Calgary’s 20 minute makeover

On June 8, over 80 people joined Mayor Nenshi, Alderman Mar and Alderman Farrell on Stephen Avenue Mall, spending 20 minutes cleaning up Calgary’s City Centre. Decked out in bright yellow shirts, volunteers picked up cigarette butts and spruced up the streets. The idea was to encourage everyone to share the responsibility of making our…

Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse

The following post was written by a guest blogger, the Youth4Change team at Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse (CCASA). CCASA is a non-profit agency that offers education and support to sexual abuse and sexual assault survivors, their friends and families. Services we provide include: 24 hour support and information (free and confidential) Counselling to anyone…

Plague by Michael Grant

I recently read Plague, the third instalment of the Gone series, and I must say this series just keeps getting better. If you have not read the previous books in this series or my reviews of them, this review probably won’t make much sense. Basically the town is running out of water so Albert (who’s…

How to stay informed during the summer

Now, we all know the summer and the freedom from lack of school can induce laziness and make you want to never use your brain again, but education certainly does not stop after school ends. Summer is sometime politics’ busiest season, so here are some ways to stay engaged and informed with what’s going on…

How to be a youth leader

“In a box of Cheerios, be a Froot Loop!” Making a change in your community, city and world makes a huge impact on not only yourself, but the people around you. This week, I attended the Youth Alberta Community and Cooperative Association (ACCA) Co-operative Youth Leadership Program. It was a chance for people between the…

The death of quality teen TV

I may not have been a teenager (or even alive) back in the days when the old Beverly Hills 90210 and Degrassi High ruled the airwaves, but that definitely doesn’t stop me from appreciating those somewhat cheesy dramas today. As storylines become overused to the point of chiché in teen dramas (pregnancy scares, best friend betrayals, and…

Canadian Artist Spotlight: Serena Ryder

Just last year I discovered a Canadian (can I underline that word enough times?) artist who is made of pure talent and is downright incredible. This 28-year-old singer/songwriter has wowed audiences all across Canada with her songs that echo with folk, country and blues vibes and her lyrics which speak with pure honesty. Such an…

Surviving Summer School. Sigh.

^Before I start my rant, did you see the alliteration in the title? I’m so proud of myself. -Hugs myself-. Okie dokie, here we go. I signed up for summer school because I thought the experience would be comparable to summer camp. Y’know, making new friends, smiling, laughing, and having fun learning experiences. I was…