Optimix publishers take to the airwaves
Veronicca Mackillop, Elisabeth Schevchenko, and Emilia Schevchenko are working on the next edition of Optimix.
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Updated: November 05, 2009 1:51 PM
Every time a new issue of Optimix is published, there is always an animated buzz among the group of teens who put the magazine together.
It’s exciting to see your work in print, they say.
And as much fun as they have expressing themselves in the magazine, they most recently had a chance to share those feelings on the airwaves on CBC’s North by Northwest.
The group did the interview on Oct. 10, but the program didn’t air until a week later on Oct. 18, and they were surprised at how many people heard them.
“My friend heard it and I thought, why are you listening to CBC on Sunday morning at 8 a.m.?” said Emilia Schevchenko, a 16 -year-old students at Heritage Park secondary.
“Lots of people listen to the CBC,” said Rhett Nicholson, who created Optimix last year to bring youth together, while promoting literacy and social skills.
The radio interview was like talking on the phone, explained Emilia, who’s sister Elisabeth is also a part of Optimix. “She was in a different room and we could only see her through a window.”
The interview ran for about a half hour and then the group got to explore the studio and see the cameras and the news set. If you’ve missed their broadcast, you can still listen to it at www.cbc.ca/nxnw.
It was an experience they won’t soon forget. But now, they are shifting their focus to the magazine’s next edition, which is scheduled to come out early next year.
The theme will be about how youth can change the world, and there are already a number of stories in the works.
Veronicca Mackillop, 13, is researching 10 ways to drive your teacher insane, and studying the link between cancer and pollution.
Veronicca only joined the group in May, but she has already learned a lot and enjoys having the freedom to express herself creatively.
The group is also organizing a dance for their peers with the district’s parks and rec department. Sara Baban and Jamie Hill are helping with the arrangements.
Optimix is sponsored by the Optimist Club and the teens who put the magazine together are a part of the Junior Optimist group. They are not only responsible for the content, but they also look after the advertising and design of the product.
The next fundraiser for the group will be a door-to-door campaign.
“We’ll ask people to donate an egg, then we’ll go to the next house to trade the egg for a donation,” explained Elisabeth.
Optimix is distributed at high schools, local coffee shops, hair salons, the library and around the community.
To learn more about Optimix or the Junior Optimist group, visit www.optimist.org, or call Rhett at 604-826-8372.
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