Annual Report 2012 - YMCA Calgary
Annual Report 2012 - YMCA Calgary
Annual Report 2012 - YMCA Calgary
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Discover What<br />
Inspires You and<br />
Take Action<br />
by Carolina Del Pilar<br />
Hernandez Vargas<br />
My name is Carolina Del Pilar Hernandez Vargas.<br />
I am 20 years old, and I’d like to share with you<br />
how <strong>YMCA</strong> <strong>Calgary</strong> has helped me to find the<br />
voice that I lost when I first came to Canada.<br />
I am originally from Colombia, and I have been<br />
living in Canada for just over three years. I moved<br />
to <strong>Calgary</strong> with my family, but because of language<br />
barriers and cultural differences, we found it very<br />
difficult at first.<br />
My experience of being a youth from an immigrant<br />
background in Canada has been difficult at times.<br />
When I first came to <strong>Calgary</strong> it was hard for me<br />
to communicate. I felt like a nobody in my new<br />
home and did not want to care about anything.<br />
One day I heard about a <strong>YMCA</strong> program in my<br />
school, a program called YMAP, for immigrant<br />
youth. I was so scared but the coordinator<br />
was very nice and made me feel welcome.<br />
My adjustment period wasn’t easy, but with the<br />
support of my family and the <strong>YMCA</strong> Coordinator,<br />
I was able to find my internal strength.<br />
Being involved with <strong>YMCA</strong> <strong>Calgary</strong> has given<br />
me so many opportunities. I feel proud of myself<br />
because, now, I’m the one helping young people<br />
and immigrants find their voice.<br />
I have been a Youth Ambassador for the Canadian<br />
Council for Refugees, and traveled to Montreal for<br />
a National Refugee Youth Gathering. I also helped<br />
create a workshop to help immigrants talk about<br />
their experiences in education.<br />
At <strong>YMCA</strong> <strong>Calgary</strong>, I gained confidence in myself<br />
and my abilities. I graduated from YMAP last year<br />
and have been working and volunteering with<br />
<strong>YMCA</strong> <strong>Calgary</strong> ever since.<br />
Recently, <strong>YMCA</strong> <strong>Calgary</strong> invited me to read the<br />
proclamation during the <strong>YMCA</strong> World Peace Week.<br />
I am currently working in The Kids Club Program<br />
at an elementary school and with Community<br />
Outreach. Sometime in the future, I would like<br />
to become a social worker that works with<br />
immigrants and refugees.<br />
<strong>YMCA</strong> <strong>Calgary</strong> staff helped me realize that I<br />
wasn’t isolated or lost, and inspired me to help<br />
others. I will always be glad for what the future<br />
will give me because I know it is going to be<br />
splendid, and that I will never be alone again.<br />
Now my family is bigger than ever… my family<br />
is the <strong>YMCA</strong>.<br />
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<strong>YMCA</strong> <strong>Calgary</strong><br />
9 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong>
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