While many people took advantage of the Christmas season to enjoy some time off, 16-year-old Quinn Runkle spent most of it working towards a better tomorrow.
From Dec. 26 to New Year's Eve, Quinn and other socially-conscious youth were working hard as members of the 2007 B.C. Youth Parliament (BCYP) at the legislature in Victoria. Quinn said some of the topics being discussed were things like Taser use. She said BCYP concluded Taser use was acceptable "as long as the right precautions are in place." When Coast Reporter interviewed Quinn, she said they were still discussing capital punishment, but hadn't yet reached any resolutions on that issue. Another topic discussed was Camp Phoenix, a summer camp for at risk youth.
Being part of something bigger than herself is an integral part of this articulate and passionate Chatelech Secondary student. Working for positive environmental solutions is a fundamental part of her world view about what is important and valuable on a local and global level. Quinn's life view has been environmentally and socially driven since she was in Grade 4 and started volunteering at Halfmoon Bay Elementary School in the GreenStar program. From there, she said she got involved with an environmental group called EcoKids. In Grade 5, she took part in the United Nations children's conference on the environment and got involved in the Halfmoon Bay student council and student leadership.
"All these things are really what sparked my interest in volunteering, and since then, I have organized, run and attended conferences, joined other groups and had the opportunity to travel to do presentations and workshops," Quinn said.Quinn said she's become even more involved in community volunteering in high school.
She was one of the first members of Youth SCOOP (Sunshine Coast Organization of Philanthropy), the youth branch of the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation. She said directing her energy in these areas has led to some wonderful learning opportunities as well as the chance to share her skills and knowledge through conferences and workshops on provincial, national and international levels.
"I've gained so much, especially through my experiences in environmental issues. It gives me so much more of a global perspective and a connection with others that I never could have found on my own," she said.
Quinn also learned how supportive and generous the Sunshine Coast community can be when she fundraised for major projects like her 2005 trip to Antarctica where she had to come up with $10,900.
"In every different thing that I do, I realize how important community support is," she added.
Besides learning that "you can do anything you set your mind to," Quinn sees the value of youth and of youth contributions. "Youth are so much more capable than, I think, many adults give them credit for. As well, youth need to realize that there is nothing wrong with being the only young person on a committee or an organization," Quinn said. She feels a kinship with other global citizens whose common goal is environmental stewardship. "I hope in the coming years more people will look outside their own backyards and take a look at their true home, the world, and learn to become a global citizen."
One more focus for Quinn is Student Voice. The group recently started at Chatelech and runs like a student council, although members of the group are not elected.
Student Voice was established in 2007, and although relatively new, the group has put on a dance, a food drive, an assembly and various other happenings at the high school.
From her experience, Quinn said the Sunshine Coast is a community supportive of young people who are involved in community projects and volunteering.
"Often, adults make the assumption that youth aren't very capable of actually running and organizing things, but once they do, then adults become very supportive. It seems we first have to prove ourselves," she said.
Quinn said one area the adult community could be more active in is in passing on information to youth about opportunities that exist. "Youth on the Coast really have no way of finding out what they actually can become involved with," she said. "I know there are many opportunities that students pass by because they just don't know about them."
Quinn said that staff in schools and youth centres could make a big difference to youth by making information available to them.
Through BCYP and other student-driven programs Quinn is involved in, she said there are a number of grants available to youth for projects and programs. Anyone wanting to find out more about these funds or how to get involved in some of the youth programs can contact Quinn at: [email protected].
