By: Krista Milne
Hi. My name is Krista Milne and I’d like to tell you about my story of me going to a course called CLIC, Community Leaders Igniting Change at SFU.
We met once a week for 3 hours for 12 weeks. I got into this through self-advocacy. One of the Involvement Coordinators of SAS, Self-Advocates of Semiahmoo, suggested I apply and I got in. On the first day, I met the instructor Kathleen and the other students.
We talked about what we wanted to change in our communities; how to speak up for the rights of our community and the people; how to adapt; how to be more involved and helping others in need; and how to speak with others so they understand your ideas. In the class, we encouraged one another to share our thoughts and feelings.
People where honest about how they felt. It was a respectful place to be.
In class, I learned that there are many programs in the community for people to get help. I met people from Options Community Services and many other organizations.
After each class, there was homework which helped me step out of my comfort zone and try new things. I learned about stakeholders.
Stakeholders are the people that are involved in the change you’re trying to make. The stakeholders in SAS, for example, are SAS members, parents, caregivers, coordinators and the people we are advocating for. During the course we had different speakers come in and talk about their charities and organizations.
That helped us to have a better idea of how to deal with challenges and differences.
The last two classes were presentations. I did a speech and PowerPoint about self-advocacy. I felt good about myself during the presentation.
I spoke in front of the class, and my friends and family. I suggest you apply for this course if you are interested in becoming a leader of yourself and others and helping your community.
Please visit: surreyprc.ca/community-leaders-igniting-change/
