"GO Canucks go! Go Canucks go! Go Canucks go!"
Vancouver won't be the only community cheering on their favourite team when our local boys take on the Los Angeles Kings in today's must-win game in round 1 of the NHL playoffs. A group of new fans at a school in Kigali, Rwanda will also be lending their support.
Introduced to the team by North Vancouver resident and youth worker Mark Koop and his co-worker Charlotte Browning during a March trip to get their ducks in a row before returning with a team of Lower Mainland students to volunteer this summer, the Rwandan children caught Canucks fever in a video that's gone viral.
The duo screened their video at Hockey Night in Rwanda, a fundraising event held at North Shore Alliance Church April 7 in support of the upcoming humanitarian trip. The event featured a viewing of the Canucks' final win of the season over the Edmonton Oilers that gave the team the Presidents' Trophy.
Koop, 42, who works as North Vancouver area director of Greater Vancouver YFC/Youth Unlimited and a youth pastor at North Shore Alliance Church, never dreamed their video would garner so much attention.
"Because we were in Rwanda, we thought, 'Let's film something that we can show just prior to the (game). Just to get everyone pumped up, before the national anthem' . . . . We thought it would be fun to get Rwandan kids, who know nothing about hockey, to cheer for our team," he says.
The video (viewable at vimeo.com/39972541) features interviews with Rwandan children about hockey. When Koop asked which team they were rooting for, all except one - a young boy named Magnifique - chose the Canucks. However, as the video continues, Magnifique's loyalty is swayed and he joins his exuberant peers in the popular chant: "Go Canucks go!"
The video has been picked up by CTV, Sportsnet and earned a story on the Canucks' website. It's also been viewed by some of the players themselves.
"I sent it to my friend Brian and he knows Henrik Sedin personally and so he sent it to Henrik and Henrik texted him back and said 'I love it!' And he said, 'I'm going to send it to all the guys on the team. They've all got to see this,'" says Koop.
Over a week old, the video has garnered more than 4,500 Vimeo views and counting.
Not just about hockey, the video is representative of Koop's goal of forging connections between local youth and those in need, both in their own community and elsewhere around the world.
"I really think that our students are amazing and they have real empathy and compassion for people. . . .," he says. "We have a huge responsibility as individuals to find our own way of looking out for the needs of others and fighting for justice for people locally and globally."
Youth Unlimited is a nonprofit, non-denominational Christian organization that mentors youth, ages 13-19, across the Lower Mainland through a variety of programs. Its mission is to transform a generation, from the inside out and Youth Unlimited often partners with other community groups that share its focus on teens.
"We give youth the opportunity to explore what it means to be a whole person - so physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually as well," says Koop. "We find that kids don't often have places to discuss things like that, especially when it comes to spirituality. . . . We help provide that and look at who we are as human beings in a holistic way."
Participation in programs is open to teens from all religions and backgrounds, ranging from those who are marginalized to community leaders. By bringing both groups together, Koop sees a huge learning opportunity, with each having a unique perspective that can inspire the other.
Youth Unlimited offers a number of programs on the North Shore, including a weekly skateboard club that tours different skate parks. Through working with the skateboard community, Koop helped launch CityFest, an annual festival in its eighth year, presented by youth for youth, with the support of countless community partners that have since come on board. This year's is set for May 5, from noon to 4 p.m. in North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre parking lot and adjacent skate park. The event will feature a skateboard competition, entertainment, art displays and a barbecue.
Youth Unlimited also offers an annual road trip skateboard camp dubbed Road Rage, conducts ongoing work in local schools (including Keith Lynn Alternate secondary), and helps run a youth group at North Shore Alliance Church that has a strong focus on community and global service projects.
A major focus for Youth Unlimited is its ongoing Rwanda initiative, entitled The Elevation Project. Since 2007, the organization has had a partnership with Kigali Christian School (KCS) and Rwanda Youth For Christ. A sponsorship program was created, seeing Lower Mainland families commit to sponsoring 140 children who had previously been unable to attend KCS due to their financial situation. Since 2008, Youth Unlimited has taken a group of Lower Mainland students every other year to volunteer at the school, assisting with a variety of projects, from school renovations, to building houses and fixing roads.
"When we take kids to Rwanda, it opens their eyes to the whole issue of poverty and poverty on every level," says Koop. "It's not just about their finances and about economics, it's also about poverty of spirit and poverty of lack of relationship and lack of community. . . . Rwandans are quite rich in some areas that we're very poor in, like the way they care for one another. They're very rich in that. They really look out for each other's needs in ways that we're afraid to do. . . . . When kids are exposed to that in Rwanda, it changes the way they look at relationships and how they interact with people in their community here."
A group of 14 youth, 10 of whom are North Shore residents, will be in Africa, July 16-Aug. 6, to help run camps.
The Elevation Project has made a strong impression on past participants. For example, two North Shore Grade 12 students, Chris Vanderkooy and Peter Wilton, who attended the 2010 Rwandan trip, have since launched a tie-dye T-shirt initiative, Make A Difference Or Dye Tieing (www.madodt.com), with funds supporting KCS' meal program, Food For Thought. "They're raised, literally, thousands of dollars. . . They just do that on their own time and are really, truly, making a difference," says Koop.
"There is a culture here of young people that really do care about the needs of others," he adds.
For more information on Greater Vancouver YFC/Youth Unlimited, either to get involved or to support its array of programs, visit www.youthunlimited.com. For more information on The Elevation Project, visit www.elevate-rwanda.com.
