normal? Is it the things your teacher says in class, some funny coincidence, or something funny someone said?

My Life is Average is a spin-off of fmylife.com. It’s for all those whose lives are everyday and mundane. Everyone has sometime in their life that is inexciting, or insignificant, and My Life is Average is a way to express that.

The stories are extremely funny, and everyone can relate to most of them in some way or another. Check out this website and I promise you’ll become addicted. Have a few laughs and maybe even post a couple stories of your own!

Here’s the website: www.mylifeisaverage.com – Enjoy!

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, ColorOfChange.org has been working to strengthen the political voice of Black America. Their goal? To help make positive political and social changes for everyone, as well as to make the government more responsive to the concerns of Black Americans.

ColorOfChange.org spoke out and broke the political silence back in 2005 for the hundreds of thousands of people who were left behind to die in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

A few years ago they focused on the Jena Six story, bringing the press coverage the case needed to fight the discrimination. (Wikipedia also covers the story well.)

By using the Internet, the members of ColorOfChange.org are able to speak out in unison about racism issues that should be brought to attention. They keep their members informed about these racism issues and give them ways to act against it. They lobby elected representatives through emails, phone calls, and face to face meetings to bring these issues to their attention.

“Our members are united behind a simple, powerful pledge: we will do all we can to make sure all Americans are represented, served, and protected—regardless of race or class.“

—ColorOfChange.org

One day a student came up with the idea to have representative for the Kids Help Phone in high schools across Canada. Student Ambassadors make speeches to other groups of teens about how they can reach the Help Phone and to let teenagers know they aren’t alone.  Representatives will also help with fundraising and start up groups for their school to walk in the annual Kids Help Phone Run and Walk.

If you are interested in finding out more about this great opportunity CLICK RIGHT HERE

Do not hesitate to contact them right away because the Calgary orientation is on September 26^th.

Good luck changing the world!

Yep, you guessed it! Tibet’s Buddhist leader is coming to visit our beautiful city!

The Dalai Lama was born on July 6, 1935 in northeastern Tibet.  He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989,  he has been to more than 60 countries, and has won 84 awards and honorary doctorates to recognize the peace and love he shares with all.  One can only dream to be like him.

He will make his appearance at the Saddledome on September 30, 2009.  Many will have the chance to hear the inspiring words of the Dalai Lama, and you could be one of them. What a great experience it would be to meet a man like him, so buy your tickets before they run out of seats!!

To find out more about the Dalai Lama, and other speakers at this event, go to http://engagetoday.org/

~Evalina

For nine years the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) has been presenting films from more than over 100 countries to Calgarians of all ages. This year, the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, and as part of that, the Youth by Youth Cinema Competition (which we mentioned to you earlier in the summer) will be running for the 3rd consecutive year!

The Youth by Youth Cinema (YYC) is open to youth from grades 4 through 12 who have made a film in the past year. Prizes and awards will be given out in three categories – Best Short: High School, Best Short: Elementary/Junior High, and Young Renegade. After the films have been judges and reviewed by a panel including local experts from the film industry, the top films will be screened and the awards presented at a special event at the CIFF, hosted by Child and Youth Friendly Calgary’s very own Andrew Phung.

The CIFF will be running September 25th through October 5th, with tickets already available. There are student discounts on tickets, so there is no reason you shouldn’t make it down to the festival this year to help celebrate the best of youth filmmaking at the YYC!

-Sarah