tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36430877203338987992024-02-20T18:43:37.266-08:00Winnipeg Y InternationalWinnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-11535143353594525922013-02-22T12:59:00.002-08:002013-02-23T08:55:00.123-08:00Meet the Peace Medal Recipients!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recipients of the 2012 YMCA Peace Medals for the Winnipeg Association were awarded at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg's Annual General Meeting on February 5th. Congratulations to Taylor Daigneault and Muuxi Adam for being selected as the 2012 Peace Medal recipients!<br /><br /><b>YOUTH PEACE MEDAL</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taylor is congratulated at the AGM by Board Chair Jon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Woolley and CEO Kent Patterson.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taylor Daigneault is a passionate young individual in Grade 12. Taylor is a co-president of the Student Body, and an instrumental leader in a student-led initiative <i>Students Promoting Unity</i> at Murdoch MacKay. With Taylor’s help <i>Students Promoting Unity </i>began spreading awareness of United Nations Observance Day. His passion for peace and unity enabled him to lead school wide assemblies and smaller student body focus groups on a variety issues and observances ranging from the <a href="http://dayofthegirl.org/">International Day of the Girl Child</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying_Awareness_Week">National Bullying Awareness Week</a>. <br /><br />Taylor truly takes to heart his duties to listen without bias or prejudice to all his peers and brings forward their ideas to the council. As part of their work they took part in <i>Me to We</i>, raising over $3000 for Kenya and 2000 pounds of food for Winnipeg Harvest. Taylor’s qualities as a global citizen are well shown by his act to place calls to a variety organizations and donors, not to solicit for funds, rather simply thank those who had helped. Taylor’s facilitating skills have left other students and his peers to believe that they have a voice and they are being heard.<br /><br />Kim Dudek form Murdoch MacKay says “Taylor’s work with Habitat for Humanity has long term impact in that to say “thank you” may be regarded as merely good manners; indeed, with sincere gratitude, it is the practice of building lasting, healthy relationships.” <br /><br />Taylor is a strong, compassionate young individual, well-deserving of the YMCA Youth Peace Medal Award!<br /><br /><b>ADULT PEACE MEDAL</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Muxxi speaks to the crowd at the<br />YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg's AGM.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recipient of the Adult Peace Medal is Muuxi Adam. Muuxi is a young former Somali refugee who escaped from the civil war, moving to Winnipeg in 2004. He is currently working as the After School Program Coordinator at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba Inc (<a href="http://www.ircom.ca/">IRCOM</a>). Muuxi is a leader for his compassion for youth and his initiatives for community development in Winnipeg and surrounding areas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Muuxi's commitment to diversity, multiculturalism and inclusiveness began with his visits to Somalia and Kenya to be united with family and friends. Upon his return he felt that it was his moral obligation to respond to humanitarian and development needs of communities in the Southern part of war-torn Somalia and the marginalized communities of Northern Kenya. Muuxi co-founded <i>Humankind International</i> to serve the needs of the communities in Northern Kenya and Southern Somalia with the support of his African-born Canadian friends.<i> Humankind International</i> strives to use new approaches to developing and empowering these communities to achieve their goals. Their project included construction, equipping and staffing of an Early Childhood Centre in Dadaab Refugee Camp to admit 120 students who will take two years of early education until they are able to enroll in primary schools. <br /><br />In order to help fundraise for the cause, and to promote understanding of peace and human rights, Muuxi has collaborated with schools in Winnipeg. His success with <i>Humankind International</i> was celebrated with an event hosted by the <i>Winnipeg International Story Telling Festival</i>. Muuxi's story will also be featured in <i>The Lucky Ones: African Refugees' Stories of Extraordinary Courage</i> by Anne Mahon, set for release this spring.<br /><br />St. John Brebeuf School’s Margaret Lafreniere summarizes Muuxi's impact in the community. “Muuxi Adam, founder of <i>Humankind International,</i> has helped us open our eyes to a world totally unlike the one that we have grown up in in North America. His personal story of enduring war and separation from family and of his dramatic move to Canada where he is making his dreams come true totally captivates and motivates us. His example of resiliency and compassion has set the bar high for us and we are determined to help him build a school in Dadaab."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Congratulations to all of the nominees for the 2012 YMCA Peace Medal and a special thank you to all of the nominators for sharing these stories with us!</span></div>
Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-31632449218940875852012-11-21T19:00:00.000-08:002012-11-21T19:00:02.554-08:00What we do | Winnipeg Y International<div class="prezi-player">
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Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-42373361935207372452012-11-20T09:12:00.000-08:002012-11-20T09:12:37.947-08:00Peace Week 2012!<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h5OGnLpQTUg" width="560"></iframe>
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Peace Week 2012 is under way. We hope you will JOIN THE PEACE MOVEMENT and join us for a Creative Compromise workshop or Yoga For Peace drop-in class!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Creative Compromise</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Join us for this engaging workshop to help you manage everyday conflict, led by Breanna Sawatzky. <br /><br />Creative Compromise will be offered on two different evenings as part of YMCA Peace Week.<br /><br /><i>North Y Youth Centre</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">363 McGregor Street</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />November 21st | 5:30 pm<br /><br /><i>South Branch</i><br />5 Fermor Avenue<br />November 22nd | 5:30<br /><br />In this thought provoking workshop, participants:<br />- Identify stressful conflict situations,<br />- Explore four conflict prevention skills,<br />- Discover and practice constructive approaches for managing conflict<br /><br /><u>About Breanna Sawatzky</u><br />Breanna has a degree in Psychology from the University of Winnipeg and 7 years experience in counselling and workshop facilitation. She is currently the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg's Director of Mental Health Services and a voluntary member of their International Working Group. Breanna looks forward to YMCA Peace Week every year and strongly believes that peace begins at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Yoga is an innately peaceful activity as the goal is to encompass the overall essence of peace. Yoga also fits well with the mission of the YMCA in Canada, as it incorporates spirit, mind and body into each class. Take part in one of these drop-in Yoga for Peace classes! </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">EK Branch | November 18 | 6:45pm </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">EK Branch | November 23 | 9:15 am </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">West Portage Branch| November 22 | 10:00 am</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The call for Peace Medal nominees closes on December 3rd - <a href="http://winnipegyinternational.blogspot.ca/2012/08/do-you-know-person-or-group-in-your.html">make a nomination today</a>!</span></span></div>
Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-65472104515029325702012-11-05T12:58:00.000-08:002012-11-05T13:00:55.909-08:00Join the peace movement!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">November is here and with it comes a busy month for the International Working Group! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />First up is our <a href="http://winnipegyinternational.blogspot.ca/2012/10/ten-thousand-villages-day.html">partnership day</a> with Ten Thousand Villages on November 10th. Visit the location on Henderson Highway or Plaza Drive on Saturday and use <a href="http://ywinnipeg.ca/documents/YMCA-Coupon-EnglishTenThousandVillage2012.pdf">this coupon</a> - 15% of your purchase will be donated to our International Partnerships. We hope to see you there! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Peace Week runs from November 17-24th. The 2012 theme is JOIN THE PEACE MOVEMENT! We hope you will like the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YMCAPeaceWeek?fref=ts">YMCA Peace Week</a> page on Facebook and follow the hashtag #YMCApeaceweek on Twitter to see what is taking place from coast to coast! <br /><br />We have several special events planned here in Winnipeg – two <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/397931846946618/">Creative Compromise</a> workshops and three Yoga for Peace sessions. <br /><br /><b>CREATIVE COMPROMISE </b><br /><br />Join us for this engaging workshop to help you manage everyday conflict, led by Breanna Sawatzky. <br /> <br /> Creative Compromise is a free workshop and will be offered on two different evenings as part of YMCA Peace Week.<br /> <br /><b><i> North Y Youth Centre </i></b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">363 McGregor Street</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /> November 21st | 5:30 pm<br /> <br /><b><i> South Branch</i></b><br /> 5 Fermor Avenue<br /> November 22nd | 5:30<br /> <br /> In this thought provoking workshop, participants:<br /> - Identify stressful conflict situations,<br /> - Explore four conflict prevention skills,<br /> - Discover and practice constructive approaches for managing conflict<br /> <br /><u> About Breanna Sawatzky</u><br /> Breanna has a degree in Psychology from the University of Winnipeg and 7 years of experience in counselling and workshop facilitation. She is currently the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg's Director of Mental Health Services and a voluntary member of their International Working Group. Breanna looks forward to YMCA Peace Week every year and strongly believes that peace begins at home. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>YOGA FOR PEACE </b><br /><br />Yoga is an innately peaceful activity as the goal is to encompass the overall essence of peace. Yoga also fits well with the mission of the YMCA in Canada, as it incorporates spirit, mind and body into each class. Take part in one of these drop-in Yoga for Peace classes! <br /><br />EK Branch | November 18 | 6:45pm <br /><br />EK Branch | November 23 | 9:15 am <br /><br />West Portage Branch| November 22 | 10:00 am <br /><br /> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jnHayIGEKk5rTsVv1wRfjfmLFfq0XoEQ_TiUr1S7mmr5EWtXxgf0PVNCctLr0MK4ZCTAuwHdOqLI6rdgj-PfNC4YQxbRLkoMf8HF8QHdsEusTzKbqHGESjeEoRsfOIyEV0uOFs5e73KD/s1600/Peace+Medal+2012+Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jnHayIGEKk5rTsVv1wRfjfmLFfq0XoEQ_TiUr1S7mmr5EWtXxgf0PVNCctLr0MK4ZCTAuwHdOqLI6rdgj-PfNC4YQxbRLkoMf8HF8QHdsEusTzKbqHGESjeEoRsfOIyEV0uOFs5e73KD/s320/Peace+Medal+2012+Button.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />Finally, our call for Peace Medal nominations in heating up, with the deadline of December 3rd approaching quickly! 2012 is the 25th anniversary of the Peace Medallion in Canada. The YMCA Peace Medallion offers a reminder that it is possible to build a more peaceful world, one step at a time, and that everyone can be engaged in these efforts. <br /><br /><br /> As a community, we all play a role in building peaceful communities. By celebrating people who share the Y’s values and are engaged in similar peace-building work, we shine a light on their very important efforts. <a href="http://winnipegyinternational.blogspot.ca/2012/08/do-you-know-person-or-group-in-your.html">Make a nomination</a> for the Peace Medal today!</span></div>
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Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-197789918185840862012-10-22T13:13:00.002-07:002012-10-25T07:58:18.084-07:00Ten Thousand Villages Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Join us on November 10th at <a href="http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/">Ten Thousand Villages</a>. You can donate 15% of your purchase to our International Partnerships by using <a href="http://ywinnipeg.ca/documents/YMCA-Coupon-EnglishTenThousandVillage2012.pdf">this coupon</a>. We'll have volunteers at both the Plaza Drive and Henderson locations. For more information, please contact the International Working Group at <i>info@ymcaywca.mb.ca</i> or <i>204.831.2975</i>.</div>
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Learn more about this event and invite your friends on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/363924053695659/">Facebook</a>!</div>
<br />Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-22387100496182935572012-10-18T07:19:00.001-07:002012-10-26T11:06:41.159-07:00Update on CASA<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The YMCA of Mexico has hosted a Casa for
migrant youth in Juarez since 1995, providing a safe and healthy shelter where migrant
children receive food, clothing and access to telecommunications, and then
reunite them with their families. In 2011
a new Casa Canada building was opened with the support of the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, YMCAs and YMCA-YWCAs across the prairies, and the YMCA-YWCA of Guelph - a true partnership effort!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Juarez is a city of 1.5 million people,
located about mid-continent, on the banks of the Rio Grande, the border between
Mexico and the United States. There are
also YMCA Casas in Tijuana, Piedras Negras, and Agua Prieta.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Casa Canada has played an important role in
the community, assisting migrant youth, providing space for conferences,
delivering adult education, providing recreational painting programs,
programming for the elderly, hosting festivals and, that YMCA staple, summer
camps.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Conferences have focused on Family
workshops, youth participation in the community, prevention and identification
of addictions, and Human & Children Rights training. Ciudad Juarez has been the site of a high
level of drug cartel violence in recent years, and the community is in need of
support to rebuild and restore confidence and trust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On weekends the Casa delivers a 4 month
secondary school diploma to adults, in conjunction with the Chihuahuan
Institute of Adult Education. The Art
School of Ciudad Juarez has provided volunteer-led Art programs for youth, an
opportunity that is not readily available in local area.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Casa has hosted Children’s Day and
mother’s Day festivals, to engage and build trust in the community, and
provides those very popular indoor summer camp opportunities for youth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While political and economic changes have
reduced the number of migrant youth, the Casa continues to provide community
building and enrichment services, benefitting hundreds of youth, adults and
seniors, who live and come to Ciudad Juarez.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read more about the Casa programs on the <a href="http://www.ymca.org.mx/prog_YMCA_mmigra.html">YMCA of Mexico's website</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Would you like to support the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg's International Partnerships? Donate to the<a href="http://www.ymcastrongkids.ca/"> Strong Kids Campaign</a> and designate your donation to Support the International Partnership Program! </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Post submitted by Don Fraser,</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Member - International Working Group</b></span></span></div>
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Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-38632217419980169502012-10-12T14:02:00.001-07:002012-10-12T14:02:36.439-07:00Y-PASS VIDEO | World Challenge<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Join us on Saturday for the <b>YMCA World Challenge: Hoop Springs Eternal</b>!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We'll be taking part at the Downtown branch from 11 am - 1 pm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Check out the official event video (see if you can spot the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg!)</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/51270976?title=1&byline=0&portrait=1&color=ff9933" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/51270976">"The Y-PASS" - YMCA World CHALLENGE 2012</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ymcaint">YMCA</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-32247709889449020212012-10-04T09:03:00.002-07:002012-10-04T09:05:37.381-07:00YMCA World Challenge: Hoop Springs Eternal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg will join Ys from 70 countries around the world on
October 13<sup>th</sup> for the </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://challenge.ymca.int/">World Challenge: Hoop Springs Eternal</a></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The goal of <b>Hoop Springs Eternal</b> is to gather 5
million people worldwide to set a world record for number of people shooting a
basketball in one day. At the same time,
the event will be used to share the YMCA story and how the organization works
across the globe to strengthen communities and leadership in young people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
Challenge officially begins at 8h00, local time, in New Zealand and ends in
