Two New Brunswick youths, Li Song and Saa Andrew Gbongbor, have been named global ambassadors. Active-8! is a campaign across Atlantic Canada that highlights social action among youth and aims to inspire more action.
The campaign promotes activities celebrating and focusing on International Development Week (IDW), Feb. 7 to 13.
The team of eight is collecting pledges of action online. They’re asking Atlantic Canadians to pledge to take action by doing things like volunteering or reducing energy consumption.
Carolyn Whiteway, a program manager for Atlantic Council for International Cooperation, said IDW is the initiative of Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which is the founder of Active-8! campaign.
“Each year during the first week of February, CIDA puts the focus on International Development Week to show what Canadians are doing in the world to promote international development and to some of the progresses that are happening around the world with it,” she said.
“It also encourages other Canadians here at home to do things promoting a global citizenship.”
The campaign selected 8 youths from Atlantic Canada to be role models of civil engagement and global citizenship.
Gbongbor, a STU graduate, said he was excited when he found out he was nominated.
He said it’s a great opportunity to spread the word not only locally but also internationally.
“I wanna be active everywhere,” Gbongor said. “And it’s a great way to pass on the information to people and to make it spread out very fast.”
Song, the other ambassador from New Brunswick, agreed that the campaign is good to get the message out to the community.
“The ultimate goal of this activity is to make more people to care more of others and to be involved in our community.”
Whiteway also said the campaign gives an opportunity for Atlantic Canadians to act.
“It allows them to be inspired by other people who are doing things,” she said.
“And I think quite often people see that there are many things happening in the world, but don’t feel empowered to do something about it. So it’s an example of what people can do to affect changes.”
Katee Mitchell, a human rights student at St. Thomas, has already been motivated by Gbongor. She said before she met Gbongor she had problems with anxiety.
“I had problems with being around people for a long time and it held me from doing activity type of things,” she said. “And through Andrew, I decided that I can’t let that get in the way anymore.”
Whiteway added that the campaign can prove that we can all do something as individuals to make the world a better place.
“I think the campaign puts a focus on the fact that we’re all connected and our actions we take as individuals,” she said. “Even though we may not see the direct result of those actions, it does affect others.”
Online pledges can be made until Feb. 13. To make pledges or for more information, visit www.active8campaign.com.
