Toasting teens
Students stage a celebration of youth

Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 28/99) - Youth achievement doesn't come without sweat, hard work -- and a few laughs.

So says Samera Hess, one of the organizers of the Yellowknife Youth Leadership Awards Banquet held Tuesday night at the Elk's Lodge hall.

"Every step has been frustrating to the point where you want to choke someone," she said. "But it's been so much fun, and we couldn't stop laughing even while we were decorating the hall."

One of the founding members, the Grade 12 St. Patrick high school student said the committee was formed last year when the city began considering implementing a curfew. Hess said students at both St. Pat's and Sir John Franklin high school began looking at working with the city and establishing a sort of YTV-awards night to recognize the contributions youth make to the community.

The 18-year-old said the city and local sponsors like the Yellowknife Elk's Lodge and First Air and Air Canada quickly embraced the idea.

"They're supporting us," she said. "We went to the city and a budget meeting and I guess the city and corporations realized youth are a valuable resource and knew their money wouldn't be wasted -- and we invite them along to see what we've been doing and update them, too."

Hess said anyone under the age of 19 could be nominated for Tuesday's awards -- which fell into some 15 categories, like drama and sport, as well as presentations by the high schools' Students Against Drunk Driving clubs. But she was quick to point out that the awards were only an indication of the hard work performed by all participants in the city.

"We don't look at it like there is one winner," she said. "Everyone who comes is a winner."

But among the more prestigious of the awards was Youth of the Year, a title taken by St. Pat's Angela Masongsong for her high-level involvement in a number of fields.

"I love being out there -- it's just about getting to know people and having fun," said the 18-year-old. "I just wanted to meet people when I started out in Grade 9 and the teachers saw that I liked getting involved, and they gave my name to Storefront (for Voluntary Agencies)."

"I helped build the youth program there and then started getting more involved with the community."

Sir John's Erin Nicholls backed up Masongsong. The Grade 10 student serves as secretary at the committee's weekly meetings and said the committee generates a real feeling of both fun and shared responsibility.

"It's great to celebrate everything that youth have done in the community," she said.

Nicholls said that with the exception of some sound problems earlier in the evening, the banquet went off with nary a hitch. Certainly the packed house appeared to agree.