It’s no secret that pressures for girls to be perfect are at an all-time high. Not to mention that 50% of kids in the Lower Mainland are being bullied. Add to that, struggles with achievement at school, and it’s nearly impossible to build confidence on their own.
Whether it’s bullying, low achievement, high pressure for better grades, or isolation, there’s no question that school is a challenge for many kids.
With a Big Sister at their side, girls don’t have to face these challenges alone. Having a Big Sister transforms what a Little Sister believes about herself—the core of her identity. By trying new things, engaging in new relationships, and questioning perspectives, each Little Sister learns to find her own voice and beliefs in a world that is continually trying to tell her who she is and how she should act.
And, research proves it. 96 percent of adults who had a mentor as a child say they’re happy and 92 percent feel confident.
For some kids that confidence comes from having fun in the community with an adult who is there just for them. For other kids confidence comes from improving academically, socially, and emotionally at school where they spend upwards of 40 hours per week.
The Big Sisters program is built on the foundation of regular outings based on common interests to build a trusted relationship. It’s not about homework.
So, how does Big Sisters reach those girls who need a boost in confidence in their school work?
15 years ago, visionaries at Big Sisters recognized this gap as an opportunity to fill a significant need for emotional, social, AND academic support.
Enter the Study Buddy program, a weekly one-to-one mentoring relationship that focuses on school work. Little Sisters in this program not only improve their academics but also report a higher level of self-esteem.
By leveraging the Big Sisters mentoring model, the Study Buddy program provides at-risk girls with positive role models who build long-term, empowering relationships. And, yeah, they work on homework too.
Do you know a female, transgender, or non-binary child aged seven to 17 who could use a caring adult to help them with their homework?
Every year, the waters of False Creek are brought to life by dragon boating teams from across the world. The Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival marks one of the largest community festivals in Vancouver, offering three days of races, food, music and beautiful scenery to boot. From June 22 to 24, more than 200 teams will be participating in a series of races.
In order to help visitors enjoy one of the most festive and cultural events in Vancouver, they’ve created a list of the top 5 things you didn’t know about the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival.
Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival
The Inception: The festival was founded in 1989, a mere three years after Hong Kong donated and shipped nine traditional teak boats to Vancouver to celebrate Expo 86. This year officially marks the 30-year anniversary of the festival and promises to be the largest yet – with an estimated 6,000 competitors converging on the event from ten countries.
The East Meets The West: Even though the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival is backdropped by BC.’s magnificent mountains, the roots of the festival comes from overseas – China, to be exact. More than 2,000 years ago, in the valleys of southern China, dragon boating was used as a fertility rite during the Summer Solstice to ensure plentiful crops and to avert misfortune.
As legend has it, Qu Yuan, a poet and court official during a period of Chinese unification was despaired at the discord in his country and threw himself into a river. Local villagers paddled into the river to save him and beat drums to scare away the fish. This became tradition during the summer solstice and brightly coloured boats with beating drums will traverse on False Creek during the festival.
To bridge the gap between the East and West, traditional Canadian canoes have been incorporated into the festivities.
International Pull: Every year, the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival attracts attendees and participants from all corners of the world. Besides Canada, there are teams from Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, China and seven U.S. states. While there are mixed teams – such as those combining Americans and Canadians – most teams from abroad consist of paddlers from a single nation. These teams are at the festival to represent their country and experience one of Canada’s greatest cities at the same time.
Let’s Talk About the Real Issues: Besides the local and family-fun appeal, the festival also has multiple teams that focus on a variety of charities or local issues. One of the most prominent and long-standing charity boat teams is Abreast In a Boat, which is made up of breast cancer survivors and has been a part of the festival since 1996.
Another main focus of the festival is youth participation. While there are youth teams and even a youth regatta, there is a concerted effort by the festival organizers to ensure that children and young adults not only attend the event, but also have the opportunity to compete and be employed by the festival too. This was made possible by an investment of over $400,000 by the Canadian Dragon Boat Festival Society in 2017.
It’s Free! The best part of the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival and all its related activities is that it is all free for attendees: whether watching the races or enjoying the musical entertainment and local culture! Each day of the festival is themed – ‘All Access Friday’ is focused on raising money to ensure everyone can participate in sport; ‘International Saturday’ features world-class dragon boat races every 11 minutes for 11 hours; and ‘Championship Sunday’ is just what it sounds like – championship race after championship race.
For more information, follow the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is June 21st but this weekend many local venues are celebrating with special events. The Vancouver Canadians have also started their baseball season, and the legendary Greek Day on Broadway takes place on Sunday. Check out these events and other things to do in Vancouver this weekend listed below:
The annual Richmond Canada Day in Steveston will feature a free, full-day street party throughout Steveston Village alongside the much beloved Steveston Salmon Festival on Sunday, July 1, 2018. Here are 5 features you won’t want to miss:
5 Reasons to Attend Richmond Canada Day
Concerts
The Canada Day Street Party will feature 50 diverse performances on eight stages, including Main Stage performances by Big Sugar, Terra Lightfoot and Vince Vaccaro.
Salmon Festival
The Steveston Salmon Festival is known as Canada’s biggest little birthday party! The festival is famous for its salmon barbecue where over 1,200 pounds of wild salmon filets are grilled over open fire pits. An annual tradition since 1945, the Salmon Festival also features a huge Canada Day Parade through historic Steveston Village. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Summer is just a day away and with the heat already causing us to slather sunscreen on our normally Gore-Tex-covered skin, Vancouverites are looking for ways to cool off. With cottonwood fluff in the air, and the cedars emitting their aromas that smell like home in the PNW, our local Metro Vancouver lakes make for some lovely, scenic day trip destinations. Enjoy a picnic, paddle a canoe, build sandcastles with the kids, take a hike, and definitely cool off in the waters where swimming is available.
Here is a roundup of our beautiful local lakes, thanks to those who have shared their photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool and the #Photos604 tag on Instagram:
Metro Vancouver Lakes
Any more to add? Feel free to leave a note in the comments:
