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

Have you ever lost a camera before? A memory card? A photograph?

Well, don’t lose faith. There actually ARE nice people out there who wish to return them to their rightful owners!

Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures is a blog that updates every Thursday, posting photos from the cameras or memory cards that people have found all over the world. If you’ve lost your camera, keep your eye on the site. You just might spot a photo that you took! Then all you have to do is contact them about it and shortly afterward, you’ll get your camera (or memory card) back. Or maybe a friend of yours lost their camera and you happen to recognize the people in the photograph – you can even help your friend get their camera back too.

On the other hand, maybe you’ve found one of these lost items. Don’t hesitate; email them four pictures from your found camera or memory card and tell them all you can about where, when, and how you found it. They welcome you to share your own thoughts about the found camera or the photos you chose to send in.

If you’re really keen on this idea, you can even keep up with them on their own Facebook Group.

But all in all, this is a neat idea, no?

–Eva–

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. Over the years, UNICEF has evolved from an organization that rescue children in danger to an organization that empowers the voice of youth.

Under UNICEF starting 2005, an annual event called Junior 8 Summit is being held around the world, giving a chance for young people to debate issues discussed by the G8 and make recommendations to the G8 leade.

The past Junior 8 Summits had been held at many countries such as United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan and Italy.

The beauty of Junior 8 Summit (J8) is that every youth has the chance to participate, all you have to do is gather your classmates to think through your ideas about issues the G8 will be discussing and submit those ideas to J8 via their websites: http://www.unicef.org/voy/ and http://www.j8summit.com/.

Here is a short clip introducing the J8 Summit this year at Italy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBH6smFYzhI

Finally, here is a link that will give you even more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNICEF

– Bo

September is nearly upon us, and with only a few weeks left until you’re back chatting in the halls and studying for math tests! Naturally, it’s time to start keeping an eye out for the back-to-school/university trends. If you’re tightening the belt a little this year, that’s okay, because there is a super-cool site (youth run, of course!) that can help you save a little dough and even become more eco-friendly!

Enter Threadbangers.com! It’s a huge site dedicated to Do-It-Yourself projects –everything from home decor, to jewellery, to clothing, to stationary and eco-home projects. There are extensive forums and tutorials, as well as weekly videos featuring a fellow DIY-er and their signature project.

Rabid blogger? Don’t worry, they have one of those too!

Love video tutorials? They have a extensive YouTube channel.

Take a few moments to try out some projects, customize some recyclable notebooks, be a little more eco-friendly, and save some money this school year!

-Sheena

This year’s Reggae Fest is on Saturday, August 15th!  There is a popular belief that Reggae Fest is only for people who love reggae – that is not true. Reggae Fest is a day when people can come together and listen to live reggae music, while experiencing Rasta food and culture for themselves.

Reggae music is peaceful, happy, and a lot of fun. It may take a bit of getting use to, but can turn out to be quite enjoyable.

Reggae Fest is located at Shaw millennium park (1220 – 9 ave SW) and I thing that everyone should go there and enjoy the show.

-william-

 Each year, the Marda Loop community celebrates an annual event known as the Marda Gras festival!  This year the festival was on August 9th. The festival is composed of a street market, bands + live music, a children’s area and a huge amount of people.

I was there as a YVC volunteer and I must say that it was – though tiring – a very rewarding opportunity.  I urge who ever is reading this to sign up for it next year!

-william-