Last Saturday, October 18th, World Youth Alliance North America hosted a Fall Fun-Raiser at the WYA House to raise funds for the upcoming WYA North America Emerging Leaders Conference (ELC) with the theme Mad Men, Modern Family: Examining the Role of Men in Social Development. In this conference, we aim to examine the role of fatherhood, family and the contemporary myths about manhood and masculinity. Through a series of lectures, discussions and panels, young leaders will learn about the pressing issues of today and gain the skills necessary to directly impact their schools and communities. Interactive forums and activities will provide participants with the opportunity to share their ideas and build networks with other youth leaders from across North America.
To start the night, the WYA Chamber Orchestra performed a repertoire of pieces from Antonio Vivaldi, Joseph Haydn, Fritz Kreisler and Felix Mendelssohn. These young and talented musicians captured the hearts of the crowd with their passionate and moving performances which left everyone in awe. Going with the Mad Men theme of the ELC, Old Fashioned’s were served to men sharply dressed in bowties and wingtip shoes and women sporting the bold red lip. The night was capped with homemade pumpkin pie baked by our interns and our French guests teaching everyone how to dance the “Madison” and “Rock and Roll.” It was truly a night to remember filled with music, fall fare and amazing company! Here are some excerpts from our WYA interns and their favourite moments of the night:
Priscille from France: “Not knowing a lot of people in New York, I enjoyed meeting new people and learning more about the culture of this city.”
Elisabeth from Austria: “I loved that how even though we didn’t make it a motto officially quite a few people – especially the guys- did dress up in 50s style. There were some hats, at least 1 bow-tie, some very Don Draper-y draped hairstyles and most of the girls had suspiciously red lips.”
Nadja from the USA: “It was great to hear the WYA youth orchestra play for the first time. We had a great crowd and I really enjoyed seeing the house bustling with energy!”
Margaux from the Philippines: “I enjoyed the performances the most! It was a powerful selection of pieces, and the kids were absolutely amazing 🙂 ”
To learn more about the WYA North America ELC you can visit:
https://www.wya.net/elcnorthamerica
To learn more about the WYA Chamber Orchestra and upcoming performances:
https://www.wya.net/culture/chamberorchestra.html
By Pauline Go, an intern for WYA North America
