Alexandra (Alex) Wadey is a grade 12 student at William Aberhart High School who was recognized by Kids up Front and Youth Central as a part of the Pay it Forward project, recognizing youth for their “pay it forward” attitude. Alex is a kind and positive volunteer, participating in Youth Week and being a member of the Mayor’s Youth Council. She is influential not only within Youth Central, but also plays her part in contributing to her school. I had the chance to meet up and chat with this wonderful young lady at the Devonian Gardens.
Q: How did you find out about Youth Central?
“I found out about Youth Central through a network of friends who were either already involved or who had mutual friends that were. [I found out through a friend of mine from junior high named Fatemeh in Grade 9], and in Grade 10 I applied so then I knew about Youth Central and I got more involved with the Mayor’s Youth Council and Youth Week. That’s how it progressed for the most part; through friends.”
Q: Is there any specific reason you chose to join the Mayor’s Youth Council and Youth Week?
“Well, Youth Week I kind of got pulled into, I didn’t know about it coming into it. Fatemeh was actually involved with it the first year I was in the Mayor’s Youth Council (Grade 10), and then they wanted another person involved with Youth Central. So, they chose me based on my interview and other conversations that I had. I didn’t really apply for it; I just got thrown into it which was a little bit of a shock.”
Q: What motivates you to participate in things such as Youth Week and MYC? Why is this important to you?
“Well, it’s fun. [Honestly, if I have a bad day] I can go into Youth Central and it’s such a positive environment. The people that are on, especially the MYC since I’ve worked with them so long, I’m really close with. It’s a really good environment to be in and to be in a group of people who want to work on the same things that you want to work on is really exciting. When you’re in the classroom there’s a lot of people that don’t want to be there so it’s not as motivating. But, it’s really motivating to be around people that want to do the same things as me.
I would love to be involved with politics, or something in that area, so already having a foot in and seeing how things work when you’re working on a committee and having that contact with the municipal government and the mayor ties into my interests a little bit more. I also love doing something where I see such a direct outcome. I see the results and I know what I’m doing; [I see that it’s significant and tangible].
There’s lots of reasons I love Youth Central and what I do, but I’d say those are the [main things].”
Q: What are you involved with at your school?
“[I’m not debating right now], but I am on debate, I’m on mock trial, and the Principal’s Advisory Council which looks to connect the staff and students and make sure Abe is a more cohesive unit. [It’s not school specific, but I’m on CSAC (Chief Superintendent Advisory Council)] and I’m the school representative for CSAC.”
Q: You mentioned that in Grade 9 you were too intimidated to sign up for anything. Looking back, would you recommend to current Grade 9 students to go for it?
“Yes… I mean, I feel like being on the other end of the process doing interviews for the MYC, sometimes Grade 9 is too young. We do tend to take people who are older so in that respect I am sort of glad that I went in Grade 10 because I feel like there’s a chance that if I had gone in Grade 9, I wouldn’t have been ready for the role. Nobody likes to get rejected, so I’m happy I went when I did but if it’s not going for something like the MYC, I would encourage people to get more involved with their school and volunteering at a younger age. [I think that it’s always good to start early and to get that foot in instead of waiting until Grade 12 like some people. I also think that it’s a good character experience, so yes. I would encourage people to get involved younger.”
Q: Do you think your experiences helped to shape the person you are now?
“Oh yeah, I mean actually making it onto the Mayor’s Youth Council was a big step. When you make it onto something like that, especially when so many people don’t out of all the people that apply, it makes you feel good about yourself. You’re a bit more confident with yourself and in your abilities, so that was good. It helped me build my confidence.
Working with people has helped me learn how to work with a number of different types of people. Instead of being able to work with people who work similarly to me, I learned to work with a variety with people which is good. It’s a good life skill to have.
[I think my experiences] caught my interest, especially meeting the mayor. It’s funny because with people like local celebrities or politicians they’re almost superficial in a sense that you see them, but they’re almost not a real person. Coming face-to-face and seeing the personal traits and the things that I admire in him as a mayor and seeing that type of person helped me want to be involved with politics a little bit more.”Thank you so much, Alex for meeting with me. I had a lovely time chatting with you!
