The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
On September 8, Janell Melenchuk of Creighton will participate in an adventure that will change her life: Katimavik, Canada's leading national youth volunteer service program. For nine months, Janell will live with 10 other participants aged 17 to 21, coming from all regions of Canada, in three communities Thornbury, Ontario then in St-Charles, Québec and finally in Burnaby, British Columbia. As more and more young Canadians consider taking a constructive break before they start college or university, Katimavik represents the top gap year program in the country. Janell's Katimavik experience will be based on the concept of service learning, which incorporates personal and professional development through community volunteer work. Janell will obtain valuable experience by working as a volunteer on community projects and will receive training in five strategic areas: leadership, official languages, environment, cultural discovery, and healthy living. Katimavik community work projects can be as diverse as building hiking trails in parks, participating in public relations activities and organizing exhibitions in museums, and teaching children how to read. Émilie Hamel, a 2002-2003 participant from Matane, Québec, shares her experience: "Katimavik changed my life; in fact, it's changed it forever. I have evolved, I have gotten to know myself and I have a better idea of where I'm going in life. I can't stop telling my friends about the benefits of the program. Thanks to Katimavik, I followed my dreams and I have become the person I wanted to be." Since 1977, over 25,000 Canadians have participated in the Katimavik program. The useful skills they learn have often lead to career or educational choices they may have not thought of previously. Eighty-seven per cent of participants rating their leadership skills as "good" to "very good", compared with 44 per cent before the program. Anyone between the ages of 17 and 21 who would like to register for Katimavik program should visit www.katimavik.org.
