“We are not defined by our roles in life, rather we are defined by our actions and words.” - Mike Cluett Raising funds for different charities, raising awareness for community, volunteering all takes effort, time, and dedication. But we need to remember, what we invest into community always has a ripple effect, Mike explained. Kindness and equity is the key to unlocking belonging.
- let’s talk about it. What have we accomplished over our summer months? Our HYDAC crew spoke about all their community projects, from art/music event to bring community together, volunteering at different organizations, and helping out in their communities. Lots of Ideas/opportunities for upcoming Winter season! Lastly on our list - community discussion. Last night’s concern was brought to the table by Zoe was the community pools cancelling swimming lessons and pool time because of a shortage of skilled staff and lifeguards. Mr Cluett encouraged Zoe to write a letter to the mayor and councillors addressing her concern, he encouraged her to add why the reasons why swimming is so important during the winter months and how this would affect kids, youth and adults in the community. Jeff spoke about the raising prices of Christmas trees - prices up $5-$10 this holiday season. Homicides, shootings, violence, thus world is very scary and Aiden discussed hosting another paint night for community, this time the focus would be on releasing negative emotions like hatred, anger, frustration, and jealousy, letting go of those pent up emotions would encourage acceptance and peace, Aiden explained. Paint night set on a Saturday to encourage everyone to participate, the whole family unit can throw their emotions onto the canvas!!! Happy late summer from our HYDAC - Halton Youth Advisory Council Yesterday evening at 7:00pm our council met online for their monthly meeting and it was great to see members out connecting. The meeting started with a fun meet and greet where everyone chatted and shared what they have been up-to. Then we played an icebreaker Each person had to answer these questions - favourite super hero, food, what’s your super power?? 7:20pm - The crew discussed ideas/opportunities the crew can create for all youth to participate in the fall! ‘Community for community was the driving theme of the evening and it was wonderful to be inspired by such amazing youth in our community.’ - Judith Elaine Ideas for these community events were plentiful and the ones that the council decided on were:
A note from Aiden Lee...Yesterday was the HYDAC Painting, and live music evening. I got tons of pictures that proved that you can 100% inspire others to connect to their inner artist and paint from their heart I loved working with my buddy Jeffrey Ankenmann. He played music while I painted and taught the class and you know … I think that the combo really works, it has people relaxed, happy and open to creating something beautiful. This was a HYDAC event. Halton Youth Disability Advisory Council. Our members wanted to connect community. Inspire people to love, laugh, and create. We realize that these past two years has had a harsh effect of people of all ages and abilities.
Shout out. Nibras Khan, a member of council was the moderator for the evening and he did a great job in the chat, keeping the conversation flowing. Thanks to all the members who came out in support. You rock! Will we do it again 100% yes. People loved it and the evidence is in what they created. HAPPY EARTH MONTH!“Over the past months we as a youth council have been focused on self growth, how to be changemakers in our communities, have open minds for positive Learning, and of course advocating for what we believe in. Our inner strength is reflected in our every day activities, our kindness and our compassion is in how we treat others.” - Aiden Lee Environment is important to our crew - Earth Day is everyday is our motto! Environmental work is our summer goal!! You guys know that - Trees not only cool things down (collectively, they can help decrease our city’s temperature by up to 10 degrees) but they also clean the air and give off more oxygen, among a ton of other benefits. How many trees do you think it takes to produce enough oxygen for one person? The conversation on environment was filled with action and our crews all had lots to add. Nibras brought up the importance of looking alternatives to plastic production, and when we find solutions - the importance of supporting those innovative ideas. We as a community need to be the voice of change. Aiden encouraged everyone to plant your own fruits and veggies which will benefit not only our health, but also we need to remember that such a simple act would reduce the amount of fossil fuel emissions by not having to transport the food to stores. Puneet encouraged everyone to join her in seeding, and joining the community plant exchange coming up. This will help families who cannot afford to buy different plants and also encourage people to try growing their own food. Community garden is open again on May 1st - Ms Judith asked for volunteers to help tend the garden. She hopes to see everyone come out and participate this season. Enjoy the planting, maintaining and harvesting process - Be a part of the solution. NEW member joined the team.
- Gabriel has joined. Many of the crew know Gabriel as an amazing drummer!! And also an excellent photographer. Everyone was so glad to add his voice to the council crew. Community issues and concerns is the final discussion. PROBLEM -Bus scheduled pickups and drop offs. Using public transportation is important especially in our community, especially if we are focusing on environment - but one thing that we seem to hear consistently is that bus schedules are too lengthy. Trying to get to work or around town can be difficult and delayed. Many try the bus routes but what should take (15 minutes) could sometimes take more than one hour and thus forces people to drive, using fuel and not wanting to take the bus and puts seniors in jeopardy of not being connected and being housebound. SOLUTION - crew have voted on writing letters to bring the issue into the light to the Oakville, Milton and Burlington bus transit. PROBLEM - escalating numbers for Suicide and feeling disconnected Our crews discussed the importance of being socially connected. Having positive relationships. We recognize that it’s “considered a fundamental human need,” we has human beings are social creatures and over the past two years our stress levels have elevated. One thing that the crew are worried about is the talk of unhappiness and loneliness. Did you know that there are studies that confirm that connection to others enables us to battle diseases, thrive and survive. People who take part in meaningful, productive and social activities have a strong sense of purpose and can maintain mood swings. SOLUTION - To stay connected and promote health and well-being our crew will be hosting another - community Paint night in may - this is a FREE event for all ages to encourage happiness and belonging. Community engagement. Last night after meet and greet our crews all got together to talk about the success of our painting for peace workshop that we hosted on the 14th of March. Our goal was to inspire our youth and families to embrace peace. To encourage unity, acceptance and love. Thank all council members who dedicated time and effort for this important event. It was a total success. Our special guest for the evening was Ms Karen Timm. She is an educator, a principal of a school, a creator, a speaker/ motivator, change-maker, and community leader. She is a part of The Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators (NINE)
We learned so much. From the importance of encouraging communication of all types in our world - mouth speak, use a communication board, sign language, text and much more. We also spoke of the importance of continued effort to raise awareness to support our community members.
