NOAH'S MARK
BY NOAH RICHARDSON
One Friday evening earlier this month, I was busy in my bedroom with my suitcase sprawled across my bed and a heap of clothes in a pile. The next morning I'd be leaving for Halifax. This was no ordinary trip to one of my favourite cities. I was headed Halifax was to participate in the Go Project. Little did I know, it would be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Founded in 2005 by Michael Shewburg from Islington United Church in Toronto, the Go Project is an 11 day mission and outreach program created for youth ages 14- 19 to participate in a life changing experience while serving others in their wider community. Since its founding in Toronto, the Go Project has added sites in Halifax and Vancouver.
I was extremely nervous when I set out on my adventure.
I wouldn’t know anyone and I felt anxious about being away from home for such a long period of time. However, upon arriving at Saint Andrew’s United Church where I would be housed along with the nine other youth from across the Maritimes and six leaders, I immediately felt welcomed. After sharing a few stories about where we came from, we got down to business. We discussed some of the things that would be happening during the next eleven days.
In the gym area, colourful sheets were plastered on the walls giving an overview of each day's activities. Each morning, after an early rising at 7:15 we headed off site for showers and returned for breakfast. We were separated into three groups with two leaders per group. Rotating each day, one group was put in charge of the kitchen duties, which meant preparing the meals and doing the cleanup. After breakfast, each group set out into the city to preform community service work at a number of community organizations within Halifax.
I had the opportunity to participate in outreach work at a number of locations including Feed Nova Scotia, a distribution centre for Nova Scotia food banks. I was astonished to hear that through their work, 38 000 hungry Nova Scotia families are fed monthly. I also spent some time working with homeless youth at Phoenix House Emergency Youth Shelter which provides young men and women with a temporary home. There we organized some activities for the sheltered youth. At first none of them were interested in our presence, but soon enough, the imaginary wall that seemed to separate us from them came down and everyone became one large group of friends. I had a chance to meet some incredible youth, all with stories to tell. I learned a lot about people that day, and a valuable lesson about judging people. What made the experience for me was running into some of those youth later on in the week and having them remember your name. Every group volunteered at Brunswick Street Mission twice, which meant rising at 5:30 and cooking breakfast for the homeless men of Halifax. It was certainly an experience, meeting some of the men, and dedicated John who works at Brunswick Street every weekday planning the meals. In addition to that work, we spent time volunteering with childcare centre, tending to a community garden and creating art work from recycled garbage. One of the highlights for me, was a street walk, were we roamed downtown Halifax, imagining we were homeless, finding shelters and safe places for youth in trouble to stay.
After full day's work, we would debrief and share stories from our day. The evenings were spent socializing and participating in an evening activity. Before our well deserved sleep, we would have time to journal, followed by an evening vespers service. Our moto for the week, to build and to plant had us discussing amongst the group, how we could build and plant in our own communities. I already have some of my own ideas.
During these eleven days, among some of the finest people I have ever met, I felt extremely motivated. Everyday I would reflect on the powerful moments and people I had met. The Go Project was a chance for me to be able to share my gifts with people who are often left alone. It would be extremely difficult to write about all of my experiences at the Go Project, but I know that they are still imprinted in my mind. How can you make a difference? How could you build and plant in our community?