Hawaii at 17h00. Photos and videos of
activities around the world will be shared through social media. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Why basketball?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Did you know
basketball was invented by the YMCA in 1891? Now one of the most popular sports
in the world, basketball is used to promote a healthy lifestyle as well as to
empower youth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Winnipeg event will be hosted
by the Y Leaders as part of </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">their <i>Leaders Jamboree</i> at the Downtown Branch!</span></b></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">11:00 am – Noon<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The gym will be split into two halves. One side will
have a<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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competition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Noon – 1:00 pm<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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Court! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br />Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-19767545065307681422012-08-24T09:02:00.001-07:002012-09-12T11:29:22.392-07:00Call for Peace Medal Nominees!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVgiiFR9HNFzFfroqw5bVfgf6GzsEX-eT9CME55Ii1MQ6myi0pWdrHe4FpxE2gefBx3qeZOVFNvkvsren3yCoe9dIct35fEVvmaFCHCErWtx5zDahO2c49c_dmxFULu6JSR5-hqH0hjEw/s1600/Peace+Medal+2012+Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVgiiFR9HNFzFfroqw5bVfgf6GzsEX-eT9CME55Ii1MQ6myi0pWdrHe4FpxE2gefBx3qeZOVFNvkvsren3yCoe9dIct35fEVvmaFCHCErWtx5zDahO2c49c_dmxFULu6JSR5-hqH0hjEw/s640/Peace+Medal+2012+Button.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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Do you know a person or group in your community who is helping to build a more peaceful world? Recognize their efforts and share their story by nominating them for the Peace Medal! <br />
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Each year the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg sends a call out to the community seeking nominations for this prestigious award. The Peace Medal is a reminder that it is possible to build a more peaceful world one step at a time and that everyone can be engaged in these efforts! <br />
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Learn more about previous recipients of the Peace Medal<a href="http://www.ywinnipeg.ca/documents/1988toPresent-PeaceMedalRecipients.pdf"> here</a>. Do you know a person or group who you would like to honour with a nomination? Click <a href="http://www.ywinnipeg.ca/documents/NominationForms5.pdf">here to download the nomination form</a>! <br />
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Deadline for nominations is December 3, 2012.Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-45332444534176822912012-08-17T07:46:00.001-07:002012-08-17T07:46:59.697-07:00Pedro in CanadaPedro has landed in Canada and has begun his adventure exploring the programs here at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg and some sights around the city! <br /><br />Pedro is currently out at <a href="http://www.ywinnipegcamps.com/campstephens/">Camp Stephens</a> in Lake of the Woods. Before he left Pamela Wright, Chair of the International Working Group, and her husband Wes Peters, hosted a BBQ for Pedro at their home. Big thank you to Pam and Wes for their hospitality!<div>
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Below are some photos from his adventures thus far.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrgwbpHQjWRVIu5GEg2xh8YstCIeuOJ-TC1zAMpnuFuIlc-tWFAhL33E19IS5fDhD2Q8XhmizR5B-VR9TUlAOMPgvai-jtIXAJvnmhtMV7rRuLo9dBodX5au3Rf8fopysCCxY32f_k1nS/s1600/Aug+17,+2012+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrgwbpHQjWRVIu5GEg2xh8YstCIeuOJ-TC1zAMpnuFuIlc-tWFAhL33E19IS5fDhD2Q8XhmizR5B-VR9TUlAOMPgvai-jtIXAJvnmhtMV7rRuLo9dBodX5au3Rf8fopysCCxY32f_k1nS/s320/Aug+17,+2012+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ at Pam and Wes' with Senior Staff and International Working Group volunteers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVh6InJteDrBx6BDxbCeNf1nxPpOHmfhA_wOh1IpkQtePKXs7ynfyAhb5nUJvguCWhAdBMhp_7gAymJ64G1MeXYH5KbHmI625XA5bX_do_4Izi5ojEZflMGlDlobNBMm-WUknx1trG5cB/s1600/Aug+17,+2012+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVh6InJteDrBx6BDxbCeNf1nxPpOHmfhA_wOh1IpkQtePKXs7ynfyAhb5nUJvguCWhAdBMhp_7gAymJ64G1MeXYH5KbHmI625XA5bX_do_4Izi5ojEZflMGlDlobNBMm-WUknx1trG5cB/s320/Aug+17,+2012+014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pamela Wright, Pedro, David Young, President & CEO</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyP1V6qmFdPuZsgaW7UAI0j42JTa6u9nywxnS0xrbJmTnlK_lHFS0KaEhbckBGebB14RZSHbjeJSSTS-fyAQYi6c0F1X2uKb5_yVbPW0vMBQglxt3VWu0MsxU1vxQFWhMzAsW4ioPI3rU/s1600/Aug+17,+2012+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyP1V6qmFdPuZsgaW7UAI0j42JTa6u9nywxnS0xrbJmTnlK_lHFS0KaEhbckBGebB14RZSHbjeJSSTS-fyAQYi6c0F1X2uKb5_yVbPW0vMBQglxt3VWu0MsxU1vxQFWhMzAsW4ioPI3rU/s320/Aug+17,+2012+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pedro and Ken Mason, Manager of the North Y Youth Centre</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pedro inside his first hockey rink! With Dave Vankoughnett</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pedro sets off on a tour of the Y Winnipeg Centres!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at the Qualico Family Centre in Assiniboine Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Qualico Centre</td></tr>
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Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-21006207689990469842012-07-09T11:46:00.001-07:002012-07-09T11:46:18.031-07:00Meet Pedro<b>This August the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg will welcome Pedro to Canada. Pedro is from Uruguay and is taking part in the latest exchange between our Y here in Winnipeg and the YMCA of Uruguay.</b><div>
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<b>Below is a letter of introduction from Pedro in both English and Spanish. We look forward to meeting Pedro soon and sharing more about his experience with you.</b></div>
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Hi friends from Canda! <br /> <br />My name is Pedro Ithurralde, I am from Uruguay and in August I will visit you for a few weeks. <br /><br />I have been asked to tell you some about me, to make you get me know, but before, I want to thank you in advance to allow me to make this trip. <br /> <br />Like I said before, I am from Uruguay, am 21 years old and was chosen for further strengthening the partnership between the YMCAs of our countries. <br /> </div>
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About myself, I am involved with the YMCA from my birth and I love the institution because is part of my family and my home. My father, Jesus Ithurralde, is the actual COO of YMCA Uruguay, but he began to work in his youth, before he and my mom got married. For this, my sisters and I have spent a huge part of our life inside the YMCA, we grew up with it and I am sure that I will grow old with it. <br /> </div>
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My childhood and adolescence was very funny inside the YMCA, I met a lot of friends, enjoyed camps and did much sport. </div>
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At the age of 15 I started the course of Leadership with one of my sisters, and at the next year we graduated as Leaders. With this I began to enjoy the volunteer work, play and spend time with children. </div>
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In 2008, when I was 18 years old, I finished a part of my life and started another. I commenced the university and at the same time I applied to work in the YMCA as a salaried person. I started in charge of a group of children at a YMCA that had just been opened. There was one more YMCA in Uruguay. </div>
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A few months later, into this new place, decided to open a Leadership Course, and I was selected to be one of the people who taught the course. At present I am the referring of the fourth generation of Leadership in the YMCA of the “Ciudad de la Costa” which have just five years old. I am in charge of the program coordination with the group of Leaders, too. We plan activities with children from some schools, children from YMCA and we do plans with the local government. </div>
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About my life in the YMCA, I am studying two careers. I am in my fourth year of accountant and in the last year of systems analyst. My idea with such us different careers, is try to do a mixture of them. For example, create accounting software or start a business selling computers. <br /> </div>
