Although many youths these days are portrayed as worthless layabouts who think of nothing more than eating and, well, being lazy, there are many out there who defy that stereotype and work tirelessly to better themselves and their community.
Two weeks ago, many past and former BCHS students convened back in the hallowed halls of academe to take part in an event that has defined this community and their high school years — the Lou Rondeau Alumni volleyball tournament.
These young people, the majority of whom have now moved onwards and upwards, did not spend their waking hours in their teenage years sleeping.
No, they spent hours honing their skills on the court.
Sure, for some people playing sports is virtually synonymous with lounging around. But for many more, it’s a way to learn and develop life skills that will stick with them for their entire lives.
Working together towards a common goal? Check.
Communicating effectively? You got it.
Without those two skills, and myriad others, a team falls apart and people regress to the point where they can’t function in society.
Even last week, when 16 high school volleyball teams travelled to Barrhead to compete in the Gryphon Invitational, those young people were working on skills that will serve them well long after they graduate.
Even if they learned nothing from the experience, the fitness they will have incorporated into their days will help keep them healthier in the future, again benefiting society as a whole.
However, sports are not the only way for young people to improve themselves and their community.
Take a look at the 13 teenagers from the Covenant Canadian Reformed School, who recently returned from a trip to California.
The entire point of the trip, according to teacher Quinton Harthoorn, was to help the youths realized that “if you want to do something, then make it happen.”
Or, as has also been said by the Great One himself, “You miss 100 per cent of the shots you never take.”
The lesson there? It’s up to the individual to make something happen.
And that’s what those teenagers did. They wanted to go to California, and they made it happen.
They initiated a number of fundraisers, from clearing farmers’ fields of rocks and running a bottle drive to shovelling snow off rooftops to weeding gardens — all in the name of raising the $10,000 needed to make the trip happen.
Now, they could simply have said ‘Oh, I want to go, but it costs too much. I guess I’ll just sit at home and look at pictures on the Internet.’
But no. They instead said ‘We’re going to make this happen.’
So what are you waiting for? If there’s something you want to do, go and do it.You don’t know what you’re missing otherwise.
