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European Youth Conference Celebrates Talent and Builds Connections

Motivation, leadership, talent: that’s what the Canadian Forces (CF) National Youth Model aims to foster in CF teens around the world. The 2008 European Youth Conference exemplified the Model’s success as Youth Committee members from throughout Europe gathered to celebrate their talents, share their experiences and plan future initiatives for young people in their communities.

The conference was held November 14-16 at the Château de Grande Romaine PGL Centre in Lésigny, France. Thirty-four Youth Committee members attended, acting as representatives for CF teens from Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.

“The kids are just amazing,” said Military Family Service Program European Regional Manager Caterina Perry. “They come up with so many great ideas and take such initiative. All of our programming is youth-driven.”

The conference brought the young leaders together to share best practices and event ideas, and hold Youth Committee elections. They also talked about their programs’ current successes and challenges.

Though the youth at the conference were acting primarily as community representatives, each attendee’s individual strengths were also acknowledged through the conference’s “Youth Have Talent” theme. They shared their unique talents for a Speaker’s Corner video played over the weekend. The youth’s honesty and originality impressed the organizers.

“There are some adults that wait their whole lives to understand who they are and what they’re truly great at, but these kids are already figuring it out,” Caterina said admiringly. “The ‘Youth Have Talent’ theme focused on what youth can do now, not someday when they grow up.”

Taking part in PGL-led outdoor activities provided another great way for the teens to identify their individual skills while getting to know one another. (PGL is the UK's leading provider of school trips and educational tours - offering outdoor adventure courses, subject specific courses, overseas tours and ski trips).

“We wanted kids to explore their talents through physical activities outdoors and the mental activities of the conference,” said Lana Vogelaar, Europe Youth Model Coordinator. “For example, one of the PGL activities was a climbing wall. Success for some kids meant climbing halfway up, while for others, to the top. Each youth was able to measure their own success by their own goals.”

The PGL activities also helped build peer support networks. “It was important to affirm that they’re not the only ones in their situation, especially for the kids with a parent who’s deployed,” Caterina said. “It’s a huge benefit for them to have friends to talk to – to vent, to release stress, to share strategies.”

After such a resoundingly successful weekend, Caterina and Lana hope the youth will find ways to keep the conferences going for years to come.

“In three short years, we’ve seen such an incredible amount of growth in our programs, and in our youth,” Caterina said. “These kids have proven themselves to be huge contributors to their own success.”