Meet the members of our 2020/2021 Youth Arts Council! This season’s Youth Arts Council (YAC) is comprised of 7 engaging and inspiring youth from grade 9 – 12 who are keen to encourage other youth to participate in the arts.
Executive Members
Bhavi Malik: President
My name is Bhavi Malik and I am a grade 11 student at Seaquam Secondary School in Delta. This is my first year in the Youth Arts Council, however I have volunteered before in Place des Arts. I was very nervous since this was my first year, and as president my responsibilities increased, but people in this council really made me feel comfortable and gave me the opportunity to share my experience about art with them. Creativity helps our brain being alive and this council gives us an incentive to be creative as a team. I joined this council to embrace my passion for creativity, literature as well as to enhance my leadership skills and Youth Arts Council is really helping me in improving my passions every day. I will continue to contribute and give back to the community as much as I can, in different ways possible through mediums like the Youth Arts Council.
Joseph Kim: Director of Community Events
Joseph is a grade 11 student at John Knox Christian Secondary School in New Westminster. Joseph’s artistic passion is music. He plays several musical instruments and has been exposed to music from a young age. Joseph believes that arts and culture are vital to society, and especially to youth. He joined the YAC to get involved in the community and to learn valuable skills.
Alyn Shao: Director of External Relations
Alyn is a grade 11 student enrolled in the IB Diploma Program at Port Moody Secondary. She joined the Youth Arts Council because she has long been a part of Place des Arts and would like to give back to the community. She has been learning piano since the age of six and also enjoys graphite sketching, classical literature and cinema. She believes that she could bring new ideas and new perspectives to the Youth Arts
Bonita Shao: Director of Finance
Bonita is a junior at Port Moody Secondary School in the International Baccalaureate program. She is passionate about creating narratives, be it through music, design, or writing. As the Director of Finance, she strives to promote arts to youth, give back to the Place des Arts community, and strengthen her financial and leadership skills. Bonita believes that art is crucial to people of all ages and hopes to encourage more teens to engage with it.
Yuning Gu: Director of Internal Relations
I am Yuning Gu, and I am glad to be a member of this year’s Youth Art Council this year. I have a huge interest in music, and I have been playing piano for over ten years. Since I was five years old, my mother had taken me to numerous art galleys, in which, I had my initial understanding of the magical combination of colours and I was amused by how beautiful and diverse they are. Furthermore, with abroad travelling experiences, I can accumulate the knowledge of many other aspects of art.
Members at Large
Cecile Qu
Hi, I am Cecile. I am in grade 10 at Heritage Wood Secondary School. I love doing arts, I want to be an animator when I grow up. The reason that I came to the Youth Arts Council is that I want to have more friends and have more communication with others because I am shy and quiet. I also came here to build up my leadership skills and do something for the community.
Ryan Coghill
My name is Ryan and I am 16 years old. I have been a student at Place des Arts for 5 years and I have grown to love this community. I am happy to be able to share this experience with others through participation in the YAC.