Katimavik

Canada's Youth Volunteer Service Program.

For more information on Katimavik please visit their website: http://www.katimavik.org/

KATIMAVIK has been in operation since 1977.  The program allows non-profit and charitable organizations to become community partners and provides beneficial work experience to young people ages 17 to 21.  The participants learn skills by volunteering 35 hours a week to help organizations, such as SAD, to complete community and fund-raising projects and to help, in SAD's case, with the general running of the shelter and the care of the animals.

Since its inception more than 25,000 Katimavik participants have accomplished millions of hours of labor for the benefit of over 2,000 Canadian communities, a contribution valued at approximately $100 million.

SAD has had the good fortune to have had 8 young people over the last year.

The first three people were Niki Mistry, Devon Smith and Maryse Michaud.

Niki is 18 years old and graduated from Kings Christian Collegiate.  He was born in London, England and came to Canada in 2002 and now lives in Oakville, Ontario.  Niki has one younger brother and the family companion is a little Yorkie.  He says his hobbies are soccer, basketball and apparently he has been playing golf since he was 3 - another Tiger Woods perhaps??

Devon is 19 years old having graduated from Seaton Secondary School in B.C.  He was born in Richmond B.C. and now lives in Vernon.  Devon has one younger sister and the family has a terrier/poodle (sounds interesting) and 2 adopted cats.  He says his hobbies are bike riding; snowboarding, writing poetry and music.  Apparently, although he won't admit it, he is also a pretty good guitarist and drummer.

Maryse is 17 years old and a graduate of Ecole Secondaire de l'Odyssee in La Plaine, Quebec. She was born in St-Jovite and lives in La Plaine (Terrebonne). Maryse has two younger brothers, Martin, who is 16 and Vincent who is 14. Her hobbies are reading good books, working out and visiting friends.
 When she is finished with Katimavik, Maryse wants to go back to school to study to become a Social Worker and also  travel.

At the end of February 2007 we said goodbye to the first group and hello to Josiane Charbonneau, Carl LaSalle and Sarah-Ann Nantel.

Josiane is 18 years old and is from Trois-Rivieres, Québec. She studied Hotel Management before taking a year out to participant in Katimavik. She has one older brother who went through Katimavik 2 years ago. He loved it so much that he encouraged Josiane to take a year out of her studying and participant too. Josiane is enjoying here experience as it is allowing her to improve on her English at the same time as seeing Canada.
 She has a poodle at home. We at SAD are very happy to have Josiane working with us but as she has asthma and is allergic to all animals, except poodles, Josiane is spending her time with us in our Sunshine Shop. Where she seams to be enjoying herself.

Carl LaSalle is 18 years old. He is from Fort-Coulonge, Quebec.  Carl is using his time with Katimavik to improve his English as he has plans to travel around the world before he settles down and join the Air force.  His first goal is to hitchhike all over the USA and South America next year, followed by a year working  then off again this time to Europe. Come back in time to go to the Olympics out in 2010. We at SAD hope he enjoys his freedom but stays safe while he is traveling around the world.

In May before the second group left the whole group of Katimavik students put on a fashion show with clothes from the Sunshine store.  This was a great success and a big thank you to all who helped. This group left at the end of May and our third and last group arrived.  This time we had two, both girls  Dominique Vachon and Dawn Marie St Croix.

I am 20 years old and am from Ste-Agathe des Monts, Quebec (1hour 30mins north of Montreal.) She joined the Katimavik program  because she wanted to improve her leadership skills, her English and she wanted to meet new people all over Canada.  The first Trimester was spent in Chicoutimi in Quebec, where she worked in a cloths store called Friprix. Then it was of to Nelson,  BC,  where she worked with the "Francophone Association Kootenays West"  ( AFKO). She worked as a receptionist.
 After Katimavik she wants to go back to school and also cross Canada on her bike.

 Dawn Marie St Croix is from Salisbury NB. In her free time she enjoys reading, listening to music and hanging out with the other  Katimavik members of her group as well as meeting new people from the community's they have been in. After the Katimavik program is finished she plans on spending time visiting her grandparents in NF before going back to the east coast to visit some relatives.  After which she plans to go back to Nelson BC, where this group were for the 2nd trimester. Hoping to go to Selkrik College to study Travel and Hospitality and Tourism.
 She feels she will like working at SAD and we are very happy  to have her.