A Wallaceburg high school and a local event committee are hoping to see more youth volunteering in the community.
The Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing (WAMBO) and Wallaceburg District Secondary School have teamed up for a new initiative called "The WAMBO Youth Ambassador Program".
WAMBO Director Brian Armitage says the program puts an emphasis on volunteering in the community for the younger age groups. However, there is an incentive. Armitage says two graduating students (one male, one female) will receive each receive a $1,500 bursary.
"The bursaries this year will only [be eligible ] for the Grade 12 graduating students," he says. "But if you have someone in Grade 11 right now, they just may look at that and say 'hey here's a nice bursary, I'm going to get some volunteer hours in.'"
Funding through this program will be dedicated to post-secondary education -- whether that's at a college or university, or through a trade or apprenticeship program.
Armitage says the "WAMBO Ambassadors" would be responsible for going to WAMBO and attending any events leading up to it.
"We have them scheduled for different events -- there's a car parade, a boat parade, there's a fire truck parade, there are other good activities that they'll be involved in, " he says. "It's basically just being good ambassadors and talking to everybody."
Students who are interested must complete an application by noon on June 1. Applicants must have more than 40 hours of volunteer experience, which is required as part of their school curriculum.
Applications must be sent to ambassador@wambo.ca. They must include a resume, a reference letter, and a 700 to 1,000-word essay on “why volunteering is important to you and your community”.
The successful candidates will be announced in June. The awards will be presented on August 11 during WAMBO.