Ms Karen also told us about the first international event that the NINE - Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators and they are hosting the 2022 Intersectional Infinity Summit. The summit offers a number of diverse international and local Autistic and otherwise Neurodivergent advocates, educators and all around excellent humans! Everyone is welcomed and invited to this free event running between March 27th - April 2nd!
Positive change begins when we take our ideas and put in the work!
“ It’s been almost two years and many of us were affected differently throughout the various stages of COVID - some struggling with isolation, social restrictions, online learning. Many of us experienced feelings of loneliness, stress and anxiety and an overall sense of uncertainty during this crucial stage of our development. Questions from each of our 9 member HYDAC panel added strength to the conversation and for those that participated last night, it was informative to listen to every person’s perspective. Refreshing to know that it was not just you who felt the way that you did. Who struggles with this pandemic. “Covid-19 has affected many families in communities globally, and it’s so uplifting to hear the power of youth as they speak with such hope and strength.” - Erica
How Long Does It Take to Make a Friend? Why do we make friends with some people and not others? Scientists studied how friendships develop. As a result, they discovered the key to how to make friends in different situations. It’s all about time. A new report published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships shows how much time people need in order to become friends. Study author Jeffrey Hall, a University of Kansas professor, surveyed 112 freshmen at the university. In addition, he asked them about people they had met since starting school two weeks before. Next, he followed up with the participants four and seven weeks later to see how their relationships had developed. As a result, he found that it takes * 50 hours of time together to move from acquaintance to casual friend * 90 hours to go from casual friend to friend * More than 200 hours before you can consider someone your close friend. -In conclusion the council came to a consensus that the longer you spend around community members, friends, dedicating time and effort into listening, participating, and sharing thoughts and feelings - the better your friendship will be. Next we had a special guest, Councillor Mike Cluett Halton Region / Town of Milton He brought light to youth and their importance in our world, saying that it is their contributions to our communities that makes a difference. It’s your drive to creating positive connection that brings about a sense of belonging - everyone has potential and deserves to belong in their community. Then he spoke about the importance of positive mental health. He reminded our youth that they matter. How they feel matters. That talking about feelings is positive and healthy. He also added that cities and towns in Halton had resources for youth. Milton and Georgetown and Oakville have a wonderful drop in youth centres as well as online opportunities. Our crew added their thoughts, spoke about the importance of coping mechanisms, resources that youth could access if needed. The importance of mental health drop in centres. They the came up with countless ways to bring that elusive (happy) into the daily schedule.
It was wonderful to see our Councillor Mike laughing and joking with the HYDAC crew, he was accepted as one of the team and by the end they asked him when he would return as he made them happy.”
For this meeting our topics included *Truth and reconciliation September 30th (orange shirt day ) *Discussion on what is impacting, youth and adults in their communities and what can we do to help? *Global pandemic as climate crisis looms on. The impact is being felt worldwide with extreme weather, floods, fires, droughts, and hurricanes etc. This is as always in the top of the list of concerns for the advisory council. Group one
Teigan - Aiden - Joshua - DJ Jay - Jeff FREE Mental wellness health centres - - prevention - treatment - rehabilitation centres Group two Sierra - Kevin - Sierra - Nibras Accessibility concerns for community in transportation - health services - all levels of education and fair employment
While major changes are only possible if countries and corporations alter their policies and actions, it’s important to remember that we as individuals can make a impact, whether through small actions, or larger initiatives.
We are responsible as people living on this planet. Together we can do tremendous things for sustainability - protecting our environment and ecosystems.HYDAC council encourages each and every person to do their part in maintaining our beautiful planet. Topics of discussion: 1. Reduce/Recycle re-use What do you do with your old textbooks and novels that are not in use? Why not donate them to juniors, or kids in your neighborhood, or send them across to countries where children have little to no access to educational resources. What about using them for art? Give them a purpose. 2. Recycle More Often Recycling is a simple, yet effective way of conserving resources and reducing your individual carbon footprint. We discussed the importance of not throwing everything in the trash, separate your plastic, paper, and metal waste, and deposit it in a recycling bin. 3. Save Resources Although we spoke about many of our planet’s resources, water was the topic. Did you know that only 0.03% of the 70% of water available to us is freshwater? That’s why, saving water is so important for freshwater ecosystems. By doing simple things like taking shorter showers, avoiding small clothes washes, and turning your taps off while brushing, you can save gallons of water! 4. Buy Sustainable Products Plastic is one of the most significant contributors to soil and marine pollution, endangering both the land and marine life. Plastic isn’t biodegradable, and is often consumed by animals who mistake it as food. Think before you buy a product, be aware of its environmental impact and that you are responsible for its disposal after use. 5. Only Buy What You Need Do you buy too many products? Can you do without some of the things that you often buy? This was a topic that had a lot of discussion. Whether its groceries, clothes, accessories or home products, by purchasing only what you need, you reduce the amount of waste generated, and thus pollution. |
HYDACRecaps of our monthly meetings at the OPL. Archives
January 2023
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