Always Learning, Always Growing

The 16th edition of our Leadership Richmond - Youth Now program, which began in September, holds a unique distinction: it's the first time the program has taken place entirely online.

The launch event happened over Zoom, as have the leadership conferences, as will the graduation ceremony, later this year. It's been a significant change to which we've had to adapt. Throughout the process, however, we've done our best to stay true to the program's mission, of giving young volunteers an opportunity to develop their leadership skills as non-profit board members.

This year's youth leaders and participating organizations have themselves adapted incredibly well to the new format, learning, growing, and carrying on their work, while finding innovative ways to transcend digital limitations.

As is tradition, each of this year's six youth leaders has written a blog post, discussing their experience in the program and what they've accomplished - and still hope to achieve - in their board role.

Up first is Mina Pavlovic, who's been matched with the Richmond Addiction Services Society.

My name is Mina Pavlovic, and I am currently in my first year at Simon Fraser University, studying Sustainable Energy Engineering. As uncertain as this past year has been, Youth Now has provided me with an even stronger connection to the Richmond community, and I am grateful to be a mentee serving on the board of the Richmond Addiction Services Society (RASS).

My first introduction to the RASS board was during their Annual General Meeting (AGM). I had never been to an AGM before, so although I tried my best to keep up with what was being presented, I was still overwhelmed at the new experience. However, at the board meeting held once the AGM had finished, my worries were soon quelled. Everyone on the board was so welcoming, eager to get to know me and answer any questions I had about the AGM.

Since then, I have attended three other board meetings. With each meeting, I gain more insight into the world of non-profits, ranging from how a board functions, to how a non-profit can adapt to strenuous times like these. Even now, I can see that serving on a board means that you never stop learning, and I am continually inspired by the effort that all of the board members put forward to ensure the success of the organization. With the amazing support and encouragement of my board mentor, I strive to gain as much experience from serving on the RASS board as I can.

Although they were virtual, the Youth Now conferences provided learning on both theoretical and practical topics that allowed me to explore more of my leadership potential. Each speaker was enthusiastic and engaging, and they did an incredible job of adapting their in-person material to fit the online format.

I particularly enjoyed the conference on “Leadership Fundamentals and Style” with speaker Rick Thomas. I am always looking for ways to improve my leadership, so this conference quickly became my favourite. Rick created a welcoming atmosphere and presented the content in a way that invited participation. My biggest take-away from this conference was that leadership begins with yourself. By increasing your self-awareness, and knowing which leadership style your default is, we can adapt our skills to best fit the situation or team dynamic.

I now find myself observing how I approach new opportunities and obstacles, noticing the motivation behind my actions. I reflect on how I could have reacted better to certain scenarios and how I could use different leadership skills to create better solutions to the problems I encounter.

Most importantly, I have developed a deep gratitude for Richmond and the opportunities currently available to me, and have discovered a newfound appreciation for the behind-the-scenes work required to provide crucial services to Richmond. I am now more aware of the good that non-profits consistently do in our community, and I am so glad that I get to be a part of this good. 

Leadership Richmond - Youth Now is funded by the Government of Canada's Canada Service Corps and Coast Capital Savings.