Tell us about yourself and your position at YESS!
Hi! My name is Marc Majeau, and I’m a Development Officer with Youth Empowerment and Support Services. I’ve been with YESS since 2022.
You do presentations at schools and empower their giving initiatives. How are school-age youth part of the community that supports the youth who access YESS?
When I’m speaking to students of any age, I let them know that you never really know who is struggling. It could be someone they sit beside on the bus, at lunch, or a classmate. You never know what your neighbor might be going through.
Do you have any remarkable experiences you could share from how schools and students have stepped up to support youth in their community?
I gave a presentation to a junior high in Morinville, and the students were absolutely captivated when I explained to them how much food YESS goes through in a year. When you see some of those numbers, it’s quite staggering. After the presentation, they did a month-long campaign, collecting items for the YESS pantry. When they delivered at the end, it was boxes upon boxes of snacks, about double what they were expecting to collect.
What is one thing you wish the community knew about youth who access YESS?
They’re just kids. We’ve all been one. We know how hard it can be to be sixteen years old (even in the best of circumstances!). People that age shouldn’t have to worry about where they are going to sleep, eat, and shower.