By Jordan Baker
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A Hillcrest School student has been selected from students across the country to enroll in a youth leadership program.
Grade-8 student Dominik Sorenson is taking the next step following his camp experience last year.
"I want to be able to actually learn how to lead people, and in the end, I want to be a counsellor, too," said Dominik.
He is now heading off to attend the ROOTS program, the first level of the youth leadership program, though he attended the Children's Ranch last summer in Kananaskis Country, Alta. This year, his fellow students Brandy Slager and Brooklyn Rice were selected to attend the summer camp at the ranch.
Participants at the ranch like being among the Rocky Mountains and trying various activities like horseback riding, rock climbing and white water rafting.
"You can only go once to Tim Hortons camp as a camper. Dominik looked into the youth leadership program because he saw how well he was treated there and really wanted to go and do that," said Sara Pippus, community educator at Hillcrest.
He may now attend the youth leadership program for the next three to four years to become a youth leader acting as a counsellor to the other children who go to the camps.
"You had to do a certain amount of volunteer hours," said Dominik, who matched the requirements and was selected based on his application.
"That's something he sought out on his own," added Pippus, who said she often looks for opportunities for Hillcrest students. "He brought this to me and said, 'what do you think? Do you think I could apply for this? Do you think I could actually do the hours?' I said you could if you want to."
Pippus and Dominik discussed what he wanted to do and how he could meet the application requirements. He went door-to-door asking for donations to the Salvation Army food bank and shoveled driveways throughout the winter.
Now he is attending the leadership program in St. George, Ont. for 10 days this summer. He leaves July 3.
"We aren't just going there for the games. We're actually going there to be leaders. I think it's going to be fun to meet new people."
He did receive a solid base of training during the experience at the camp last summer, and he will use that heading into the leadership program.
"They trained us a lot, and we did a lot of fun things," he said about his last summer at the camp. "I'm really a fan of archery but I'm not that good at it."
It was his first time shooting a bow and arrow, something he hasn't done in Estevan.
"You get to meet a lot of new people. It's really exciting to go to a different place and to be doing different things. We ate cool food," he said, smiling.
He said the camp counsellors have fun nicknames like Dare and Wolf, representing certain experiences of their past.
Pippus noted the goal of the camp is to give underprivileged students the chance to experience camp in a setting that's "pretty marvelous."
"These are things that most kids would never, ever do. They teach them leadership skills, things like how to get along with each other. They teach gratitude," she said.
The campers will spend some time writing letters home and can enjoy some quieter moments away from the high-energy activities the camps provide.
"I really loved the idea of the kids experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Dominik's the exception to the rule. He had to apply and then be chosen from a whole bunch of children from across Canada for the Roots program," said Pippus.
"I think it's really special. It's a good thing for him. He took the initiative himself and said 'this is something I want to do.' It's something exciting because he was chosen from a lot of kids that could be going. I think that will give him a heightened sense that it's something really important that I think will guide his future quite strongly."