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Concerning my likes, I love reading, sports, mainly football soccer and volleyball, but I always wanted to try ice sports such as sky, hockey or snowboard. But here in Uruguay there is no snow. <br /><br /> Well, I am looking forward to seeing you and meeting lots of YMCA people from Canada as well as your working styles. <br /><br /> We keep in touch, <br /> Pedro Ithurralde. <br /><br /> <br /> <i>Hola amigos y amigas de Canada, <br /><br /> Mi nombre es Pedro Ithurralde soy de Uruguay y en Agosto voy a ir a visitarlos durante unas semanas. <br /><br />Me han pedido que les cuente un poco de mi, para que me vayan conociendo, pero antes quería agradecerles por adelantado el que me reciban. <br /> </i></div>
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<i>Bueno como ya dije soy de Uruguay, tengo 21 años y fui elegido para seguir estrechando los lazos que hay entre las ACJs de nuestros paises. <br /> </i></div>
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<i>Les comento que estoy involucrado con la ACJ desde que naci y amo a la institución pues es parte de mi familia y mi hogar. Mi padre, Jesus Ithurralde, es el actual COO de la ACJ Uruguay, pero comenzó trabajando desde muy joven, desde antes de que mi padre y mi madre se casaran. Por esto mis hermanas y yo, hemos pasado gran parte de nuestras vidas dentro de la institución, crecimos con ella y yo estoy seguro que envejeceré con ella. <br /> </i></div>
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<i>Mi niñez y adolescencia fue muy divertida dentro de la ACJ, la pasé con muchos amigos, disfrutando de varios campamentos y dormilonas, y haciendo mucho deporte. <br /></i></div>
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<i>A mis 15 años comencé a hacer el curso de Lideres junto con una de mis hermanas, me gradue como Lider al año siguiente y comence a disfrutar del trabajo voluntario con niños, realizar juegos con ellos y convivir con ellos. <br /> </i></div>
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<i>A mis 18 años, en el 2008 terminé una etapa de mi vida e inicié otra. Comencé mi carrera universitaria y al mismo tiempo entre a trabajar en la ACJ como una persona asalariada. Inicié a cargo de un grupo de niños en una ACJ que recien nacía, se sumaba una ACJ mas a todas las que ya había en el Uruguay. Este trabajo era diferente que siendo voluntario, porque ahora yo tenía mas responsabilidad. A los pocos meses en esta nueva ACJ se decidió abrir un Curso de Lideres y me seleccionaron para ser una de las personas que diera el curso. <br /> </i></div>
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<i>Y esto ultimo es lo que estoy haciendo hoy en dia. Hoy les estoy dando el curso de lideres a la cuarta generación de liderato de la ACJ de la Ciudad de la Costa la cual tiene solo 5 años de vida. Tambien estoy encargado de la coordinación de programa junto con el grupo de lideres. Planificamos actividades con niños de las escuelas, con los niños de la ACJ y hacemos programa en conjunto con la Intendencia Municipal de Canelones. <br /> </i></div>
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<i>Sobre mi vida fuera de la ACJ, estoy estudiando dos carreras, estoy en mi cuarto año de la carrera de contador y en el ultimo año de Analista en Sistemas. <br /><br />Mi idea con estas dos carreras tan diferentes, es intentar mezclarlas de alguna forma, por ejemplo dedicarme a crear software contable o tener un negocio de computadoras. <br /><br /> Con respecto a mis gustos, me encanta la lectura, me gusta practicar deportes, principalmente futbol soccer y voleyball, aunque siempre quise probar por ejemplo deportes sobre hielo como Sky, hockey o snowboard pero aquí en Uruguay no hay nieve. <br /><br /> Bueno estoy deseando estar con ustedes, y conocer muchas ACJ de Canada, asi como los estilos de trabajo que tienen alli tanto en programa y como en gestión administrativa, alta dirección y toma de decisiones. <br /> </i></div>
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<i>Nos mantenemos en contacto, <br /> Pedro Ithurralde.</i></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-66333084824837550462012-06-18T07:01:00.000-07:002012-06-18T07:01:10.634-07:00Fair Trade Day a Success!Thank you to all of our members, staff and the community for supporting the International Working Group's first Fair Trade Day on June 21st! <span style="background-color: white;">Over $1500 of Fair Trade goods from Ten Thousand Villages were sold in our branches that day. </span><div>
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Thank you especially to<a href="http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/"> Ten Thousand Villages</a> for helping us to raise awareness around <a href="http://fairtrade.ca/">Fair Trade</a> in our branches!</div>
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The International Working Group is looking forward to August 2012 when we will welcome Pedro, a youth from the Uruguay YMCA (ACJ) to Winnipeg. More details on Pedro will be featured on our blog in the coming weeks!</div>
</div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-21146572391601500582012-05-24T07:28:00.001-07:002012-05-24T07:31:33.141-07:00FAIR TRADE DAY | June 12th<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Please join us on June 12th for Fair Trade Day at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg!</span><br />
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<br />Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-83397559815210369842012-05-11T08:13:00.000-07:002012-05-11T08:13:00.361-07:00Spring Updates!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greetings from the International Working Group! </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Uruguay Exchange Presentation</span></b><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kirsten Schmidt, who participated in the International Exchange this past February in Uruguay, presented at our April meeting. Our International Working Group was excited to hear about her experiences. Below is the slideshow presentation prepared by Kristen. If you have any questions about her exchange, please let us know - simply leave a comment below! <br /><br /><div id="__ss_12879764" style="width: 425px;">
<strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mmarginet/uruguay-presentation-12879764" target="_blank" title="Uruguay presentation">Uruguay presentation</a></strong> <iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/12879764" width="425"></iframe> <div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;">
View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint" target="_blank">PowerPoint</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/mmarginet" target="_blank">mmarginet</a> </div>
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<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Thank you Westland Construction!</span></b></span><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Peter Grose presents a $1000 cheque to Dave Vankoughnett<br />to support the Casa program in Mexico.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On April 13th Mel Marginet from the International Working Group and Dave Vankoughnett, General Manager of Fund Development, presented to employees of <a href="http://www.westlandconstructionltd.com/">Westland Construction</a>. Westland has joined us as</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> a supporter of the <a href="http://www.ymca.org.mx/prog_YMCA_mmigra.html">Casa Program</a> in Mexico. Thank you to Peter Grose who invited us out to share information about our programs, and to all of the staff of Westland Construction for supporting the important work being done at Casa. <br /><br /></span><div>
<b style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May 12th is World Fair Trade Day! </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be sure share information on <a href="http://fairtrademanitoba.ca/">Fair Trade</a> with your family and friends. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The International Working Group is planning a special Fair Trade Day for our Winnipeg Branches on <b><i>June 12th </i></b>– be sure subscribe to our blog to receive all of the information, coming soon! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you interested in volunteering for this event? Contact Mel Marginet at <a href="mailto:mmarginet@ymcaywca.mb.ca">mmarginet@ymcaywca.mb.ca</a>.</span></div>
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</div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-80889695247419440152012-03-01T12:15:00.000-08:002012-03-01T12:15:00.260-08:00Final post from Uruguay!Hello everyone,<br />
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We´re coming to the end of our trip now, which we´re all very upset about! Especially since we hear that it´s still very much winter and cold back home in Canada! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campers perform in Carnival costumes for their parents.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin46X67QobHQ9jBk-LF-y-5GiwWir2i-OHAbrGuacxGcL7UNmXxSzoN4hW6CYlkcKqv1bzItB4ptovOGhGCv2avX0lAA7Kdwki0XBLHIJmnw1s3wi99THZ-h3PCpKWkszeG26n-hJgQRj-/s1600/Marjan+and+Kristen+with+youth+from+San+Jose+at+Camp+Artigas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin46X67QobHQ9jBk-LF-y-5GiwWir2i-OHAbrGuacxGcL7UNmXxSzoN4hW6CYlkcKqv1bzItB4ptovOGhGCv2avX0lAA7Kdwki0XBLHIJmnw1s3wi99THZ-h3PCpKWkszeG26n-hJgQRj-/s320/Marjan+and+Kristen+with+youth+from+San+Jose+at+Camp+Artigas.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristen & Marjan with youth from San Jose at Camp Artigas.</td></tr>
