BY KALISHA MENDONSA
Lacombe Express
Central Alberta Youth Unlimited (CAYU) and NOVA Chemicals have teamed up again for the 2017 Leaders of Tomorrow Awards.
Nominations for youth who have shown leadership and community spirit through volunteerism are being accepted until May 25th. To nominate a deserving student, contact CAYU for the registration form.
Tania Rapske, director of operations at CAYU, said it’s exciting to be a part of the program and that it’s important to celebrate youth in the community.
“The focus of this program is to recognize young people who have made outstanding contributions to their community through volunteerism. By recognizing these exceptional students, the Leaders of Tomorrow Awards inspire other students to give up themselves to benefit the community,” she said.
The program used to be organized through Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), but is now operated by CAYU and sponsored by NOVA Chemicals.
“If people are interested in nominating somebody, they can contact us at the office and we can send them the nomination form. It’s gone out to most of the local churches, service clubs and schools.”
There are four categories for submissions: elementary, junior high, high school and post-secondary students.
The program is designed to recognize volunteerism in schools, church groups, community organizations, athletic programs and fine arts.
There are several categories to better allow for the engagement and recognition of different levels of youth in the community, and to recognize the broad range of ways they are involved in volunteering.
“We are excited to be a part of this. It’s a great way to celebrate what’s going on with our young people,” Rapske said.
“Youth contribute in a lot of different ways to our community, and I think sometimes youth get a bad reputation as being users in the community, but a lot of them are actually giving back. We want to be able to recognize them for that.”
Rapske said it’s important to recognize youth who are making a difference in the community, because it sets an example for other young people to follow.
The awards will be presented at the Youth Street Party at the YU-Turn Youth Centre on July 27th.
“It’s a special honour for a young person to be nominated to receive this award, so thank you to all those who take the time to nominate and celebrate our ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’,” Rapske added.
kmendonsa@lacombeexpress.com