Gala Milne

What YAC were you involved with and for what period of time were you a member?

I was a part of the Victoria Foundation’s first handful of YAC initiatives. Our group was based out of Belmont High School and we were called the Belmont Community Connection I believe. I was only with them for one year.

How old were you then and how old are you now?

That was in grade 12 when I was 17. I am 19 now.

What is your favourite YAC memory?

Most definitely travelling to Quebec for the national conference in 2004. Got to meet lots of kids from across Canada and learn a bit more about this philanthropy thing. It was good to put it into perspective and be able to see how many people are affected by it across the country.

What was your favourite grant?

The Wild ARC (Animal Rehabilitation Centre) was probably the most rewarding place to give to. We got a full tour of the facilities and saw a bunch of cutie petutie animals - the baby racoons were the sweetest by far. We didn’t help out any animals specifically that year, but we put money towards a weigh scale. They also told us about opportunities for hands-on experience which was hard to refuse.

What are you doing now?

I go to Simon Fraser University and am taking a communications degree. I took a year off after school to figure out what I wanted to do and also do some acting. This summer I will be travelling to Australia to pick berries and work on a ski hill!

How has your involvement in youth philanthropy influenced your life today?

This cause has opened up my mind to all the possibilities available to people and youth to get involved and volunteer. It also really enhanced my leadership capacities and ability to talk formally to organizations about anything.

What do you think of the YIP Canada website? Any suggestions?

It looks pretty cool! I didn’t even know it existed until I tried to get in touch with the Foundation again. So it was a nice surprise see that our work has been recorded and appreciated.

What else would you like to tell people who are reading this?

Think globally, act locally.

March 2006