As a member of the youth of Oceanside, I know how easy it is to feel sidelined or ignored in an area with such an older demography.
It seems that there is usually such a focus on issues that tend to affect the older population, such as long term care facilities, and less focus on issues affecting youth. This is natural in an area that many retire to, however the unfortunate result is that youth often feel discouraged and, if not abandoned, then certainly overlooked.
It is then very rewarding and encouraging to see the City of Parksville still think important the celebration of the culmination of 13 years of education, so much so that they have kindly provided a grant of $500 to the Ballenas Dry Grad Committee.
On behalf of my grad class, I would like to express my gratitude to the City of Parksville and all its citizens for their generous support and encouragement.
On a related note, I hope to see members of our community at the Ballenas Spring Fashion Show on April 27 at 7 p.m., where members of the grad class will be showing off clothing from local retail businesses. Tickets are available at the school, or Urban Edge Hair Group, Wilde and Sparrow and the Natural Synergy Day Spa.
Sebastian Cooper
Coombs