Wii are All Unique
This is the message that 16 year old Megan Beaudoin wanted her peers to embrace through her YouthScape HRM and Mavericks project called iUnique. This project began as an idea to give youth a space where they could express themselves and allow their peers to understand what they were going through. The idea was inspired by the fact that many people judge ‘different’ behavior as being weird or unacceptable which causes unnecessary conflict between peers both in school and in the community.
“Throughout my own life, I have seen too many tears, too many people willing to give up their lives because they didn’t belong…a huge issue [is] youth not seeing what their peers are going through, therefore they bully because they don’t understand” says Megan. |
 |
This realization that her peers needed to come together and open up about the challenges in their lives led Megan to start holding events called Wii are Unique Lunches with the support of YouthScape HRM and Mavericks. At these lunches a Wii Nintendo system was brought to the high school every second Friday to bring the youth together and encourage a safe space where they could choose to express the challenges they were facing in their life.
“[My peers] deserved to get up in front of their peers and truly express what they have gone through (good or bad) without any fears of being shut down. Once others know what someone has been through there always seems to be more of an understanding between them” says Megan.
After the great successes of the Wii are Unique Lunches, Meagan was encouraged to apply for a YouthScape HRM grant – which she received! This exciting opportunity gave Megan a chance to expand her idea to reach more youth. This grant allowed her to plan and carry out iUnique Day where 9 classes from her high school gathered in their auditorium to have a safe space for sharing their stories. Though she did encounter some challenges during the event, iUnique Day still accomplished the goal of giving youth a space to share and “these lessons learned can only make iUnique stronger” says Megan.
 |
Throughout the entire process of planning and carrying out her project, Megan recognized the important role that the adult allies at YouthScape HRM played in supporting her. The workshops offered through YouthScape HRM called Act Outs, gave her the opportunity to connect with other youth project leaders and exchange ideas and advice. Furthermore, the connections she made with adults at HRM were essential in creating the supportive environment she needed for her project to come to life!
Currently iUnique has 21 members and is continually expanding.
|
| “We are trying to make sure that if there is a student out there that feels left out or alone, that we let them know there’s someone else out there just like them.” – Megan Beaudoin. |
