Volunteering with HYTES

Greetings current and future HYTES volunteers! It is a real pleasure to share my wonderful experience of working with HYTES. But first, let me introduce myself and my encounter with the organization. I am Bhakti Behere, Economics student at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton. I first met Carol Frost – a HYTES volunteer – at a HYTES booth on campus. In the beginning, I didn’t know the meaning of “HYTES”, but Carol explained that it meant “Helping Youth Through Educational Scholarships”. This description got my attention and made me want to find out more about what HYTES does. As a university student, I believe that every youth must complete his or her high school and have the opportunity to enroll in university.

HYTES is a Canadian, non-profit organization that raises funds to deliver scholarships and provide education to students in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Guatemala. HYTES helps youths from developing countries to explore their reams of education. To do this, they organize fundraising events that are always exciting and entertaining.

Today, I am a new HYTES volunteer. I am enjoying all the events with the organization, especially working with Pam, Jenn, Kirsten, Marisa, Karen, Eric, and Maluk. I have volunteered for one fundraising event – Kokopelli in Concert.... reaching new HYTES on October 25, 2009 at McKernan Baptist Church. I went to HYTES meetings and was assigned task of promotion with Pam for the Kokopelli in Concert event. We made posters and tickets, and of course promoted the event on Facebook. Working with HYTES was a relaxing time away from all my schoolwork and our hard work paid off – Kokopelli in Concert was a huge success for HYTES. While HYTES raised funds for education, they also shared beautiful African music.

My first experience working with HYTES was very positive. Meeting new people and doing different activities is great for students who want to have enjoyable social experiences. HYTES shows how Canadian organizations care for developing nations. HYTES is like a family – anyone who starts working with them becomes part of that family, makes good friends, and gains real world experience through their involvement in fundraising activities.

I still am a volunteer with HYTES and believe I will be for a lifetime.

---Bhakti Behere