Kassia Vrhovnik first got involved in Dare To Be You(th) when she was in the 12th grade, shortly after COVID had settled a bit and things slowly got back to normal.
She was invited by her principal to join in a workshop in 2021 with nine other students, and has been in nearly every program the organization has offered since.
“Either piloting or facilitating it, being present there to show youth that even thought we’ve done it before, it’s important to show up every day,” Vrhovnik says.
Dare To Be You(th) was founded in 2014, and has since grown to more than 1,000 participants annually. When Vrhovnik joined the organization’s community youth council, there were fewer than 10 people on board – that number is now 21.
The organization is a not-for-profit charity that helps youth in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area with free access to programs that build life skills and resilience.
“We have two key modules right now, our leader within program that builds emotional literacy and resilience, and our enhance your finance program for financial literacy skills,” Vrhovnik said.
Financial literacy is something that Dare To Be You(th) focuses on a lot, as schools are not teaching students to budget properly.
“I am going into my fourth year at university, and I took the course in my second year,” Vrhovnik said. “I piloted the program, and there’s so much knowledge that I acquired through it that isn’t something you get in your high school or university education. It was a big eyeopener talking about saving, investing, taxes, budgeting, and setting goals.”
Vrhovnik is going into her fourth year at Western University for biochemistry and genetics, and is hoping to enrol in a compressed time frame nursing program for 19 months.
She said that when she was offered the position with Dare To Be You(th), she felt like it was more of a business student position, but there are aspects of the program that have helped in her studies, and vice versa.
“I’ve met so many people, I’ve been able to talk to nurses and doctors and different people in the medical fields to get their opinion,” Vrhovnik said. “When you’re at networking events and trying to meet new people, they always ask me what are you doing, why are you here, and why do do you stay with this organization after four years? And it’s because you have that network of peer support behind you.”
In May, Dare To Be You(th) won the Mayor’s Award at the Burlington Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.
It was Burlington mayor Marianne Meed Ward’s decision which organization wins.
“As a grassroots charity growing over the past three years, it was incredible,” Vrhovnik said. “It means so much that someone in the community saw what we are doing, saw our purpose, and the important work we’re doing and nominated us. We’re still in awe.”
Dare To Be You(th) is holding its sunset soiree, a charity and arthouse auction on August 8. Tickets to the event start at $232.
