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If the cold weather and the growing darkness aren’t enough, retailers remind us that Christmas is nearing by blaring carols on overhead speakers, offering enticing sales, and encouraging shopping-themed “holidays†like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. All in all, the message from the commercial world at this time of year is buy, buy, buy—so much so that it’s easy to forget that Christmas is the season of giving.
Here at BYTE, we have different ideas about how to celebrate the oncoming holiday season. We like to focus on giving, rather than buying. Giving back to the community, giving support to those who need it, and giving to feel good.
That’s why we’re asking for donations on Giving Tuesday, which takes place on Tuesday, December 3, 2013. BYTE is a charity: that means we depend on the donations of people like you to run our programs, host events and engage the Yukon’s youth. Our goal is to visit every Yukon community at least twice in 2014, and to do that we need your help.
You can visit our donations page or swing by the office if you’d like to make a donation. In the meantime, here are a few FAQs to help you get started:
What does BYTE do?
 BYTE is a by youth, for youth organization. We advocate for social change and help bring about better opportunities for youth in the Yukon. We provide opportunities for youth to discuss everything from LGBT rights to climate change and digital citizenship.
A big part what we do is host workshops in the Yukon’s rural communities.  We regularly visit all Yukon communities, and have also visited Fort MacPherson, Inuvik, and Atlin outside of the Yukon. We believe that youth in northern, isolated communities deserve to spend time around positive role models and to experience new methods of learning and fun activities. BYTE provides these opportunities. We’ve been working hard to reach as many communities as we can, as often as we can.
Our goal in 2014 is to reach every Yukon community at least twice, but our level of success depends on donors like you.
Where does my donation go?
 Your donation helps us reach youth in the Yukon communities that ask for our workshops. BYTE is in high demand in the Yukon communities, but we can only satisfy this demand with your support.  Your donation helps us get to the communities, ensures that the quality of our workshops is up to date, and provides new equipment to help youth learn skills and gain new experiences. It also helps us put on events in Whitehorse like BYTE ConneX, Battle of the Bands, and Canada Skate Day Comp.
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How much should I contribute?
 Any donation helps! You can donate as much or as little as you like. We often receive one-time lump sum donations, but we also provide an option to choose an amount to donate monthly. Small monthly donations are just as helpful as one-time donations, and we encourage you to set up a donation schedule on the website.
If you donate to BYTE online via Interac on December 3 between 12:01am ET and 11:59pm ET, Acxys Corporation will match up to $25 per donation, giving up to a maximum of $5000. This extra contribution would make a huge difference for us, so if you have an online debit card, keep it close by on December 3! Read more about their offer here.
You can also support us by buying a BYTE water bottle, available at the BYTE office!
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Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes! BYTE is a registered charity, so all donations will be tax deductible.
How do I donate?
 Visit our donation page to make a donation online. On this page, you can choose what you’d like your donation to support, schedule a monthly donation, dedicate your donation, and leave a message for us. Alternately, you can drop off a cheque at the BYTE office, located at 2-407 Ogilvie St in Whitehorse.