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We just came back from Camp Artigas, where we stayed for 2 weeks. In the time that we were there, several different groups attended the camp, including groups from YMCAs and some school groups. Over the past week, they had their Family Camp, where families from all over Uruguay come to the camp to participate in both adult and children´s activities. <br />
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It was interesting to see how a lot of the families have been involved with the Y and the camp for generations, where they were once children at the camp, and then camp counsellors, and now adults and coming to the camp with children of their own. The theme for this year´s Family Camp was ¨Carnival¨ and all the programs and preparation for the camp was done by the leaders and counsellors. We were amazed to see how many different activities they had for the kids during the day, and how closely each of their activities followed the theme. In Uruguay, there is a lot of history and tradition associated with ¨Carnival¨. We were surprised to see the activities not only followed the themes, but they were educational as well in explaining some of the history behind this event. <br />
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At the end of the week, the children performed in a mini ´carnival´ with help from their counsellors. Each age group paraded through the main camp area with songs and dances, and of course, their Carnival costumes and face paint! It was very impressive to see how much effort they had put into the parade, in terms of costumes and decorations. <br />
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Right now, we have just arrived back in Montevideo, staying with our host families for the last few days before we come home. Over the course of this month, we have become very close with our host families and have been very appreciative of everything they´ve done for us! It will definitely be a sad good bye when it´s time to go! <br />
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Tara, Marjan & Kristen </div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-61394640962670118192012-02-15T13:35:00.000-08:002012-02-15T13:35:01.666-08:00Update from Uruguay - We're at camp!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VOjTS61co6rXcPYUqcJER4RMX5uPcwdAFkFwC-NC0jY2tRD_EQfIH6C7HHdwsIsLHhXX_3LWtFPW1uEUeLNrom6O-ov1YZZQLQ9-hkLxO_LK-2v5tAhbUq-9E-_si7lOIAd-yyQzvW0-/s1600/Volleyball+in+San+Jose.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VOjTS61co6rXcPYUqcJER4RMX5uPcwdAFkFwC-NC0jY2tRD_EQfIH6C7HHdwsIsLHhXX_3LWtFPW1uEUeLNrom6O-ov1YZZQLQ9-hkLxO_LK-2v5tAhbUq-9E-_si7lOIAd-yyQzvW0-/s320/Volleyball+in+San+Jose.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing volleyball in San Jose</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Greetings!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Tara, Marjan and I have access to a computer and internet right now so
we thought we´d update you on our trip to San Jose, and how life at Camp
Artigas is going so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">On Friday, Feb 11, 2012 we arrived in San Jose. We got to visit ¨La Casita¨
where a lot of their social programs for kids and youth are run. We got to sit
in on a First Aid class happening there (not run to certify the youth, simply
just to give them knowledge). We learned that La Casita is a second home to
about 120 youth, who use the facility to do homework, study, have something to
eat, brush their teeth, plant an organic garden and play games. As of now, the
Casita consists of 4 classrooms, a kitchen, an office and a bathroom. They have
an outside area to play in, but it doesn´t belong to them (they are hoping to
purchase it), as well as they have an outdoor organic garden which they grow
food that they use to cook. We were happy to find out that the Casita was made
possible because of the strong partnership with the Winnipeg Y, growing over
the past 40 years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORLkU4Tm1wrFn-uYnU7S5za2SKqx99lW2djChKbnjk8VeUW4bNFL7k6g1Xe3sAfRWWl4UzoAxuh1Esw0eZf9bx0m6-6cjT-YZRLtgaSFarDmNL4zQkYUWpIyprlVXALMBc24rJc_yL2k6/s1600/What+time+is+it+Mr.+Shark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORLkU4Tm1wrFn-uYnU7S5za2SKqx99lW2djChKbnjk8VeUW4bNFL7k6g1Xe3sAfRWWl4UzoAxuh1Esw0eZf9bx0m6-6cjT-YZRLtgaSFarDmNL4zQkYUWpIyprlVXALMBc24rJc_yL2k6/s320/What+time+is+it+Mr.+Shark.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What time is it Mr. Shark?" on the beach!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">We visited the other branch of the Y in San Jose which was the gym,
workout area and pool. Carla, the CEO, hosted a BBQ with all the leaders and
employees of the Y there to welcome us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">During our stay in San Jose we stayed with Fernando Ramos, the
vice-president of the board of the San Jose Y. Fernando and his family were
very hospitable and welcoming to us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">After the weekend in San Jose, we came to camp on a school bus with a
group of campers and leaders. The bus ride began at 8am, and was nothing short
of 2 drums, a tambourine, singing and laughter. Oh, and there was also a
megaphone in the mix. About half way through the trip, a herd of cows started
to run towards the bus! We slowed down and waited for the cows to separate to
the sides of the road. We started to speed up again, only to see they were
quick to turn around and herd with the bus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGOTaXAijAebbuOrRTwkCU8XGky_lPW5CEsVzSADfUraBpc8DDae_TIOyHsFs21zSoDAk22Xq-5jP-0o-1Pm94-qYxLA1bJRGXbtI2RWlSDvg5vXB1NjsBGpBPQDl0L14ZflJZGsEvoZ0/s1600/First+aid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGOTaXAijAebbuOrRTwkCU8XGky_lPW5CEsVzSADfUraBpc8DDae_TIOyHsFs21zSoDAk22Xq-5jP-0o-1Pm94-qYxLA1bJRGXbtI2RWlSDvg5vXB1NjsBGpBPQDl0L14ZflJZGsEvoZ0/s320/First+aid.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First aid class</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Camp Artigas is very rustic and beautiful. There are an abundance of
eucalyptus trees, a river and sandy beaches. There are four main zones with
cabins and bathrooms. We are staying in the central zone. The main activities
during the day are beach games, boating, canoeing, zip-lining, and games in the
forest. There are also some arts and crafts. There are coordinators and camp
employees here, but the leaders run the show. We have been able to incorporate
our ideas, games, and songs from home with the groups. The heat during the
afternoon is very trying. Tonight some of the groups will be sleeping in tents
after cooking super on a bonfire (supper here is at the earliest 9pm). We´ve
only been here for a few days (including our time last week), the camp in deep
in tradition and so far we´ve barely scratched the surface. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">We´re not sure when we will have access to a computer again, however
when we do we will be sure to send another update. Tara is also able to send
pictures through her phone when she has a chance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">We hope all is well back at home!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Tara, Marjan and Kristen<o:p></o:p></span></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-154145756480838902012-02-03T11:34:00.000-08:002012-02-03T11:34:38.849-08:00Update from Uruguay!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpAmuqvXt2nIcLg8FBZn_4vRaZS2Q6etsqQ1eVoyflp-oOeS_-Ff99pERBr5Y9EeWNrZ56umAX-sTQe3IZwpbvFtA3mBIQfiz5-U9BQ3kyzc69S9brzUsZSMNMC_Yq50JQFc7lneqqGTf/s1600/Photo+of+exchange+participants.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpAmuqvXt2nIcLg8FBZn_4vRaZS2Q6etsqQ1eVoyflp-oOeS_-Ff99pERBr5Y9EeWNrZ56umAX-sTQe3IZwpbvFtA3mBIQfiz5-U9BQ3kyzc69S9brzUsZSMNMC_Yq50JQFc7lneqqGTf/s1600/Photo+of+exchange+participants.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-R: Marjan, Kristen & Tara</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Below is our first update from our
Urugay exchange participants, Kristen, Tara and Marjan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Hola de Uruguay!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">We arrived Sunday morning at 11am,
and were picked up from the airport by Adrian and Omar. Then we were taken to
our home stays. I am staying with an elderly lady named Margarita, who is in
many ways the Uruguyan version of my Grandma. The last two days we have spent acclimatizing
to the hot, humid weather of Montevideo, while meeting everyone from the ACJ,
the Asociacion Cristiana de Jovenes. We’ve been sharing information about our
different facilities in Canada, and learning about the various Y facilities
here in Uruguay. </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">It is refreshing to see that we are
so far away from home, yet the Y is just as strong with its programs and values
here in Uruguay. Of course things are run a little differently here, however
most importantly our countries are both working towards the same goals.
