A day that inspires and influences youth across North America, "WE Day", found its way to Lac La Biche County, when the event was celebrated at the Aurora Middle School last Tuesday.
The main topic of the event was "mental health" and issues related to it. Numerous guest speakers from the worlds of art, music, business and sports were invited to the event, each of whom conveyed their message in their own style. For some, it was their childhood memories or life experiences that triggered the sense of responsibility towards the importance and impact of the issue, for others it was people that they work with or interact with on a daily basis that inspired them to spread the awareness.
The full day event went on from 9:30 am to 2:30 in the afternoon. The event started off with an opening speech by school principal, Rob Wicker welcoming all attendees and provided the audience with a general agenda for the day. Later on while speaking with the POST, principal Wicker highlights how essential the event is and how it helps address the issue of mental health, a now-known issue across the globe.
"It's important to inspire kids and this is a day of inspiration. We hope all of our kids will reflect on the positive messages they have heard, the opportunities they have and the influence they have on the people around them and beyond them in the greater world," said Wicker.
Apart from all the influential speakers, one of the highlights of the event was music, played by a local Lac La Biche band, called "Last Minute". They performed covers of popular songs that got the students up from their seats and dancing , to create a connective and energetic vibe in the hall.
Motivation
There were more than a dozen guest speakers at the event, some local and some invited in from Edmonton, all from different walks of life, sharing their stories of what inspired them. Through their stories, the speakers conveyed a common message and that was to address and tackle the rising issue of mental health in Canadian youth.
Ken Zachkewich, a local chiropractor, shared the importance of adaptability of the human brain with some inspirational quotes.
"Don't be afraid to pick up new challenges. practice makes one perfect and you can always learn new and better habits" conveyed Zachkewich to the youth.
'Control my anxiety'
Amber Skyrpan, a Paralympian from the region, born without a femur bone, who has represented Canada as a sitting-volleyball athlete on the global stage — including the Rio Paralympics in 2016 and the Parapan American Games in 2015 — also impressed the students with her courage and positive outlook regarding her struggles in early years and how she overcame them.
"I learned to control my anxiety, instead of anxiety controlling my life. When I first started, my body hurt, but I struggled because of my love for the sport and finally ended up on national TV representing Canada. I felt like a celebrity"
Curtis Lachowich, also a Lac La Biche local and a 23-year-old entrepreneur, who now works as a senior director with the World Financial Group, demonstrated how age doesn't really matter to do great things. He was very interactive with the kids throughout his presentation.
"You need to get over the things that are stopping you. Don't be afraid of anything. If you face that fear, you can uncover your greatest strengths."
Every speaker had something impactful to share , whether it was Edmonton-based poet Nisha Patel with her meaningful poetry, comedian Jesse Lipscombe with his #makeitawkward movement to combat racism or Lorna Dancey with her inspirational photography. The Aurora Middle School students seemed to have learned a lot that day and were happy that WE Day came to the Lac La Biche County. While speaking with the POST, Faith Labelle, an eighth grader at the school, said it was good to have the event locally.
"I am glad that WE Day has come to Lac La Biche ... The issues talked about are things we see and experience everyday. I think it's a great idea just to let people know that there are things we can do about it."
Ainsley Kruk, who also studies in eighth grade at the school, further added, "It's a great experience and a really good idea to help spread the awareness about mental health, because, the greatest misunderstanding is not knowing."
Principal Wicker along with Walaid Zahra, a teacher at the school and one of the main organizers for the local event concluded the afternoon by collectively thanking everyone who made WE Day in the Lac La Biche County possible. Zahra also called the students to action by quoting Gandhi's famous saying,
"Be the change you want to see in the world".
