Hear from a CYL YAB Member: Meet Anja!

(image is a depiction of Anja’s favorite service project she hosted in 2022. Artwork is an original piece!)

Who was your favorite program partner to work with? Why?

My favorite program partner to work with was the Majestic View Nature Center. Last year, my chapter (Northwest Denver) hosted our event there, and all of the people were so kind. I enjoyed getting to meet one of the head gardeners, and learn how she’s working to create a more sustainable future. It was awesome to hear all of her extensive knowledge of plants and the outdoors, as well as how she’d managed to compost so much natural material that the Nature Center has produced! More recently, the Majestic View Nature Center has also let us host change-maker meetings inside their facility!

Did you find a cause area this year you’re passionate about? What was it, and why?

Yes, I did! I discovered that I find a lot of purpose in participating in climate change/sustainability actions. Most of my favorite events were outdoors, helping to maintain the environment through hands-on activities. I enjoy climate change action because climate change is such a huge issue for our generation. This is our future, and I want to do something to change the course we’re currently on. We’re running out of time to fix things, but when we all work together, I feel like we can truly make a difference.

Why do you choose to serve with CYL?

I choose to serve with CYL because of the supportive community, and particularly the changemaker meetings! Through changemaker meetings, I’m able to find a group of like-minded peers who care about the same cause areas that I do. I’m able to make progress on my leadership skills through them, and learn more about who I am. As a member of CYL, I’m encouraged to be myself—that’s something I haven’t often found in many other organizations.

What inspires you to serve your community?

Something that inspires me to serve in my community is being able to connect with peers, participate in change in the cause areas I’m passionate about, and see our collective impact. I love when we finish helping out at a service opportunity and are immediately able to see the change that we’ve created—not only physically, but changing the hearts and minds of those around us, too.

What would you say to someone who is nervous about jumping into action (with or without CYL)?

It’s okay to be nervous! I felt nervous about jumping into action, too. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just show up and see how it goes. Usually, I feel a lot less nervous after I meet all of the kind people there! It also helps to focus on the project/action at hand. You’ve got this 🙂