Volunteer Feature: Kelsang
Kelsang is a fan of organizing and planning. She’s a remarkably involved high school student, with a passion for science and music. She radiates a bookish earnestness and speaks with unusual eloquence, which shines through when she talks about her work. Currently, she is working with a group called Adventures in Science, assembling a presentation that will further familiarize third graders with the solar system. She also works with the Global Ideas Institute, researching what people can do about internet shutdowns, which is when governments curtail their citizens’ access to cyberspace.
Digital freedom is important to her partially because of her Tibetan heritage. Her maternal grandmother emigrated from Tibet to India, which is where Kelsang spent her early years. Moving to Canada at the age of nine, she retained a strong sense of attachment to Tibet. Her culture is a core part of her identity and something she loves to talk about. Music has always played an important part of her life because of this, helping her connect with and honour Tibet through traditional music and dance. She adds, “Our community is very small. It’s important that we preserve our culture and pass it down. I really don’t want that to die out. It’s a big issue with our communities — that we can’t lose hope of freedom.”
After moving to Canada, Kelsang’s memories of India became more vivid with time. When she visited years later, the experience was bittersweet. On one hand, it was a shock to her because India was so different from what she had known as a child. At the same time, it gave her a sense of belonging.
Like most people, belonging is an important theme in her life. Kelsang is a people person. Socializing gives her joy. That hasn’t always been easy to reconcile with the COVID-19 pandemic, though. With her characteristic politeness, she says, “The pandemic hasn’t been a pleasant experience for a lot of people.” She had been involved in all sorts of clubs and sports, but they were cancelled. She couldn’t do the co-op she’d been hoping to do the previous summer. Though she could see her friends online, the digital world can only substitute for so much. In school, the shift to online classes has made it hard to engage with people. When you’re on a screen, in front of a large group of people, it becomes much harder to put yourself out there and talk. Some students disengage because of that, further atrophying the classroom as a social space.
Looking for something to do, Kelsang decided to volunteer at Harbourfront Centre. She’d heard about it from friends before the pandemic and had signed up then, but there wasn’t anything that suited her schedule at that time. After everything was locked down, she decided to try again. There was a fit this time. She was asked to join the Youth Committee, a new entity designed to create digital programming for youth, and so she did.
She admits that, at the start, one of her main motivations was fulfilling her high school community service requirements. “Everyone says you need to get your hours,” she adds. That changed at the first meeting, when things became less abstract. Harbourfront Centre’s volunteer manager, Saskia, led the four committee members through some ice breakers. The icebreakers worked and soon everyone was at ease with each other. Kelsang says, “These were real people who I was looking at and talking to. I got the feeling that I’m really going to enjoy this.” She lights up when she mentions Saskia — “She was so amazing, friendly and nice!”
Each week, a different Youth Committee member leads an icebreaker. They plan activities — a book club, a study group, cooking classes and so on. Separating for a week, they come back with a structured plan, building out a presentation which they can use to affect change, and then plan out their next moves. Since first being introduced, the friendships between the committee members have deepened. The small size of the group fosters a sense of intimacy and comfort — there’s less pressure when you speak up or put yourself out there. With this breathing room, it’s easier to make friends. “It’s also something I chose to do, rather than something I’m forced to do.” The committee members have since added each other on social media. Kelsang is eager to eventually meet them in person.
Of the many initiatives they’ve been organizing, the book club is closest to her heart. It’s very difficult to engage with other book lovers. Many of the people she’s met who love reading just aren’t close by. The book club is an opportunity to find people who are similar to her, but who she might one day see in real life, once the pandemic recedes. Until that time comes, though, digital volunteering at Harbourfront Centre helps satiate her need to socialize. She says, “I feel like I can connect to people from the comfort of my home and create relationships.”
