District Youth Group Award
May 7, 2012: In celebration of Youth Week, May 1-7, the District of North Vancouver recognized the efforts of local youth through the presentation of the Civic Youth Awards on Monday night at district hall. The North Vancouver Outdoor School Alumni Society (NVOSAS) received an Outstanding Youth Team Award – a community service group award that recognizes a group of youth who have completed a minimum of 50 hours per person of community service, resulting in enhanced programs and/or services for their school or community.
NVOSAS Executive Committee members Alexandra Kalewska and Ning Yan attended the ceremony on behalf of the Alumni Society. Alexandra and Ning were awarded their certificates by Mayor and Council, and joined award recipients, family and friends for a reception in District Hall prior to the ceremony.
Formed in 1986, NVOSAS is a group of high school graduates whose experience at the North Vancouver Outdoor School was so positive they formed to ensure children and youth develop an ethic of environmental caring for the natural world through outdoor experiences. NVOSAS programs include the Kids Bursary Fund, ensuring no child is denied access to the Outdoor School for financial reasons, and the Leadership Scholarship Fund, which assists high school volunteer counsellors pursue post secondary studies.
To complement the financial assistance programs, NVOSAS provides countless hours of mentoring to over 300 high school students who train to become Outdoor School counsellors. NVOSAS also helps the Outdoor School raise funds for infrastructure repairs, educational enhancements, and ongoing trail maintenance and habitat restoration. The Alumni Society is also instrumental in the ongoing success of the Outdoor School's annual Open House, engaging over 1500 children and adults around environmental education and protecting the local ecosystem and wildlife.
The District of North Vancouver Youth Week is an internationally celebrated event that provides an opportunity for youth between the ages of 11 and 24 years to be recognized for the positive contributions they make to their communities. Youth Week has been celebrated in the District of North Vancouver for over a decade.
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