I was lucky enough to get to go to Summit in Kansas City, Missouri this year and there’s so much to share!
I met a lot of cool people from different places and got to make friendships that will last a long time. I was given the pleasure to be awarded the 1 in 100 Award in front of my peers and even some of YVC’s past friends. I was also given a very well-cooked dinner and the honor to hear many different speeches: some with very loud music and some with the corn song.
It was a wild opportunity and I’m very glad to have been a part of it. As a Canadian going to the US, it was a different experience. I went to Target and Walmart, and it was the best thing ever. We don’t have Target in my area, so it was a cool trip down the aisles and seeing what kind of things they had. I saw that in Kansas City there is such a thing as Snickerdoodle Pop Tarts, and they have very big Gatorade bottles. I enjoyed wandering around and seeing what the normal is for the people who live there as we don’t have a Target and the Walmart was quite different. I found out that the people from Kansas City have accents and that their food is seasoned differently.
I also met some very important figures from YVC and even got pictures with them like the one and only David Battey. I even got to hang out with the other two Canadians that came to Summit, and we had a blast explaining Canada to people who were curious. I learned a lot about volunteering, mental health, leadership, and creating a safe environment.
As a somewhat new volunteer I learned more about leading, specifically on how people react to it and how I can make sure those reactions are positive. I will make sure to take what I gathered from Summit back to my local YVC because these skills are very important to learn and they have helped me understand that volunteering has a deeper meaning.
