Across Newsletter July 2023

Message from Executive Director

毫無疑問，疫情給我們的實體活動造成了巨⼤的困難。吸 引參加者出席已成為⼀項艱鉅的任務，義⼯培訓和參與度 受到顯著影響。我們的團隊就像熱鍋上的螞蟻 樣在努⼒ 找出路，我們開了無數個會議，建議過數不盡的個案，儘 管經歷很多令⼈沮喪的時刻，但圑隊從未氣餒，這充分體 現了我們經常強調的「韌性」。

為了迎接這個夏天，我們重新開始，將義⼯組 重新聯

繫。縱然活動的推廣和執⾏有很⼤的改變，然⽽，義⼯參 與燃動青年的熱忱始終如⼀。許多新加⼊的義⼯形容參與 燃動青年的⼯作有很多意想不到的得著，不能⽤三⾔兩語 形容出來。

這是每⼀個義⼯的共通感受，是⼀種歸屬感和包容不同意 ⾒的堅持，是⼀種集體經营的態度，這種態度經過應對疫 情的測試，依然是我們團隊珍視和嚮往的核⼼價值觀。

在逆境和挑戰時期，想起義⼯的無私付出和幫助⾄關重 要，我們 起努⼒不僅克服了挑戰，⽽且成為現實⽣活中 的課堂，對我們所服務的年輕⼈的⽣活產⽣有意義的影 響。

Nicole Wong

Message from Executive Director

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has created immense difficulties in engaging young people in physical activity. Attracting participants has become a formidable task, and volunteer training and engagement have been greatly affected Despite these obstacles, our team has remained working tirelessly to navigate through numerous meetings and proposals. However, despite these hurdles, the team has never given up, which fully reflects the "resilience" we often emphasize.

As we gear up for the summer season, we are excited to reconnect with volunteer groups one by one. While we have had to adapt our strategies for event promotion and execution due to significant changes, the passion of our volunteers remains steadfast Many new volunteers have expressed their astonishment at the transformative and indescribable experiences that are truly incredible and life-changing

At the heart of Across U-hub lies a shared sense of belonging, a willingness to embrace different opinions, and a cooperative management mentality These qualities serve as the the guiding principles that our team cherishes and upholds.

During times of adversity and challenges, it is crucial to think of the selfless dedication and help of volunteers. Our efforts together not only overcome challenges, but also serve as a real-life classroom, making a significant impact on the lives of the young people we serve.

Highlights of City Mosaic

With the perfect weather on June 3rd for participants to discover the beauty of the City of Markham. The City Mosaic 2023: Stories in the City was successfully held with more than 100 participants and friends joining us.

The participants gathered at the Milne Dam Conservation Park in the morning and headed their way up to Markham Main Street either on foot or by bike to connect with the history of the Markham Village neighbourhood and the multiculturalism of the City of Markham.

Prior to the exploration on Markham Main Street, participants also took part in the Human Libary sessions. Our 6 living books have various backgrounds: from a founder of a non-profit organization that focusing serving the community with a trishaw; a young local-born traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, an official Historian of Peter Street, to a Lebanese-Torontonian percussionist They all engaged with our City Mosaic participants to share their stories that happened in Markham.

Tiffany Ore

Exploring along Markham Mainstreet, participants visited different stores or checkpoints to connect with the owners and locals to know more about their stories and the heritage of this neighbourhood Team challenge games were also set up to test the participant's team spirits. The Markham Fire Services opened fire station 97 for City Mosaic participants to have a closer look at what a firefighter does daily and what is the function of a daily operating fire truck.

We wrapped up the day with a closing ceremony and a barbeque refreshment back at Milne Dam Conservation Park. For many participants, they are new to the country and this is their first time exploring Markham in such a thorough way and shared that they got new and interesting findings in this adventure.

Thank you for all the participants joining us and we hope you all discovered a little bit more of the beauty of the City of Markham. Our program would not have been successful without the help of our volunteers and sponsors Thank you for working with Across U-hub to bring out such a rich experience for our participants.