MFS(E) has a great opportunity for CAF teens from all over Europe to meet up at the Youth Leadership Conference (YLC). I was lucky to be able to attend the conference last year and again this November in Maastricht, Netherlands. I absolutely loved every minute of it and recommend it to all Canadian youth 13-18 living in Europe. Here are just a few reasons why YLC is the best!
1. Meet Teens From All Over Europe Whether you live in Germany or Italy, Latvia or the UK, every CAF youth is invited to attend! This means teens get the chance to meet Canadians living all over Europe who are in the same situation and have had to go through some of the same challenges as them. Being remote personnel, it was an opportunity for me to really get into the MFSE community and be surrounded by more Canadians than I had seen in the past year combined. 2. Participate in Fun Activities There are tons of games and activities for everyone to be a part of. From intense drawing competitions to team building exercises, there’s never a dull moment. Youth get the chance to challenge themselves, build strong friendships and gain new experiences. I have had so much fun these past two years that I wish I could just keep going even when I get back to Canada. 3. Gain Useful Leadership Skills YLC is a great place to learn about what it means to be a leader and how you can develop your skills to become a great one! From communication skills to problem solving, we all come out of the conference ready to tackle the world and apply all of the new skills we’ve learnt. 4. Take Advantage of a Great Opportunity The conference is held once a year in the Netherlands. For some, YLC is a chance to visit a whole new country and for others it’s a chance to get together with a big group of Canadian teens. No matter, it’s an opportunity to get away from home for a few days and try something new!
5. Have Lots of Laughs For 3 nights and 4 days, the fun never stops! Everyone is there to have a good time and meet new people. There are activities to get to know each other better and free-time to hang out with new-found friends. Going two years in a row allowed me to meet up with old friends and make tons of new ones as well. With social media, we all stay in touch and some of us have even planned to meet up again in the near future! The only downside to the Conference is that we have to go back home. But YLC happens every year so if teens want to experience it again or couldn’t make it out the year before, there’s always another one around the corner! Check out the CAF webpage for more info on YLC.