Age 21
Start Where You Live
“Start right where you are – you don’t have to leave the country to get involved. Volunteer on local projects that address the needs of your own community, and this will give you the experience and understanding to be able to enable other communities to develop themselves effectively.”
Kat Zimmer is a 21-year-old University of Victoria student in political science. She is currently taking a break to snowboard in Smithers, BC for the winter. “Living in a small town in Northern BC, you can really see the impact you can have on the community.”
Kat’s interest in international development began with reading newspapers and magazines such as National Geographic. She became hooked on reading about what was happening in the world. Through some of her travels, Kat saw the inequality created by the Global North, how people were affected by exploitative tourism, resource extraction, and development that’s not necessarily helpful. This is when she felt she truly needed to do something herself.
“There is always an element of personal development in international development,” says Kat. “When you know what’s happening, and you want to change things, you also have to overcome your own inhibitions.” Kat herself has changed by getting involved in this field. “Volunteering overseas and getting involved in international development brought me back to understanding that we have our own crises here. If you help your own community first, you begin to understand how you can help another community elsewhere to empower itself.”
Kat is still trying to figure out what she wants to do in the future, she does know that it won’t be working for a corporation, but for a non-profit organization. She strongly believes that there are things that should be done simply because they need to be done, and not because of a pay cheque or the need to feel good about yourself. “Often,” she says, “the things you don’t get paid for are the things that mean the most to you.”
In the summer of 2009, working at the
Pacific Peoples’ Partnership in Victoria, Kat helped organize the One Wave Festival with Pacific-themed art, dance, music, and poetry to raise awareness about climate change and social justice in the South Pacific. The event helped support and showcase local artists, and at the same time it raised awareness and money for people on the other side of the world. “
What got me excited was knowing I’m able to have a direct impact on people in the South Pacific and that I can bring people together over an issue, enabling connections between people across continents, age gaps, cultural divides, language barriers; enabling a space where people here can get connected to what’s happening over there and engage with it.”
“There are so many ways to get alternative news. I support websites such as Democracy Now and other sources of free and independent news. Also, social networking is about to revolutionize how young people connect. The important part is the personal connection, the exchange with someone on the other side of the world. That’s what makes the issues real."
