Edgar
Hello! My name is Edgar Maldo, and I am a 19-year-old student at Concordia University. I spent a large amount of my childhood in the urban part region of the Philippines before moving to the city of Montreal, Quebec, in 2010. Although I originally lived within the Filipino culture for haft of my life, I appreciated the chance to be taught and influenced by the Canadian/Quebecois culture. Thanks to this fact, I was able to be more socially aware of the different issues which affect both my current and old community. For example, when I was a child in the Philippines, I used to think flooding was such a blessing since it allowed me to fish and get new pets for my house aquarium. However, now that I am older and was taught by academic institutions and environmental organizations about the causes and consequences of natural disasters, I am that such occurrence is nothing but a blessing but instead should be a signal that we youths and the generation before should make a difference. Indeed, much like the film “Parasite” by Bong Joon-ho, more specifically the thunderstorm scene, although most of us are unaware, we, the people on the top of the hill, and our affections general negatively impact the environment of those on the bottom hill, people in third world countries. I am passionate about nature and cultural values since it is through this that I can connect and help people in the same or worse scenarios as my childhood self.
Experience
Through the years, I was unaware of what it means to be an environmental activist until I met C-vert, a youth organization dedicated to instructing and helping youth develop their social /environmental /political awareness and leadership skills. Thanks to the experience I have developed, I participated in other initiatives of local organizations such as Conseil Jeunesse CDN-NDG, Carrefour Jeunesse, and Santropol Roulant. Moreover, the Evergreen Youth Lab conducted by Ms. Tihani S. further solidified my conviction of the importance of participating in community and environmental initiatives since a tiny action could lead to a more significant and more positive impact. Through this experience, I was able to chat with many other youths about what it means to be socially engaged, learn about different ways to make a difference, and realize that many other youths have the same values as us and are doing many wonderful things to make a difference. Indeed, through this experience, I can say that I am not alone in this movement and that it takes a team to make a difference.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, I like local organizations such as C-vert and Evergreen Youth Lab since it allows me to have an open dialogue with many like-minded individuals no matter the background (race, colour etc.), and it enabled me to have hope that the new generation is open to change and is determined to do so. Finally, these organizations help me and many other youths develop the necessary skills, connections and knowledge to make a real difference within our community. For example, I have my leadership skills since my C-vert animator allowed me to lead an environmental project, and it has been helpful to me on many occasions, such as community work and college group projects.
“On this battlefield man has no better weapon than his intelligence no other force but his heart.”
— Jose Rizal