Katimavik is on the chopping block!

If you're not Canadian (or an honorary Canadian), you won't know what Katimavik is.  As an explanation for my followers from other locations, it's kind of like the Peace Corp for Canadian teens.  It's a very successful volunteering program for helping install a sense of purpose, and giving kids some direction when they most need it. Like a light-weight, short-duration version of sending a kid to military school, but much more fun, and no stigma attached.  The kid gets to go to a different part of the country, learn new skills, meet new people, and perform valuable volunteering. It's been around for more than 30 years in Canada.

And this year, it lost funding.  A good friend who's son was headed down a questionable path ended up turning around due to Katimavik, and met a nice girl there to boot.  I know what Katimavik is because over the last three years, I kept running into people that say that Katimavik changed their lives or the life of someone they loved.  What a tragedy to see such a loved and valuable institution die due to a funding cut.

As I'm not a Canadian citizen, I can't vote.  But for those of you Canadians who can, give Parliament a piece of your mind!  Go to their main page--they've got a number of online petitions you can join.