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Upcoming SPARC Fair aims to help youth find passion

Calgary based hip hop artist, Transit, to headline local event
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H.J. Cody student Boris Katzmanzyk shared his passion for music at a Cafe Voice event in late September. An upcoming event in Sylvan Lake will help youth to find their passion.

An upcoming event at H.J. Cody High School aims to help youth find their passion in life at a young age.

Made possible by an Arts & Culture Grant from the Town of Sylvan Lake, the event is being organized by Sylvan Lake Family & Community Support Services (FCSS).

The fair will feature estabilished central Alberta professional with a prevailing passion for their work. Workshops during the day available to youth span a variety of areas including cooking, visual arts, aesthetics such as hair and make up, filming, directing, dance, yoga, reiki, music and circus arts.

In addition the the multitude of passion driven workshops, attendees will also have the opportunity to hear a keynote performance from award winning Alberta hip-hop artist, Transit. The Calgary based musician regularly charts on Itunes Canada and is known for his mix of introspective lyrics which shed light on bullying, cultural obessions with celebrities and extremist religious practices.

Deshon Lennard, Youth Services Coordinator for the Town of Sylvan Lake, has been planning the event since April. He added Sylvan Lake youth have shown extreme interest in the event with applications flying in at a quick pace. The SPARC Fair is available to students at a cost of $20 for the day with subsidization programs available to youth with finanical barriers.

According to research conducted at Standford University, finding your passion or ‘spark’ in life at an early age has shown to increase the sense of purpose driven by action in youth. William Damon, Director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence and Professor of Education at Stanford University, recently conducted research detailing how young people develop purpose in their civic, work, family and community. He examines how people learn to approach their vocational and civic lives with a focus on purpose, imagination, and high standards of excellence.

In his book, ‘The Path To Purpose’, Damon illustrates a landmark four-year nationwide study conducted on how young people from the ages of 12 26 struggle to find their purpose in life. Citing data from the study and from other recent research, Damon tells how instead of helping young people find enduring, life-fulfilling goals, an emphasis on superficial, short-term success is diminishing their natural optimism and creating a generation of young people who lack confidence and direction as they try to define their futures.

“Students are excited to not only learn new skills and ideas but are also excited to showcase some of their existing ones,” said Lennard, adding a number of the organizations hosting workshops have current involvement from a number of attending students. “In my opinion, it’s about being able to use all aspects of your brain and that creative side of your brain. The activities being showcased in the workshops are meant to show that these activities don’t have to be just for recreation - you can pursue a career in your passion to help you live a more fulfilled life.”

Students are asked to see their school offices and administration for registration forms. An additional application form is available for students with finanical barriers. Registration for the event is being extended due to increase and registrations will be open until Dec. 2.

Check out a few of Transit's tracks below: