Guest User 2/12/20 Guest User 2/12/20

Community Highlights: BCBIGS Volunteering

Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters (BGCBigs) is a community-supported organization committed to the healthy development of children, youth, and their families by providing safe places, positive relationships, services, and opportunities to develop personal strengths and interpersonal skills that enhance their long-term success in life.

I, for one, am a huge fan of the holidays, I would celebrate them all if I had enough time. Eating all the delicious special foods, giving gifts to show our love, and most of all spending quality time with those near and dear- it really gets me. The post-holiday hangover though, that’s real too. You’ve been at your aunties house for a week and starting to get sick of each other, you can’t wait to get home to your bed and hibernate with Netflix for a little while, get back to you, count your blessings. When we pause to look around, it’s easy to see the privileges all around us.

November and December are times of giving in our culture but in January everything goes back to normal. January and February are the loneliest months of the year, with rates of suicide much higher than normal. It can feel jarring for those in less privileged situations, especially those accessing services in our community to help their families get by.

For young kids, there are many free events that parents can sign up for where their children can meet Santa and take a gift home. These are great for parents who can’t afford much for gifts, it helps keep the magic alive and love in their homes. We can’t forget about helping others just because the holidays are over. Especially during the challenging months ahead, it’s important for those of us who are able to put our hearts out and lend a helping hand.

In October I had a chance to meet with Talia from Boys and Girls Club/ Big Brothers and Big Sisters and she let me know about all the amazing ways we can help out the kids involved in their programming, so check it out!

BCGBigs Mentoring and After-School programs seek to support vulnerable children and youth challenged by the impacts of poverty.

The organization also works in partnership with other community organizations to develop and deliver programs geared to specific populations, such as the immigrant and refugee community, the Indigenous community, and other vulnerable groups (e.g. LGBTQ youth).

HOW YOU COME IN

Mentoring/Partnering

Mentoring has been shown to be an important component of wraparound community services to support a child’s success in school. Mentoring is defined by the relationship between a caring more experienced or wiser volunteer (e.g. adult or older teen) and a child or younger youth.

Through participation in educational, recreational and social activities with a volunteer mentor, a mentoring relationship provides a child with support, friendship, guidance, and a constructive role model.

BGCBIG Volunteers Change Lives.

The change is usually small at first. Summoning the courage to order their own meal at a restaurant or learning how to take deep breaths when they’re upset. But that change grows with the child. It becomes confidence and hope. It becomes improved grades in school and a high school diploma. It becomes an unwillingness to dabble in negative behavior like drugs, alcohol, and bullying. And one day, that child becomes a successful, thriving adult.

As previously mentioned, Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters (BGCBigs) is so fortunate to have the help of over 3,000 caring volunteers. Without volunteers, children and youth simply wouldn’t have the tools and support they need to become successful. For us, those tools and supports come from our mentoring and after school programs. Using those, we’re able to provide children & youth with healthy relationships and enriching experiences they need to understand their full potential and go out there and grab it. Our volunteers dedicate their time and efforts to spending time with a single child or with a group of children or volunteering with us behind the scenes.

GET INVOLVED

Are you interested in volunteering? Please go to www.bgcbigs.ca/volunteer for a full list of programs and applications.

Unable to volunteer your time on an ongoing basis? Call Volunteer Recruitment Facilitator Talia Shewchuk Magat at 780 822 2503 as she would be happy to meet with you over a cup of coffee to chat about other potential partnering opportunities.

Post submitted by TC Jordens-Harrah
TC Jordens-Harrah | YBB Ambassador: Community Inclusion
https://www.instagram.com/terrissacorrinne

YBB Connect 2/10/20 YBB Connect 2/10/20

High Level Marketing - Sarah Van Dusen

Thank you for supporting the YBB and my local business. Let me tell you a bit about me, and who I am. Receiving 2 diplomas for Business Marketing and Business Management.

