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	Premier Shawn Graham presents certificates to Katelynn Foster and Paige Guptill

November 29, 2006

Two New Brunswick YAC members recognized by provincial Premier

Barb Rayner, Courier

GRAND MANAN - The community leadership of two Grand Manan high school students so impressed Premier Shawn Graham that he made a special presentation to them when he visited the island Friday.

The premier was on Grand Manan to deliver on an election promise about the island having four ferries a day year-round and while he was there he presented grade 12 student Katelynn Foster and grade 11 student Paige Guptill with certificates in recognition of their work on spearheading a Fishermen's Appreciation Day, which took place on the first day of lobster fishing season last Wednesday.

With the help of volunteers they arranged for the fishermen to have coffee and doughnuts available between 5:30 a.m.and 7 a.m. on the wharves at Ingalls Head and Seal Cove and also provided them with 600 bagged lunches.

Adult advisor Angie Russell, who teaches at the school, said the volunteers worked Tuesday night to get the lunches ready and there were signs out Wednesday proclaiming "We Love Our Fishermen".

"It was really awesome. They are in the leadership class and as part of their evaluation I asked them to do an initiative project to give back to the community."

Minister of Fisheries and MLA for Charlotte-The Isles, Rick Doucet, was on hand with the premier to present the certificates and he said he was really impressed with what the girls had done.

"I thought it was wonderful having something like this for the fishermen who are unsung heroes. For a couple of students to take the leadership role to do something like this was quite a nice gesture."

Doucet said he heard about their actions last Wednesday and after the news reached the premier's office the next thing he knew they were handing out certificates to the two girls.

"We have to take time to recognize things being done in our communities. To me, these girls did not only Grand Manan proud but their leadership has struck a chord with everyone in CharlotteCounty. "We have to stop in our tracks to recognize these young people. I was just so impressed to hear about it. The fishermen must have been pretty impressed and to me it was certainly a bright spot with all the activities that have been happening on Grand Manan. These girls deserve a lot as far as I am concerned."

Three projects led by youth on Grand Manan have been allotted a total of $5,000 in funding by the Community Foundations of Canada under their Canadian Heritage Youth-led Community Action program.

In the spring, the federal government's Department of Canadian Heritage implemented a pilot program with Community Foundations of Canada to promote youth engagement in the community.

Fundy Community Foundation's Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) was one of 13 YACs that participated in the program and they were allotted $5,000 to disburse in Charlotte County.

The program funded projects proposed by youth, selected by youth and implemented by youth. The national selection committee approved all three of Fundy Community Foundation's YAC's applications, and the Fishermen's Appreciation Day was part of one of the projects.

Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) is a growing movement to engage young people in community foundations and philanthropy. It provides opportunities for community foundations and youth to work together to gain knowledge and skills, develop leadership, promote volunteerism and philanthropy and support worthwhile youth projects at a local level.

YIP programs bring young people together as youth advisory committees (YACs) to community foundations. These committees are comprised of young people from a range of age groups and backgrounds who want to make a difference in the community. With the support of an adult advisor, they work to build endowment funds from which they make grants to youth projects in their communities.

Since youth are in the best position to understand the needs and concerns of young people and to know what programs and activities will be of interest and value, YACs advise the foundation on its youth grant making. In addition to training and experience in fund development and grant making, YAC members serve as active resources and leaders in their communities.

Community foundations are locally-run public foundations that build and manage endowment funds to support charitable activities in their area. Each community foundation is autonomous and governed by a volunteer board of local leaders.

There are more than 155 community foundations across Canada. They exist in every province and one territory and are linked and supported at the national level through Community Foundations of Canada. Together, these foundations manage more than $2.3 billion in assets and in 2005 they contributed more than $115 million to local priorities.

In the same way that a community foundation creates a fund from which investment income is generated, a YAC develops a fund from which investment income is directed to youth projects. Such funds are largely built through donations from individuals and organizations that support the concept of youth granting to youth.