|
 Wojciech
Gryc, 18
Thornhill, Ontario
When the War in Iraq began in March 2003, many politicians and
organizations spoke about their feelings on the subject. However,
there were a lack of youth representation and voice on this
particular topic.
In an effort to get young people to express their thoughts and
opinions on the war in Iraq, Wojciech Gryc founded Five Minutes to
Midnight (FMM) - a project with a mission to give youth a voice
and media outlet that will allow them to become aware and get
involved in political and international issues.
Today, Five Minutes to Midnight is read by over a thousand
subscribers and has volunteers on every continent and has
published a book where the proceeds are donated to youth-based
charities.
In addition to spearheading Five Minutes to Midnight, Wojciech is
also the Chair of Human Rights and a former member of the Board of Directors for
the United Nations Association in Canada - Toronto Branch
|
|
 Daniel
Hammer, 15
Kelowna, British Columbia
At the age of 13, Daniel Hammer started his business, Digger Boy -
a landscaping company servicing the Kelowna community.
Recognizing that he was not able to drive his bobcat on the road
due to his age, he designed and developed a cart that contained
all the lawn care equipment that could be pulled behind his bike.
Daniel was recognized as the Central Okanagan Youth Entrepreneur
of the Year
Daniel is working to franchise Digger Boy and that other youth can
purchase. |
|
 Joseph
Lavoie, 18
Queen Charlotte City, British Columbia
At the age of 10, Joseph Lavoie noticed the problem of excess
trash in the small island city of Queen Charlotte. Despite the
beauty of the island, the roadsides were often littered.
He started to collect refundable containers. He collected so many
that his local Co-op would not accept as many has he had. This
gave Joseph the idea of starting Joe's Bottle Depot - a local
business where island residents can return any number of
refundable drink containers.
Through his perseverance and commitment to landfill reduction, Joe
successfully won a contract from Encorp Pacific to be bottle
return centre for Haida Gwaii.
Motivated initially by a desire to clean up the roadsides of Queen
Charlotte City, Joe's Bottle Depot has grown to employ three
part-time people and now keeps 1.15 million containers a year out
of the landfill. |
|
 Joshua
Liu, 16
Toronto, Ontario
Joshua Liu has always had a flaming passion for Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). At an early age,
he was given the opportunity to participate in various STEM
competitions and programs. He soon learned that this was not case
for many students.
Alarmed by the lack of information that many schools had about
STEM opportunities, Joshua founded SMARTS - the Student Mentorship
Association Regarding Technology & Science. A student run
initiative with the goal of exposing all students to STEM
opportunities, which is vital in maintaining Canada's status as a
world leader in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
SMARTS' main operation is a network of students and schools across
Canada, allowing information on STEM opportunities to be shared
across the nation - this network already has 15 high schools
involved, and continues to grow. SMARTS also offers mentorship
opportunities, a national directory of STEM opportunities and
workshops to support first time science fair participants.
What started out as a one man operation, SMARTS now operates
within the Youth Science Foundation Canada and acts as one of
their key youth programs.
|
