Introducing this year’s Youth Ambassadors!
In August, these six young Canadians will travel to Rwanda where they will witness poverty and development firsthand. Upon returning to Canada, they will share their experiences and passion with others to raise awareness and inspire global action in their communities. We’re very excited to have these six youth join the Youth Ambassador family!
Click here to learn more about the YA program and to see photos and videos from last year’s experience in Rwanda.
Simone Kitchen
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
“I have a good education, nutrition, adequate food, water, and a safe place to live and I would like to see that everyone in the world could have the same opportunities.”
Simone works hard to fight poverty, both around the world and close to home. A recent trip to the Dominican Republic has opened her eyes to the disparity between the rich and the poor. She regularly contributes to her community’s food bank and soup kitchen and actively supports development projects abroad. Simone also recognizes the importance of lifestyle choices in building a better world. She embraces the “live simply so others may simply live” philosophy and recently took on a national challenge to reduce personal energy consumption.
Mohamed Rahall
Edmonton, Alberta
“I want to empower the youth and even the adults to do something… If we all worked together we can make a difference.”
Mohammed is very active in his school and community and is using his talents as a budding filmmaker to make a difference. As a passionate advocate for global change, Mohammed has organized events for the World Vision 30 Hour Famine and World AIDS Day. The recent crisis in Syria inspired Mohammed to organize a freeze flash mob at his school. The event was a great success, raising over $1000 and included sending a letter to the Canadian government, urging them to take action. Check out his video!
Alana Robert
Winnipeg, Manitoba
“After learning about these issues, I instantly knew that I wanted, and needed to commit my life to positively changing the lives of others.”
Alana has volunteered hundreds of hours of her time with numerous organizations in her community. She is also an active member of her school’s Debate Team where you’ll find her arguing and proposing solutions for many global issues. Alana helped found and initiate the Jams4Justice Project, a provincial-wide campaign that educates about human trafficking. The project encourages youth to write songs about human trafficking. The songs are then used at national and international conferences.
Sawyer Bullock
Wasaga Beach, Ontario
“I want to use my time and efforts to invest in something eternally valuable, not momentarily satisfying.”
Activist. Volunteer. Award-winning professional illusionist. Sawyer keeps himself busy in a lot of different ways! As a member of various groups like the Students for Social Change Team and the Student Leadership Team at his church, Sawyer has been a driving force behind many fundraisers and campaigns in his school and community. His volunteer work has taken him to the Dominican Republic, where he worked with Haitian refugees, and closer to home as a volunteer working with children from poor homes in the Jane and Finch area in Toronto.
Kim Mathieu
St-Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec
“I want to come back ready to break the barriers that separate Canadians form Africans, and to show that as one, there is nothing youth can’t accomplish.”
Let’s countdown from six, shall we? Six 30 Hour Famine events. Five years being a part of the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life. Four school-organized leadership camps. Three Canadian youth conferences and events. Two (thousand!) youth spoken to during a National We Day event. And one fired up Youth Ambassador making a big difference. Kim is also an award-winning public speaker, winning first place this year with a speech about youth empowerment, global unity and taking action.
Karley Hewitt
Truro, Nova Scotia
“My belief is that no matter how big the issue is at hand, one person CAN make a difference.”
Karley’s ultimate dream would be a job with the United Nations. And by the sounds of things, she seems to be well on her way to achieving that goal! This year Karley led the 30 Hour Famine in her school, raising money for education in North Sudan. She’s also been actively involved in other groups including Student Council (co-heading the Spirit Committee), Girls Leadership (speaking at junior high schools to promote self-esteem and healthy body images) and Active Youth (organizing fundraisers in her school and community). In September, Karley will begin University, studying political science and international relations as she continues to pursue her dream.
Mumtahin Monzoor
Brand Ambassador, Edmonton Alberta
“I want to give people their hope, and to understand that even if it seems like the world has turned its back on them, we will be there as a voice and make a change.”
Mumtahin is very passionate about getting people involved in global issues. She worked tirelessly in bringing the 30 Hour Famine event to her school, and raised over $2,000 for BE Water. She hosted an awareness water walk that was captured by CTV, is part of the Edmonton Connect Youth Club, and took part in a student leadership forum in Ottawa called “Encounters with Canada”. She likes to stay connected in her community and is a trained counselor for teens. She does this through her involvement with the Community Helpers program which explores and understands psychological issues related to teenagers.
Click here to learn more about the World Vision Youth Ambassador program.
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- Doug says
Great to meet you all! Wow, just form these bios and knowing what is awaiting you in Rwanda, you guys are really going to have a great time on the trip and an amazing year. I work with Jon and the youth team and looking foward to meeting this group soon!
