Former Youth Involvement
Starr Dostie
FYI (Former Youth Involvement) is a committee that was formed three years ago under the supervision of the Missisquoi North Volunteer Centre (formerly known as Citizen Advocacy) located in Mansonville. This committee consists of nine young adults who are all former members of the Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) Mansonville Chapter. The aim of FYI is to provide support to the current SADD board in assisting with the planning and organization of their activities. FYI was created by Mable Hastings who is the youth animator of all the Potton youth programs. The nine of us were all members of the SADD board throughout our high school years and upon graduation headed off to either university or to the workforce. However, we all still had the sense of belonging to our community and the desire to continue our volunteer work that we had developed as teenagers. Thus, the committee was created so that we could still be kept up to date on the activities being done by the SADD board and so that we could extend a helpful hand to them. The goal of SADD and FYI is to provide the members of our community and surrounding communities with alternatives to destructive decisions. We plan activities that range from information sessions and workshops on suicide, depression, drugs and alcohol abuse to providing events such as youth dances, pool tournaments and coffee houses that people can attend as alternatives to destructive behavior. All of our activities are aimed at providing members of the community, be it children from the age of 5 to seniors, with active alternatives to engaging in negative behavior.
Our group was one of the winners of the 2007 Townships Leader of Tomorrow Awards. We were so honored to even be nominated that winning was a true achievement. We would like to thank Townshippers’ Association for their recognition of our hard work. Thank you to André Lamy and Murielle Parkes who were our two nominators. We would like to thank Mable Hastings, our youth animator who has made all of this possible. I can say, on behalf of the nine of us, that none of this would be what it is without the dedication, and love that Mable has provided to us from the age of 5 to where we are today. We would not be the active volunteers of our community without all of the opportunities provided to us through Mable.
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About Starr Dostie:
Starr Dostie, 22, has just completed her bachelor’s degree in honours chemistry with a minor in biology at Bishop’s University. She is completing her masters in chemistry. Though she lives in Sherbrooke, she grew up in Mansonville and became associated with Mansonville’s youth programs at the age of 7. She completed a year at the University of New Brunswick but decided to return home to complete the rest of her undergraduate degree. Fortunately, this was the same year that FYI began and so she was able to become involved once again as a volunteer in her community.
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