It is enlightening to listen to people here talk about the Y, and see the
belief and passion they have for the organization. </span><span style="color: #222222;">It seems as though the organizations
are focused in the same areas, recreation and social programs. The most
important thing to the people here is building relationships between members
and practising the core values in action. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">The Downtown branch, which I am
currently staying right next to, is a centre focused on child and youth
programs. There is a gym and a pool, and people have memberships; however, the
majority of the programs running right now are day camps for children and youth
ages 2-17. We’ve been helping run the day camps during the afternoons, and it’s
been a blast! The kids are adorable of course, and eager to show us they can
count to 10 in English and say various things.
Yesterday, we had the opportunity to see the new school in the process
of being built. The school will be for pre-schoolers, and the people from the Y
are very proud and excited about it. They will be opening in March of this
year, and will start off with a small class of ten children, with hopes of
growing in the near future.</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This weekend Marjan, Tara and I are being sent to the beach to get to
know each other better, and to see the resort town of Punta Del Este. We will then be off to Campamento Artigas
next Tuesday. The following weekend we are going to San Jose to see the
facility there and learn about the social programs going on. This Thursday we
are also going to get the chance to talk more in depth about the social
programs going on in Montevideo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Other than that, the food has been amazing, and the people have gone
above and beyond to ensure we are comfortable and safe. Tara, Marjan and I are
getting to know each other, and we are very happy to be here!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I hope all is well at home! Take care,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>Kristen Schmidt</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So far so good!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What a great opportunity! What a country! We have been welcomed with
open arms. Everyone we meet is so kind and seems to be just as eager to learn
English as we are to learn Spanish. It has really been a treat to see
the similarities between the YMCA of Uruguay and Ys across Canada. They
stress the importance of the YMCA core values and boast of all of their
life-long Y members.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Though we have only been here a couple days we have already experienced
so much and can´t wait to see what´s next.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Gracias,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>Tara Molson <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>YMCA Regina</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);">Everything is going SO well and we love how
beautiful it is here! So far, we have spent the week visiting the
different YMCAs in the capital city, and meeting some of the staff and the
kids. It's been really nice to build relationships with the staff and the
kids at YMCA, because a lot of the same kids will be at Camp Artigas next week
when we go. It's also been so interesting to see how similar their YMCAs
are to ours in Canada. We have had the chance to see a lot of their
programs and how they run this week, and it's amazing how we do almost the
exact same things in our children and youth programs as they do! There's
a bit of a language barrier because they predominantly speak Spanish (and my
Spanish is pretty rustic!), but just by observing the programs, we can see the
quality of their programs and we are able to point out the
similarities. Yesterday, we helped with a program for 6 and 7 year old
children. Their counsellor sat them all in a circle and started to explain
a game. Instantly, Kristen, Tara and myself were able to join the game
because we had all played the same game with children in our programs back in
Canada! <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);">Everyone here from the YMCA has been so hospitable
to us! The host family I am staying with this week has been taking very
good care of me as well! <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969);">We will continue to take pictures and keep you
updated on everything that's happening here! Talk to you soon!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>Marjan Mogharrabi<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i>YMCA-YWCA Guelph</i></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Myriad Pro","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>We look forward to future updates from the exchange!</b></span></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-57663641139901946472012-02-01T14:06:00.000-08:002012-02-01T14:06:03.449-08:00Peace Medal and Prezi<br />
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<b>On January 30, 2012 at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg's Annual General Meeting, Bre Woligroski was presented the Peace Medal.</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An advocate and activist for human rights and social justice, Bre Woligroski has changed lives. She was selected as this year’s Peace Medal recipient for her many acts </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">focusing “on long term, sustainable impact on individuals and communities.” <a href="http://winnipegyinternational.blogspot.com/2012/01/meet-our-peace-medal-recipient.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Click here</a> to learn more about Bre!</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfTHjoG6kkxulqnEnSK3a_OvZKEK26mOKNKnEU06dic_ItUIGAxudcG-cicNLeVmyCgJUG7eaQDujoJOcKYdB75cpr-CgzvwScPFCTXuK19aE8UNsDQUooI8O5iy7_DeMv6mBRtBa8X_L/s1600/AGM+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfTHjoG6kkxulqnEnSK3a_OvZKEK26mOKNKnEU06dic_ItUIGAxudcG-cicNLeVmyCgJUG7eaQDujoJOcKYdB75cpr-CgzvwScPFCTXuK19aE8UNsDQUooI8O5iy7_DeMv6mBRtBa8X_L/s320/AGM+photo.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bre Woligroski receives the Peace Medal, <br />presented by Pamela Wright, Chair of the International Working Group, <br />and Dal McCloy, Chair of the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg's Board of Directors.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The International Working Group was given the opportunity to have a presentation available before the AGM in order to inform the many staff, volunteers and community members about the work that we do. <a href="http://prezi.com/mwmnxbzfta_t/international-working-group/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Click here</a> to view our Prezi!</span></b></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-33067343710522822692012-01-23T08:57:00.000-08:002012-01-24T06:38:28.142-08:00Meet our Peace Medal recipient!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4G0sC-fA5o8E3zNHyiVN6CKUst81ziNGXjndB3Gy9RlJmvOrzk4q3lM_xlhiokGcMQRvXvQ16PlmVcpYzf7Lkiug_D6FVUae2zcXsHkMHfWvg0_dlf67FUOCfJKghzJQghgiRa0GHLTNa/s1600/bre+woligroski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4G0sC-fA5o8E3zNHyiVN6CKUst81ziNGXjndB3Gy9RlJmvOrzk4q3lM_xlhiokGcMQRvXvQ16PlmVcpYzf7Lkiug_D6FVUae2zcXsHkMHfWvg0_dlf67FUOCfJKghzJQghgiRa0GHLTNa/s320/bre+woligroski.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.35758967231959105"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An advocate and activist for human rights and social justice, Bre Woligroski has changed lives. She was selected as this year’s Peace Medal recipient for her many acts </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">focusing “on long term, sustainable impact on individuals and communities.