Chris Stedile
Rossland News
The first week of May in Canada has been dedicated to youth for quite some time, and with it’s second annual Youth Week, Rossland is looking to showcase the great talent within the younger generations.
From May 1 - 7 the city of Rossland will be host to a myriad of activities put on by and for kids and young adults. Opening night begins with RED Talks — a play on the famous TED Talks, which focus on spreading unique and profound ideas to encourage active thinking — operating around the theme of ‘All or Nothing’.
Coordinator for the Rossland Youth Action Network (YAN), Mike Kent, said, “They left it open to interpretation by the individual,” and he is eager to see what subjects come out of such a broad topic.
Youth Week is made possible by hard working community members, the Youth Action Network and generous grant funding from the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT).
“We got a grant from CBT last year, and because the Youth Week was so successful we applied again this fall to get a grant for this year,” Kent added.
The grant was for $15,000 and not only helped fund this Youth Week, but assisted in funding projects held at the Youth Action Network over the year. These workshops and events are used as a fun and clever way to prepare kids for future Youth Week activities and have them feel comfortable enough to participate themselves.
In addition to the RED Talks, much more is underway for the opening of May.
Free mountain bike shuttle service, an art gala at the YAN space, skate jam at the Rossland curling rink and a youth variety show are all coming up shortly.
Kent said, at last year’s variety show, at least 200 people showed up and the performers were great.
Adding to the already lengthy list of things to do and see during Youth Week is the U-19 Film Festival. Presented by the Rossland Council for Arts and Culture (RCAC), this is the largest youth film fest in the Kootenays. Doors open at the Miners Hall at 5:30 p.m..
The young, aspiring film makers will be entering work in six categories: non-fiction/documentary, comedy, snow sports, quick and dirty, sports/adventure, and drama for a chance to win cash prizes and the Olaus statues.
“Last year was a great event and I expect this year to be as well,” Kent added, “There’s so many talented youth in this community. At last year’s film festival, four out of the six awards went to Rossland youth, and the quality of the work that was submitted was incredible.”
He continued, “I think this is a great way for the citizens of Rossland to acknowledge how much our young people do for this community. It’s a very important thing for the youth to know they’re appreciated by the community and they’re a valued aspect of what makes Rossland so great.”
Anyone seeking further information should head over to the YAN web-page, RosslandYAN.ca.