I will start off this blog by simply telling you about a summer enrichment program in Canada that strives to inspire the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in the next generation of high-potential youth: this program is known as Shad Valley.
Before your eyes start drifting away as you scan below at blocks and blocks of text, stop. Shad Valley is literally the best kept secret in Canada, and you could possibly be missing out on the greatest experience you can have in your entire high school career if you choose to ignore this amazing opportunity!
Shad’s mission statement states in short that they want to find the best, and make them better. To sum it up in my own words though: 52 amazing youth in high school across Canada, stuffed into the residence of a University for an entire month, with a whole lot of laughter, and tears (Tears? More like a waterfall, but just keep reading).
The most important part of that statement though, was those 51 other unique and amazing individuals who shared the Shad experience with me, because at the end of Shad, it’s about the people you meet, who all have inspired you to become a better person – just because it’s the Shad way.
Even though 8 months have passed since Shad, there still hasn’t been a day where I have not thought about it, or had it not affect my life in some way. My Shad program leader had said at the beginning that by the end of Shad, you would be, “a changed person forever,” and of course me being a skeptic, I didn’t believe him – and now I’m forced to eat my own words.
I’ve told you a lot so far, but I was never a telling sort of person, so I guess I will show you some of my own experiences that I had at Shad so you can see for yourself.
The most amazing things I did for Shad are hard to pin down, because I can say without a doubt that there was not a single day I had that I regretted (Although sleeping in a mosquito ridden tent during a camping weekend comes close ^_^;).
One of the first things I remember doing was spending Canada day in downtown Ottawa. Have you ever been in Ottawa for Canada Day? Because I don’t think I have ever seen so many people concentrated in one area in Canada, ever.
We got to see some shows that happened on parliament hill, and we watched the fireworks from the roof of a building at Carleton University. It was amazing. And don’t forget, there are 51 other amazing people to share this moment with you, an experience that I may never get to realize again.
My next memory definitely has to be dragon boat racing down the Rideau canal. I guess since Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the city has even more of an obligation to keep the aesthetics of the city at its utmost excellence, and they’ve really done quite the job with the Rideau. I still remember the warm summer day that the bus drove us to our destination, and it took the road directly adjacent to the river. I can distinctly visualize me sitting in the stuffy bus with the window open, just looking out onto the diamond speckled river as the sun’s rays trickled onto the gentle ripples, with a benevolent breeze brushing my cheeks – pure bliss. When we finally arrived we split up into teams of 13, and were given a quick training session by some professional athletes. Next thing I know, the four boats are lined up, and the race began. Now the next part I remember is kind of embarrassing, but I find myself smiling as I tell you this story. You know how in these races people usually chant “stroke, stroke, stroke,” well I got a nickname at Shad, and it was “chest hair,” so as we rowed valiantly down the river, chants of, “chest, hair, chest, hair,” were heard bellowing from a group of 52 crazy youth.
Besides having fun on Canada Day and dragon boat racing, a big part of Shad is what was known as the DE project. The task was to design a product that would be presented formally to a panel of industry executives, with a professional business plan and all the fancy stuff you could imagine. Anyway, I thought that was all interesting and everything, but the most enjoyable time I spent on the project was designing a commercial for a product, and you can view it here.
So that was just a mere snapshot of my Shad experience, I must say that my adventure would have been meaningless if I was not able to share it with the 51 amazing lifelong friends I was able to meet. The amazing network of friends I was able to gain from this program is invaluable, and timeless in worth. Why are you still reading this?! Click here and get ready for the best experience of your life!
