BYTE Blog
Meet Hana, BYTE’s newest staff member!
We are pumped to welcome our newest Community Outreach Coordinator Hana Val to our team! She's always available to provide fuzzy socks and great travel stories whenever we need them. In the short time she's been here, she's made us crack up many times and we couldn't...
Fentanyl Fast Facts
I spend my summers in Whitehorse, but during the year I live in Vancouver. On my daily commute to school the #3 bus takes me through the Downtown Eastside, an area infamous for its drug use among residents. Recently this corner of the city has been making headlines...
Byte ConneX Speaker Series: Flipping the Script
Last Tuesday, May 16th, we gathered at Baked Café as part of the Sexualized Assault Prevention Month in partnership with Victoria Faulkner’s Women Centre and Les EssentiELLES. Over cinnamon chai lattes and clips of How I Met Your Mother we opened up the...
BYTE welcomes STEP student Emily to the team!
We're super stoked to have Emily join us at BYTE's STEP student for the summer! Emily, who's studying Communications at Capilano University in Vancouver, will be focusing on BYTE's marketing and communications strategies, as well as revamping our social media...
Student debt is a huge issue
Tuition in Canada is higher than it has ever been, and tomorrow, it'll be even higher. In the last decade, tuition has risen 40%. Furthermore, the average Canadian student graduates with more than $25,000 of debt; I wish I could say this surprised me. During the four...
Thoughts on Mental Health Week!
This week marks Mental Health Week and there are lots of posts all over Twitter and social media urging people to “Speak Up and #GetLoud†about their experiences with mental health. In fact, BYTE retweeted a message that said exactly that – so I’ve decided to...
BYTE at the Progress Summit 2017
With unending media coverage of “The Rise of the Right,†increasingly divisive politics, and fear-based decision-making at government levels globally, I’ve been needing a reminder that there are also people working towards positive change, towards building...
The 5th annual LIT Conference was a HUGE success!!
Hey friends! Sorry for the long delay since our last post - we've been suuuuuuper busy here at the office planning our 5th annual Leaders in Training (LIT) Conference!! For three days last weekend, we hosted 21 young leaders from 9 different communities out at...
No human being is illegal: Thoughts on Trump’s recent executive order
That 2017 has gotten itself off to a tumultuous start, mostly courtesy of our southern neighbours, is obvious. Regardless of political leaning, most folks can agree that newly-elected president Donald Trump is brash, divisive, and not afraid to stir things up, to...
Say hi to BYTE’s newest team addition, Tayo!
We're rounding out our team! Tayo joins the office as a Community Outreach Coordinator, bringing the BYTE crew to five (plus three dogs)! Tayo will work with communities to bring BYTE programming and workshops to schools and rec centres all over the Yukon and further...
Guest Post: Anime and mindfulness
By Carly Sayers Anime is fun to draw and easy to follow, and it's also very calming to draw. Drawing and colouring manga and anime is soothing and lots of fun. I draw to pass time and days. I would recommend drawing easy anime and working your way up and practicing a...
Our very good week in Dease Lake
Last week, BYTE took a trip to Dease Lake to facilitate our MOVE! program with a group of young women from the high school. This is the first time we've travelled to Dease Lake and it is the farthest south we have ever worked. We loved our time there. We were so...
Get to know BYTE’s new team member, Alexie!!
BYTE is super stoked to be hosting our annual Leaders In Training Conference again this year in March, and equally excited to announce our new LIT Coordinator, Alexie Merk! Alexie's main gig is organizing conference logistics, coming up with incredible programming...
Raising a Generation Without Violence Against Women
The 12 Days to End Violence Campaign is put on annually by the Victoria Faulkner Women's Centre and Les EssentiELLES from November 25th to December 6th. Each year the campaign tackles the issue of violence against women through events and raising awareness about the...
Guest Post: Why I believe in youth
By Carly Sayers Youth are going through changes and phases, and we need to try and understand how they feel, their needs and feelings. They have voices that need to be heard, and are looking up to us to lead them into a better, happier future. The youth have a choice...
What’s going on at Standing Rock??
Unless you've been hiding under a (Standing) Rock for the past few months, you will no doubt have heard about the protests happening south of the border by now. If not, here's a recap - Dakota Access construction workers, private security, and local law enforcement...
The case for a climbing gym
Ok, so I love climbing. I spent about half my childhood either in a tree or on top of a tall rock near my house. As an adult, I was lucky enough to stumble across the sport of rock climbing. I learned to climb a few years ago when a friend talked me into taking and...
Why the youth vote matters
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak at to the Special Committee on Electoral Reform when they visited Whitehorse. The Committee wanted to hear about youth and their thoughts on our electoral system. Now, I haven’t spent any time surveying Yukon youth...