12Jun19 Adventures in Citizenship

My name is Hannah McIntyre and I feel very honoured to have been granted the opportunity to attend the adventures in citizenship conference but I feel even more honoured to be here today to share with you my experience. Before I get started I would like to showcase my application video entry that I created as a further insight as to what it means to me to be Canadian.

 

Day 1. My parents dropped me off at the airport and then reality sunk in that I knew not a single soul on this journey that I was embarking on. Although, that was soon to change, I was terrified of the unknown. What if my host family didn’t like me, what if they spoke French, what if nobody liked me but most of all what if this entire conference was about politics rather than the leadership skills I was looking to gain. So before I knew it I was taking off from the small yet efficient London International airport. I was sitting beside a stranger but one who looked similar to myself, lost, scared and hesitant as to ask if I too was attending this program. But eventually I gathered up the courage to tap her on the shoulder and ask. After arriving at the much bigger airport in Ottawa, I met my host family, Willis and Nancy and standing right beside them was my sister for the next few days but my friend for life.

 

The next day, bright and early I was facing an even bigger fear, 200 strangers. Yikes. We gathered in an auditorium and were greeted by a few Rotarians. I took a deep breath, straightened up my posture and walked through the doors which I would soon find out to be the doors to one of the most amazing opportunities that I have experienced. One of the first things I was instructed to do was to step outside of my comfort zone and for some that may be meeting new friends, for some that might have been giving their opinion or for me it could have been trying a taco for the first time. All jokes aside though, I accepted this challenge and within the next 15 minutes I put it to the test by hesitating to put my hand up when the crowd was asked who was a member of an interact club. I was then asked to come up on stage and give some insight as to what in fact is interact but also the types of projects that we do. This was the moment that I realized that I was meant to be here, at this conference with some of the nations most influential youth. The first speaker that we listened to that day was Fredrick Dryden and he changed my entire outlook on this journey called life. He started off by saying “how many of you have ever been told that idea is crazy?” he then proceeded to say how he has been told that so many times in his life but he congratulated us for having that ambition. Growing up he was faced with many burdens such as violence, witnessing violence on his sister and being passed from house to house but all of those struggles triggered inspiration and motivation to stop others from feeling that was which is why he founded Liberty for Youth, an organization which helps youth heal and live up to their full potential. This opened my eyes to how you can take a negative situation and turn it into something beautiful. Then we had the privilege of visiting the war museum which was nothing short of breathtaking. It is filled with real life artifacts and the most emotional aspect was how they played real life phone calls that took place between nurses, pilots or even families finding out that their son/husband had passed. We had the opportunity to listen to the grueling effects war had on just one family which really put into perspective just how lucky I really am.

Day 3

This was my favourite day and for many it was because of the parliament buildings but for me it was because I was able to meet lasting friends but I guess sitting in Justin Trudeaus chair in the new house of commons was cool too. We listened to the actual speaker and like I mentioned before, I am not up to date on politics but this entire experience was filled with hidden messages and his talk was just one of them. He addressed how stubborn people are when making a law or discussing an issue but for me, I realized that even in my own environments if I’m stubborn and don’t try to see where others are coming from then I will have a really hard time getting things done because team work makes the dream work. Later that day, we had a speaker talk to us about conflict and how it is so simple to deal with but no body wants to put their pride aside to come up with a solution. The night was topped off with a talent show and boy was I ever amazed.

 

Day 4

We met at the university of Ottawa and I instantly fell in love, I don’t know if it was the campus, the fact that we were in a health science building or the fact that the cafeteria had a noodle bar but if I wasn’t considering going there before, I am now. The tour was so thorough and I didn’t just feel like another tourist there, I felt a connection. After that, we visited Algonquin college and this was such an amazing experience. I was very surprise at how much it had to offer but when the speakers began to speak, I realized that it was much more than a college. I learned how resilient and forgiving the Indigenous people were of our destructive actions and it was honestly very humbling to have met such humble people. They shared part of their culture with us and it was very cool to be able to make connections to what I was learning in my world religions course on things such as the medicine wheel and pow wows. We had a young man pour his heart out in his songs as he expressed his frustrations of the past but also his hope for the future. It was another person who used their passions to make a change which seemed to be a common trend. He said one quote which really stuck with me “Anger does not solve problems, solutions do” and I think this is why Indigenous people live such fulfilling lives. They don’t hold grudges even towards people who have stripped them of everything but they find comfort and peace in solutions. This day was very moving for me. That night we celebrated our last night together with a dance party and let me tell you, the floor was quaking. After 3 exhausting hours of doing the Macarena, we parted our ways.

 

Day 5

The last day was here before I knew it and it was bittersweet for me. I was excited to come back home with all of these new lessons and skills to offer to my community but I was also devastated to leave all of my new empowering friends. The morning started off by watching a real life citizenship ceremony. This was so emotional for everyone in the room. It was something I will never forget because of the look on the new citizens faces was priceless. I made a promise to myself in those moments to never take being Canadian for granted ever again because to say I am lucky is an understatement. I will forever be touched by this ceremony and after making that promise we were invited to reaffirm our citizenship which was a great new beginning for me. Later, we went to the shaw center for our goodbye lunch. We had a representative from each province or territory that was there and they each gave us insight to their experience. We were joined by the mayor of Ottawa and our host families. Our experience was wrapped up so beautifully and it was one that I will cherish for a while. The plane ride home was nothing short of sad but to this day, I am still in touch with some of these people. This is news to my mom as well but I am planning on visiting my friend Grace in Victoria this summer. I cannot thank the rotary club enough for blessing me with the opportunity to attend and experience something so moving and unforgettable.

 

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