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just 31 years old, Bre has been involved in numerous justice initiatives: she was chosen as the official Canadian representative for the World Student Christian Federation’s</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Identity Diversity Dialogue</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Program </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in Thailand, speaking on issues of gender justice; she currently serves on several Boards including the </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feminist Alliance for International Action</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">World Student Christian Federation Global Board;</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> she founded the Menno Simons College </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Social Justice Fair </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(now an annual event); she helped coordinate </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take Back the Night</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in 2009 and 2011</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> marching to end violence against women in Winnipeg; she facilitates workshops and speaks publicly on gender equality. And as a volunteer delegate to the United Nations 52nd Commission on the Status of Women, she offered wording suggestions to the Agreed Conclusions that now influence gender equality worldwide.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are just a few of her many, many initiatives.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her nominator writes “Bre demonstrates the values and qualities of peace in that she works for justice and understanding in ways which are culturally sensitive and relevant. She is gentle and responsive to the people around her, yet is firm in her commitment to social justice and equality.” </span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because of her works - both individual and collaborative - and her drive to create a world that is more compassionate and just, Bre Woligroski is the 2011 Peace Medal recipient. </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIBFaaOpM9dYlEXHYcMc0mf4fTJSYSHp9kPrrOlLGqwfGy1ddM_4kKDak438hprLPYezjbWkGjoa0PhP0ILrn0x3dEPfMQ16EdiHI0jHB7Jr6aBiW2eBqFBXo6kOMjLeNyVchbz8KyQU9/s1600/youth+peace+gathering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIBFaaOpM9dYlEXHYcMc0mf4fTJSYSHp9kPrrOlLGqwfGy1ddM_4kKDak438hprLPYezjbWkGjoa0PhP0ILrn0x3dEPfMQ16EdiHI0jHB7Jr6aBiW2eBqFBXo6kOMjLeNyVchbz8KyQU9/s320/youth+peace+gathering.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-34525762802938221832012-01-16T14:28:00.000-08:002012-01-16T14:28:11.410-08:00International Update<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDfLDBk4aMQUxHD0rpGiTZO8PQDewstzmpKFqWThGjWwTG5Nd_cHk0Tfo1839O3u-bGR2RV_NCFU5E3gye7xDlOpsVgeRRTqmAX5q-VOyL_T4j0Bk1BvUmJDhMO5lQ-ZNv_ibuR0PstW_/s1600/TtV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDfLDBk4aMQUxHD0rpGiTZO8PQDewstzmpKFqWThGjWwTG5Nd_cHk0Tfo1839O3u-bGR2RV_NCFU5E3gye7xDlOpsVgeRRTqmAX5q-VOyL_T4j0Bk1BvUmJDhMO5lQ-ZNv_ibuR0PstW_/s320/TtV.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.31056901370175183"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This past November, the International Working Group (IWG) was given the opportunity to partner with <a href="http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/">Ten Thousand Villages</a> on Plaza Drive, as part of a national initiative that saw YMCAs and YMCA-YWCAs across Canada work with local Ten Thousand Villages stores in order to unite our similar missions to increase awareness of global issues.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here in Winnipeg, volunteers from our working group spent the day in Ten Thousand Villages where we greeted the many customers in the store and drew their attention to a slide-show outlining the work that we do here in Winnipeg through our international partnerships and events such as Peace Week. Those making purchases that day could use a coupon to direct 15% of their purchase to YMCA International Partnerships.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By allying our two similar missions, November 12th was very successful day for both Ten Thousand Villages and our IWG. We were able to promote the day throughout our branches and draw new customers to the store. We were able to speak to the regular customers in the store about how the Y supports international development across the globe. As an extra bonus, we fundraised over $1,100!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the holidays behind us, we’re now looking forward to our exchange with YMCA Camp Artigas in Uruguay. Kristen Schmidt, the Aquatics Coordinator in our Downtown Branch, will join Tara Molson from Regina and Marjan Mogharrabi from YMCA Guelph on a four week adventure that will see them integrate new programming into Camp Artigas, and learn about this successful Y Camp, with a view to bringing home a greater understanding of our partner. </span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Submitted by Mel Marginet</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Member, IWG</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>Stay tuned for our announcement of the Peace Medal recipient!</i></b></span></span></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-544414270612772052011-12-22T11:42:00.000-08:002011-12-22T11:55:45.221-08:00Happy Holidays!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Holidays to all our friends in communities near and far - we wish you all the best this season and hope that 2012 brings you peace and joy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The International Working Group is looking forward to an exciting 2012 as well! Watch for posts announcing our Peace Medal recipient, updates on our Exchange with Camp Artigas in Uruguay and much more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can now sign up to receive notification of our latest blog posts via email. Simply enter your address in the blog tool in the right hand column.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We look forward to connecting with you in January!</span>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-62198551491424130932011-12-08T13:19:00.000-08:002011-12-08T13:19:58.794-08:00Youth Leaders Peace Jam<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGQgeSOs-Rw_q5Tg65qKbVAe8XyXX2VnX4tPtSjS5WQpneUM9iJFarFvk5TzgQ_V1smJX8UoxultRhquqph_q4Zq1831OdRTtWXKkVQz7IG4cW36Ual0VZprUzOeGUA7NQM9cTPn5XIKM/s1600/DSCN0544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGQgeSOs-Rw_q5Tg65qKbVAe8XyXX2VnX4tPtSjS5WQpneUM9iJFarFvk5TzgQ_V1smJX8UoxultRhquqph_q4Zq1831OdRTtWXKkVQz7IG4cW36Ual0VZprUzOeGUA7NQM9cTPn5XIKM/s200/DSCN0544.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div>The Winnipeg Y’s Youth Leadership program met on November 26, 2011 for Peace Jam 2011. The jamboree is an annual gathering of Y leadership participants from around the city, where teens aged 12-17 can learn about peace, socialize, and meet other youth in the program from around Winnipeg.</div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This year the jamboree was held at the South Branch and over 70</span><b> </b>youth were in attendance<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. The eve</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">ning started off with an introduction from Ken Mason, Manager of the North Y Youth Centre. With him was </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Kalyn Murdock</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">,</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 13px/normal 'Trebuchet MS'; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">a former leadership participant with the Y</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. <b> </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Kalyn</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> told leadership participants about her past experience with the Y. She was first introduced to Y programming when she went to Camp Stephens as a youth in 2-week canoe trip. After returning to camp year after year, and eventually becoming a counsellor at Camp Stephens, she<b> </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">took advantage of an opportunity within the Y to travel internationally and volunteer while doing so.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Later in the evening, participants were separated into groups and led through several different team-building and Peace Week oriented sessions including a role-play activity called “Natura” designed to assist them understand and appreciate collaborative problem solving. The activity, which comes from the <i><a href="http://www.ymca.ca/media/177234/2011%20peace%20week%20activity%20guide-%20english.pdf">YMCA Peace Week Activity Guide</a></i>, was later de-briefed and discussed by the group.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiOK4wRML7rOZWxJ5RwBgLRs-vx7zZ1xFFy8ei10OQxyCHDhlrHvRofHAnVqgS2BYW6K0iWgu_EpT8BbSNKJabEnCFJWkBPvdpVx3m0UkwSfGaQyBFW3Fbxvsky3Gdd439waXIqWhD4SQ/s1600/DSCN0546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiOK4wRML7rOZWxJ5RwBgLRs-vx7zZ1xFFy8ei10OQxyCHDhlrHvRofHAnVqgS2BYW6K0iWgu_EpT8BbSNKJabEnCFJWkBPvdpVx3m0UkwSfGaQyBFW3Fbxvsky3Gdd439waXIqWhD4SQ/s320/DSCN0546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">And lastly, after pizza and a jam-packed evening of activities, the leadership participants headed to the pool and finished their evening in the water.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Submitted by Gordon Chandler</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b><i>International Working Group Member</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b><i>South Leader</i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b><i><br />
