Youth Launch in April

Shuswap Youth Launch is a one day, local and virtual, youth empowerment day designed to include youth aged 13+ from throughout the Shuswap and beyond to experience inspiring speakers in a fun inclusive environment and help broaden youth perspectives. This year’s event planned for April 28, 2022 will be a hybrid experience with both an in-person experience at the Salmar Classic Theatre and a virtual experience via Zoom.

The event is organized by youth for youth. The Shuswap Youth Launch team is chaired by Mikayla Wilkinson and fellow Grade 11 SAS students Abbi Paetsch and Cadyn Moraice. They have worked hard to secure their event sponsors and speakers while working out all the details outside of their school day.

The first year, Shuswap Youth Launch was funded by an RBC Future Launch grant along with mentors provided by the Salmon Arm Rotary Club. For 2022, the Rotary Clubs of Salmon Arm and Shuswap have stepped up to the launch pad with a donation of $10,000! Other sponsors include RBC, the Starbucks Foundation, Salmon Arm Folk Music Society, Shuswap Orthodontics, Grant Thornton, and Toliver Design.

The 2022 Shuswap Youth Launch roster of speakers is very impressive:

Sarah Wells

Obstacles don’t scare Sarah Wells. As a 400m hurdler, Sarah earned a reputation for overcoming challenges and achieving the impossible. Take her debut at the London Olympics in 2012, which came despite an injury that had sidelined her for months just the year before. Outside of competitive sports, this athlete is coaching people to pursue their goals through the Believe Initiative, an organization founded on—fittingly—a message of resilience. Most recently you would have seen Sarah pushing her limits on the latest season of the Amazing Race Canada where she was able to apply her tactics in a whole new kind of race! Evidently someone who understands the importance of being resilient and the power of purpose, you’ll want to listen-up when this Olympic semi-finalist and Pan Am Games silver medallist takes the stage.

Joey Roo

Weyt-kp xwexwéytep (hello everyone) Joey Roo is a twenty-eight-year-old Two-Spirit Model and Makeup Artist originally from Simpcw First Nations, but currently resides in Victoria, BC. Joey’s objective is to inspire LGBTQ+ and Indigenous youth through art and expression. Joey has an inspiring story of self-acceptance and finding passion through dark times while bringing to light the importance of asking for help and finding sustainable influences.

Avalon Wasteneys

In her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Avalon Wasteneys was in the stroke seat of the women’s eight that won gold. It was Canada’s first Olympic gold in any women’s rowing event since Atlanta 1996 and the first gold in the women’s eight since Barcelona 1992. Before discovering rowing, Wasteneys was a competitive cross-country skier and a medallist at the junior national championships in 2014. But her perspective on the sport changed as she was nearing the end of high school and her parents mentioned rowing as something for her to try because she could do it while pursuing post-secondary education. Avalon will share with us how she reached her journey of finding trust in herself and how she came to realize what good role models are and where to look for them.

Scott Amis

Founder – Vision and Operations at Haven Sleep Products Limited. Scott and his team have built Haven Sleep Products into one of Canada’s leading mattress companies – and is featured on HGTV. Scott is a business mentor and entrepreneur. He will join us at Shuswap Youth Launch to help youth better understand what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

Anyone is welcome to join us on Zoom; in-person tickets will be held especially for youth local to the Shuswap area.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @shuswap.youth.launch to stay up-to-date on all our event details and event schedule.