Determined and committed
Summerside youth part of national council for Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
SUMMERSIDE – The large cast on Chloe Woods’ foot wasn’t slowing her down any as she herded a group of youth at the Summerside Boys and Girls Club.
“I just hang out with the kids and play over there, from after school ‘til six o’clock,” she said.
Woods is 17 and in Grade 12 at Three Oaks Senior High school. Three afternoons a week she works with kids from Kindergarten to Grade 6.
Recently, Woods missed a step while walking and hurt her foot. When she received a call from her doctor to say a bone in her foot was indeed broken, she went to clock in for her shift anyway.
“Why are you here?” asked her boss.
“I just found out in the parking lot, I’m not going to go home,” Woods replied.
She used her supper break to get the boot cast at a clinic before returning to finish her shift.
It's that determination and commitment that likely got her nominated to be a part of an upcoming national event.
The Summerside Boys and Girls Club recommended Woods to be part of the 2021 National Youth Council in Vancouver. Together, the Youth Council will plan activities, recruit speakers for seminars and co-ordinate icebreakers.
Woods applied for the national council at Coulombe’s encouragement. One day at school, she got an email but didn’t open it right away.
“You gotta read it,” messaged Lydia Coulombe, Youth Program Director at the club and Wood's co-worker.
At lunch, Woods looked again.
When she saw “congratulations” in big, bold letters, she knew she was headed west.
“It got real,” she said.
Her mind went to work right away.
“OK, I’m the voice for Prince Edward Island in Canada. How am I going to make an impact? How is the little Island going to have a big voice in all this?” Woods asked.
Her initial concerns were soothed when the group chats for other participants were welcoming and inclusive.
“It’s very easy to get your opinions out there.”
She was a natural choice to represent P.E.I. and the Summerside Boys and Girls Club, said Coulombe.
“Chloe has been here for 10 years. She has basically a lifetime of involvement and experience. She’s seen all sorts of different things happening here, she’s been through almost all of the different programs we have here,” said Coulombe.
“She’s a big part of the club.”
Woods believes in the importance of the after school hang out.
While she usually works with the youngest group, she’s welcomed by the older kids as well.
“(The Boys and Girls Club) makes an impact on their day. If they’re having a bad day,
I’ll try to turn that around for them,” she said. “We just try to change their day a little bit so that it ends on a positive note.”
“Chloe’s very good at helping them,” added Coulombe.
“(She) has a very warm personality. She’s almost always in a good mood and that’s quite infectious for the people around her.”
Woods said a lot of the kids don’t have a place to go after school, so the Boys and Girls Club fills the time.
“It’s a space for them to get things done before they go home,” said Woods.
“If they weren’t here, they could be lacking in friendships or a place for them where they know they belong.
“Sometimes at school, it’s hard to truly belong to something if they don’t know who they want to be. So, this is a safe place for them to find out who they want to be.”