Thank you for supporting the YBB and my local business. Let me tell you a bit about me, and who I am. Receiving 2 diplomas for Business Marketing and Business Management. I have every course offered on Social Media from the University of Alberta and Adobe Photoshop as well. I have been in marketing for 18 years. I have owned my own company for 3 years, with a transition last year from Sarah Van Marketing to incorporating with my partner Chris Bolseng and creating High Level Marketing. I have been consulted by the Canadian Senate on “The right to be forgotten” a Google De-indexing law in 2018. Saving the best for last – I am a Google Partner and can explain to you how the algorithm’s work and how to best optimize your Social Media, Website and Online listings for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) P.S. Please talk to me about comic books/ your favourite superhero.

Sarah Van Dusen

780.667.7035

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | EMAIL

LINK BACK TO DIRECTORY CATEGORY "SOCIAL MEDIA / BRANDING / MARKETING"

Guest User 2/10/20 Guest User 2/10/20

Growing in Tandem: Kayla Kaliszuk and Kirsten MacDonell Talk Motherhood, Business, and YEG BOSS BABES

YEGBOSSBABES hosts everything from vision board workshops to holiday mixers to seminars with award-winning women entrepreneurs—“yegsperts,” as they’re called. They also have a membership program. Perks include a space on the YBB directory page (a beautifully-designed online database of women-run businesses in Edmonton), event discounts, and professional headshots.

Not too long ago, Kirsten MacDonell was having a lunch meeting at Earl’s. She noticed her server—a woman in her early twenties—eavesdropping on her conversation, clearly interested in the words being exchanged over shared appies and salads. When Kirsten signed off on the bill, the server saw an opportunity to jump in.

“Are you from YEG BOSS BABES?,” she asked, the same way you might ask a celebrity to confirm their identity.

“I am!” replied Kirsten.

“I love what you’re doing,” the server said. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”

For Kirsten, moments like this illuminate the true value of what she and YEG BOSS BABES co-founder, Kayla Kaliszuk, are doing. “It’s like, ooh, they’re into it,” says Kirsten. “Our work makes a mark in society, and we want to continue.”

When you think of a typical “networking event,” what comes to mind? Probably a lot of suits. Probably a large, nondescript conference space or a ballroom full of business types, chatting stiffly about growth or returns or establishing a brand identity. Probably lots of greys. Lots of blacks. Lots of men.

This, at least, is the atmosphere Kirsten faced most often while working in sales for a large company.

“The networking stuff we went to was 95% men. There weren’t a lot of women attending,” she says. “And the feedback I was getting from coworkers was like, ‘I was so uncomfortable going to those events because I didn’t feel like I could relate to anybody.’”

Kirsten decided to create a space where networking wouldn’t be such an intimidating, dude-driven experience. As a “solopreneur” herself (Kirsten has her own photography business in addition to a sales job) she knew how hard it was to gather resources and grow a business without a support network. She texted a few friends, including Kayla, a fellow small business owner, and asked if they were interested in starting a wine club (a terrific way to generate interest). “We can go to each other’s houses, meet women who are doing similar things, and swap resources,” Kirsten said over the group text.

“Kirsten sent us a logo and we were like, ‘this is awesome, let’s do it!,’” says Kayla.

Fast forward a couple of years and YEG BOSS BABES—the outcome of the wine club—is now a thriving business with over 139 members and 1700 email subscribers. Their mission? To connect women entrepreneurs with the resources and community they need to grow and thrive in business.

YEGBOSSBABES_2019_Fall_Mixer___Photo_by_Nicole_Constante-51-1024x683.jpg

“I feel like more and more women are wanting the freedom to start their own business, but they don’t have friends or resources to lean on,” says Kayla.

That’s where YEG BOSS BABES (YBB) comes in. Led by Kirsten, Kayla, and additional co-founder Amy Bender, YBB hosts everything from vision board workshops to holiday mixers to seminars with award-winning women entrepreneurs—“yegsperts,” as they’re called. They also have a membership program. Perks include a space on the YBB directory page (a beautifully-designed online database of women-run businesses in Edmonton), event discounts, and professional headshots.