As a part of Youth Week Calgary 2014, I had the opportunity to go down to button making at Crowfoot Library. Having no idea what this event would be like, and seeing as how is only had a short duration of an hour (I assume due to library hours of closure), I walked in and found that the event was relatively easy to spot, as it was on a table right at the front near the entrance. When I went over to the table, I was greeted by two very nice youth volunteers helping out with the event and the organizer. The table had an assortment of old magazines and the button making machine, where they explained to me how to make one using images from a magazine.
Spending the next hour making buttons and interviewing people there as the event went by, I became aware of the fact that many of the youth I had interviewed had not heard of Youth Week prior to me asking, including the volunteers! Only about three or four of those I interviewed had heard of it. Â Those informed of Youth Week came to know it through a friend or social media such as Facebook or the Youth Central website. As Talia had already addressed in her article, the issue of whether Youth Week is getting enough exposure to the youth in Calgary is still evident. However, there are bright points in this issue. The people I had informed about Youth Week said they would definitely check out the other events that would be happening now that they were aware of it.
To me personally, Youth Week brings together youth and helps them to gain a sense of community and togetherness. Since the table for the event was right at the front, a lot of kids, and not just youth came by and made some buttons. This event at Crowfoot Library really brought all kinds of young people together, and really showed off how creative people could be with choosing what they wanted on their buttons. One of the places I enjoy more than anything in the world is a library, and just by being there I could feel the spirit of involvement of youth in our community, even if it was only for a short time. Although many were not aware of this event being a part of Youth Week, I truly believe that as Youth Week grows in the following years, more and more youth will be aware of it, and hopefully get involved.
