Fundraising to attend ACTIVATE

Hello again!

Imagine: you are sitting in Prescott Hall at Carleton University. Seated around you are 49 other youth from across Canada, and everyone is enraptured by a speaker at the front of the room. You have met wonderful new people, learned more about yourself and your abilities, and are chock-full of ideas about ACTIVATING your community. Over the week, your enthusiasm has grown and you are practically itching to change the world. The excitement and energy are practically tangible in the room.
The ACTIVATE forum.

Sounds perfect for you, right?
And then the price tag shock: $500.

If this is a barrier for you, fear not, it was for me too, until I was funded! To provide a little background, I lived in the foster care system for four years prior to the summer of 2009. That August, I decided that I had enough, and I moved into a little apartment on my own. Although I was given some monetary support from the Ministry of Children and Families, I constantly worked to make ends meet – life is expensive! I wanted nothing more than to go to the ACTIVATE forum, but it seemed nearly impossible to afford. To be honest, I considered not bothering to apply.

Can you relate?

The topic of the day: fundraising for ACTIVATE.

I was fortunate to have volunteered with the Rotary Club in my town of Sooke, BC before I decided to apply to ACTIVATE. This wonderful and spirited group of people became familiar faces and I have enjoyed every moment I have spent in their company. When I was speaking to one of the members of my local Rotary about ACTIVATE and my difficulty affording the fee, to my surprise he offered to ask if the club can cover it!

Long story short, I was funded to attend ACTIVATE, and I ended as a volunteer the next year too! There are a couple lessons here: (1) it never hurts to help out around your community because it often helps you out in the future and (2) it IS possible to attend ACTIVATE even if you can’t afford the fee.

As I said, I was funded through the Rotary Club of Sooke, British Columbia. Find your club here: www.rotary.org. Other ACTIVATORS have contacted their local sports teams (professional and local), their Student Council or Student Federation, family members (the ACTIVATE forum for your birthday? Why not!), Leadership classes, even school administration like the Principal or Guidance Counsellor.
Sogo Active is another avenue: https://secure.sogoactive.com/ssldocs/common/aboutSogo.jsf

To conclude: do not let money be the barrier that keeps you from attending ACTIVATE. This forum will change your life, and is worth going the extra mile to fundraise for. If you need any help or guidance in this area, feel welcome to contact the dynamic volunteer team at activatevolunteers@gmail.com. You may need to provide a platform or information relating to ACTIVATE in order to apply for funding – we are happy to help you construct this. Keep us in the loop with what you are doing, even if you don’t need your help, and we can provide encouragement!

Happy Fundraising!

Allison

Allison Burton
ACTIVATE 2011 Volunteer Team Member