When ACCA made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Co-operative Youth Leadership Program, one question kept coming up: how can we keep youth and volunteers engaged and connected through the summer?

Liane Courchesne, ACCA’s Youth Program Co-ordinator, took that challenge head on. Her first step was to connect with the volunteers who are the heart of the program.

“I knew that cancelling the program would be tough for our volunteer staff,” said Liane. “I wanted to connect with them first, so we had a three-hour virtual workshop that included energizers, reflection on our purpose and the program, and discussions on how we can stay upbeat and inspired this year.”

With the volunteer staff engaged, it was time to reinvent some of the program activities and move them online.

“It started with posting a Thought of the Day inspiration every morning at 8 a.m., something that we do at the program as part of flag raising,” said Liane. “We then added program hangouts, something we did for our 2019 program participants, which is an opportunity for youth and volunteers to connect. These hour-long hangouts included a self-esteem session, energizers, and a chance to share and catch up with friends.”

The virtual program also included Tuesday Takeovers, where volunteer staff take over the Youth Program social media accounts. The takeovers included fun polls or questions, sharing of pictures, videos and memories from previous years, and evening reflection, another program event.

“We also launched our Virtual Youth Community Connection series, which is a weekly session live on Facebook and Instagram,” added Liane. “These sessions, led by one of our fantastic volunteer staff, are interactive sessions like self-esteem sessions, Zumba, yoga, and meditation.”

Even though the youth program couldn’t take place in person this year, the response to the virtual activities has been very positive.

“Engagement throughout all our social media posts and hangouts has been fantastic,” said Liane. “We have been able to interact with participants, volunteer staff, parents, and those who haven’t been part of the program in a couple of years. I have received messages that these posts and interactions have lifted many spirits and have been encouraging and inspiring throughout the changes we have experienced this summer, which was the whole idea behind starting this engagement: to keep people connected.”

For more information on the ACCA Co-operative Youth Leadership Program, visit www.acca.coop/youth.

You can also follow along on social media:

·         Instagram: warmfuzziesrock

·         Facebook: ACCA Co-operative Youth Program