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</i></b></span></div></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-56047012493675460502011-11-23T07:10:00.000-08:002011-11-23T07:10:25.373-08:00Meet Our Exchange Participants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyEakhck2nbB7QmwCAzwgI2uYT3YUdxb3X4K__Xq07PypHKM58s_lD1n8CAs6Nxan4J3RXaBdB6pwaDQurkb16g2oe-wgQD7TwI4XfcdSthPvf4LVbpShF8kGgevkxRm4oSBUb8hcVrnH/s1600/peace+week+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyEakhck2nbB7QmwCAzwgI2uYT3YUdxb3X4K__Xq07PypHKM58s_lD1n8CAs6Nxan4J3RXaBdB6pwaDQurkb16g2oe-wgQD7TwI4XfcdSthPvf4LVbpShF8kGgevkxRm4oSBUb8hcVrnH/s200/peace+week+logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5496820283588022" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We asked Kristen, Tara and Marjan to send us a paragraph to introduce themselves and to let us know what this exchange opportunity means to them. As you can see by their responses below, we have no doubt that these 3 young leaders will excel at YMCA Camp Artigas in Uruguay this winter!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kristen Schmidt, Winnipeg</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hello everyone! My name is Kristen Schmidt and I am very grateful to have been chosen for the 2012 Uruguay International Exchange. I have participated in various Y programs since I was very young, and have been employed at the Downtown Y since May 2003. I currently hold the position of the Aquatic Program Coordinator at the Downtown branch. This past June I graduated from the University of Manitoba and received my Bachelor of Arts degree with an advanced major in Spanish and a minor in French. The Y has guided me, and continues to influence me as a leader. I am ecstatic to work at Camp Artigas in Uruguay because I know it will be a rewarding experience. I look forward to helping build leaders in a camp environment, as well as growing as a leader myself. This exchange will accommodate my passion for other languages and cultures. I look forward to experiencing Uruguay, practising Spanish, and building friendships and memories that will last me a lifetime.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tara Molson, Regina</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Growing up in Regina, Saskatchewan, I began working with children at the age of 15 at a residential children’s summer camp. After this, I became camp director, and currently, I am the Programming and Planning Chair for the Camp’s Board of Directors. The knowledge and understanding that I have gained throughout these experiences is invaluable; I now continue pursuing my passion of working with children at the YMCA of Regina, where I am the Director of School Based Programs, overseeing programming in 19 Regina schools.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could not pass up the chance to apply for this exchange opportunity. I am very interested in the work that the YMCA does internationally; and feel that this experience will give me a unique perspective on the YMCA’s global impact. Furthermore, this experience will allow me to bring back practices and ideas to the programs that I manage. As the Director of School Based Programs, I believe that an exchange experience such as this will impact the staff team that I lead, the programs that I develop and the department that I work with.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marjan </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mogharrabi</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hi! My name is Marjan, and I currently live in Guelph Ontario. I am very excited to have been selected for this exchange to Camp Artigas in Uruguay! For the past 3 years, I have been working at the YMCA/YWCA of Guelph, working in a variety of children and youth programs. This past summer, I was the Director of our YMCA summer camps, which was a really fun experience that allowed me to both create and facilitate programs, as well as be involved in the camp by participating in daily activities with the children. Through my years of work experience at the YMCA, including my recent camp experience, I have developed skills that I think would be an asset to Camp Artigas. What is most interesting to me about this exchange opportunity is the chance to gain some unique perspectives and camp practices that may not be common here in Canada. My current experiences have been solely based in North America, and I am interested in broadening my knowledge in terms of camp and recreational activities for children. By participating in this exchange program, it is a great chance to learn, while also building relationships with other participants at the camp. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am currently reading a lot of Spanish books and listening to Spanish CDs to help prepare for the exchange! I am excited to be able use what I have learned soon, and to meet the other 2 girls going to Uruguay! Hope to talk to everyone soon! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we celebrate Peace Week 2011, the International Working Group encourages you to explore how the YMCA and the YWCA serve the various communities they work in across the globe! </span></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-29084409033979073442011-11-21T07:55:00.000-08:002011-11-21T07:56:14.925-08:00PEACE WEEK 2011 | A Call to Action!<div style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8471712740138173" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The International Working Group would like to remind you that Peace Week 2011 (November 19-26) is here! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The YMCA strengthens the foundations of community by fostering social responsibility. We encourage social responsibility by promoting community engagement and leadership, locally and globally. YMCA Peace Week seeks to inspire Canadians to become involved. Join the conversation on the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/YMCA-Peace-Week/154810201205315"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YMCA Peace Week Facebook page</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year’s key concept is a call to action - What Can </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You</span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Do to Promote Peace?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We look forward to exploring this question with you during Peace Week 2011!</span></span></div>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3643087720333898799.post-67755106838163524152011-11-14T08:59:00.000-08:002011-11-14T08:59:10.439-08:00Exchange Participants Selected!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The International Working Group here at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg is excited to announce that participants have been selected for the Camp Artigas Exchange!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kristen Schmidt from Winnipeg, Tara Molson from Regina and Marjan Mogharrabi from Guelph will spend a month at YMCA Camp Artigas in Uruguay this winter.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We look forward to getting to know these participants better, and to hearing their stories as they embark on this adventure in January of 2012.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQk96hxwax1PLfM1zwViQF27aWHbP8LoatpXeNFFKYtuurQjiRHjahALJAMc0nn9PsawysiA5zzKhOuMgnzXbA0Ti5BzNlif2Rh3mGOulKY4d4amnCLrd9jTwEKE6RHq7VHFlyzvKBB2T/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQk96hxwax1PLfM1zwViQF27aWHbP8LoatpXeNFFKYtuurQjiRHjahALJAMc0nn9PsawysiA5zzKhOuMgnzXbA0Ti5BzNlif2Rh3mGOulKY4d4amnCLrd9jTwEKE6RHq7VHFlyzvKBB2T/s320/04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Congratulations Kristen, Tara and Marjan on being selected for this exciting opportunity! </span>Winnipeg Y Internationalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15331352241152595411noreply@blogger.com0