“Working Together to Have a Positive Impact” Interview With The HHM Interact Club Representative On The Club And Its Initiatives
Article written by Kaitlyn Ward
Our generation has a growing awareness of global and societal issues. Young activists everywhere are driving all manner of causes, big and small. As for the HHM Interact Club, they’re doing their best to make a difference in the city from their home base at our school.
According to the supervisor, Mrs. Tanya Edney, the group has been active for at least ten years. They’ve taken on a number of initiatives in our community and are interested in welcoming all the help they can get. I contacted the club’s student leader Ky Bromley to ask about his plans for the school year and to discuss the ways in which the student body can become involved.
What kind of group is the HHM Interact Club?
“The Holy Heart Interact Club is a volunteer group within the school that’s student led, where we plan and take on initiatives to make a difference in the community and help those who need it.”
Why should students get involved?
“Well, there’s always the volunteer or CAS hours, but the group is more so about meeting new people (hence the name, Interact), and working together to have a positive impact. When we have a nice group, the difference we can make is significant.”
How can people contribute to the club?
“As of now, we don’t all have specific roles within the club, however everyone plays a part so that we can make a group effort, and take our ideas and make them successful projects and initiatives. The club runs on the fact that members are coming to our weekly meeting on Thursdays after school, and getting involved in promoting and participating in the events we plan.”
When and where do club meetings take place?
“We meet on Thursdays after school from 3:00–4:00 in the library. We also have regular updates on our google classroom so that club members can stay up to date on projects whenever they need to.”
What kinds of projects did the group accomplish last year?
“Last year we worked on a few larger causes. We worked together with the Bridges to Hope local food bank for the We Scare Hunger initiative, where members of the club went door to door like trick or treating to collect non-perishable food items and donations. It was extremely successful, and we raised around $500 and filled two trucks with donated food. We also have an ongoing themed initiative of “Crush for your Crush”, “Nestea for your Bestea”, and now “Boo for your Boo”. These projects get the school involved and the money we’ve raised through them we put towards helping Ukrainian refugees, and future club initiatives.”
What has the Interact Club done so far this semester?
“We’ve been working full out for the past month and a half planning our fall initiatives. On Saturday the 22nd of October we ran the We Scare Hunger initiative again, the donations from which once again are going towards Bridges to Hope. We are currently running “Boo for your Boo” to raise even more funds for them.”
What kinds of initiatives will the club be taking on in the future?
“We’re hoping to plan a larger year-long initiative that will have a wider impact than our school community. What that will be, we haven’t decided yet, but we’ve discussed improving accessibility to inclusive washrooms in the city, and considered looking into educational concepts for more inclusive programs. We will of course continue with seasonal themed initiatives, and many fun projects that the students and staff here at school can get involved in.”
How can we contact the group?
“You can always ask Ms. Edney in the library, or email her at tanyaedney@nlesd.ca; myself, Ky Bromley, at kbromley_s@nlesd.ca; or Ibo Sorisho at isorisho_s@nlesd.ca for more information.”
Any closing commentary?
“The interact club is at its core a charity/volunteer group, but as someone who’s been running it as co-president and now president for two years, one of the best parts is working with the people in the group, and realizing the impact that we as highschoolers can have if we work to achieve it and plan it out well. The club has been a learning experience, and the time spent in this group has been so valuable for both those we’ve helped and for our own members.”
All in all, the HHM Interact Club seems to have been working hard to provide a safe and inclusive space for club members to work on making a difference in the city. Students at Holy Heart can look forward to seeing what initiatives the group has in store for the 2022–2023 school year, and anyone interested in becoming a member should feel free to reach out and involve themselves in the club’s activities.
