听 听 听 听 听 听 In honour of her community service, Carlyle's Shayna Nicolay was named 鈥淪askatchewan Changemaker鈥� at WE Day March 18 in Saskatoon. Nicolay also received one of the RBC Foundation's #Make150Count grants, but the 17-year-old says that performing 300 hours of volunteer work wasn't nearly as challenging as appearing on the SaskTel Centre stage in front of 15,000 of her peers in recognition of the honours.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚t was really scary,鈥� she laughs. 鈥淚 just came on stage in my regular clothes and about a half an hour before, they touched up my hair and makeup for the camera.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淏ut WE Day was also really motivating,鈥� adds Nicolay, a grade 12 student at Gordon F. Kells High School. 鈥淭hey do a really good job of pumping you up for the WE Day broadcast-especially during the commercial breaks. There was even a WE Day dance.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Saskatchewan's WE Day event was part of a larger initiative which is meant to encourage and inspire young people to make positive change-locally, nationally and globally. WE Day Charity was founded in 1995 by Canadian Craig Kielburger. Since 2007, participants have raised over $45 million which has aided over 1,000 charities.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Due to the recognition she earned, Nicolay-along with the CFY Girls Group were seated in the front row of the SaskTel Centre for WE Day and were invited to a pre-WE Day celebration the night before the main event.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淎t the 'Evening of Inspiration,' we met Miss Universe Saskatchewan, Siera Bearchell,鈥� says Nicolay. 鈥淭here were so many inpsiring people there, but she was someone we all really connected with- and we invited her to come to Carlyle to speak.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪iera talked about body image and that's something we're focusing on this year in Girls Group. Her message really resonated. Another person was the singer Tyler Shaw. He was one of the people who presented me with the award. He was nice, really humble and a great singer.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 had no idea that this would happen,鈥� says Nicolay. 鈥淔or me, this all started with Girls Group. I started in October of grade 11. I started mentoring younger girls there and it grew from that.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 In addition to acting as a voluntary mentor with the CFY's Girls Group, Nicolay was a regular assistant at Cornerstone Family and Youth's after-school art classes at the Carlyle Library and will be running her own all-day camp for elementary school kids as a special credit project.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥� Jenn and I taught art classes to between 10 to 20 kids from grades one to six at the CFY art classes,鈥� says Nicolay. 鈥淢y mom Margaret (Nicolay) has an in-home daycare, so I kind of grew up with kids in the house. Working with them was really rewarding and it was also really interesting to expose them to art and watch them grow creatively.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥� It was really cool to see them progress in different things. Not just creatively, but socially.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淲ith the camp I'll run, it will be a day-long special project that I'm doing with the high school. In the morning, they'll be about 25 younger kids and in the afternoon, 25 older kids in two separate sessions,鈥� explains Nicolay.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淲e'll focus on听 the importance of a healthy mind and body, along with with self-confidence and a healthy self-image, which is similar to some of the things I do as a mentor with Girls Group.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淩ight now, people are trying harder to find solutions to problems,鈥� says Nicolay. 鈥淧eople are starting to talk about problems more and more openly and that hopefully, will lead to solutions.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Nicolay is also chair of Gordon F. Kells High School's student leadership team and a member of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance. She is also a member of the school's Senior Drama Club and works part-time.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭hey're really rewarding responsibilites and as far as WE Day, I only knew about a week ahead,鈥� says Nicolay. 鈥� I got an email from the WE Day people that I was nominated. I texted (CFY coordinator) Jenn Sedor and she said: 'I may have nominated you.'鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 want to thank Jenn (Sedor) for all of the opportunities she gives me,鈥� says Nicolay.听 鈥淎nd my family's been so supportive throughout everything.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Sedor says Nicolay's potential as a positive changemaker was evident even before she became a Girls Group mentor.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪hayna was on the high school's student leadership team before she joined the CFY Girls Group,鈥� says Sedor. 鈥淏ut when she joined Girls Group, she just took off with it. She was always doing something extra and contributing ideas. Regarding her upcoming day camp, she even wrote and submitted the application herself.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪he's very socially-conscious for someone so young,鈥� says Sedor. 鈥淎nd the 'Saskatchewan Changemaker' award is definitely a recognition of what a special person she is, as well as how hard she's worked on behalf of others.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪he's very caring with the younger girls she mentors,鈥� continues Sedor. 鈥淵oung girls today are dealing with so many problems, pressures and stresses. Shayna realizes what a responsibility it is to be an effective mentor and she really wants to help others through those situations.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淪hayna is one of the more capable students who can give help and ask for help.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 听Sedor says: 鈥淚'm proud. Shayna is going to go forward in her life with gusto. She's someone with the ability to reach out to people, to be both compassionate and responsible.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚t's a very special person who has those characteristics at such a young age.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Nicolay-who will be studying journalism this fall at Toronto's Ryerson University- says: 鈥淚 definitely try to be a positive person and I try too look at things from the positive side. I didn't volunteer to receive an award, but being honoured like this kind of meant that people were recognizing what I was doing and that it really was making a difference.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 just want to empower youth and let them know they can make a difference.鈥澨�
听
听 听 听 听 听 听 听
