National Youth Engagement Advisory Committee

Sam VanderVeer, youth representative, National
Spending his early childhood in Pakistan, Sam VanderVeer moved to Cobourg, Ontario where he graduated from high school, and later earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. Sam first became involved with the Canadian Red Cross in the summer of 2010 as a volunteer with the Humanitarian Issues Program in Calgary, Alberta. He later spent a semester at Trinity Western University’s Laurentian Leadership Centre in Ottawa, where he earned a certificate in Leadership and Applied Public Affairs and completed an internship with the Humanitarian Issues Unit at the Canadian Red Cross National Office. In addition to his position as Volunteer Chairperson of the National Youth Engagement Advisory Committee, Sam works for the federal government.

Chantal Sylvain, management representative, Ontario
Chantal joined the Canadian Red Cross in 2007 as a Community Services Coordinator for the Ottawa branch office and currently serves as a volunteer resources manager for Ontario. Previous to joining the Red Cross, Chantal worked in volunteer and operations management for several community organizations, including youth based organizations in Montreal. Chantal possesses a degree in Social Sciences as well as a diploma in Social Service Work.

Jacie Clark, management representative, Atlantic Canada
Jacie Clark has been involved with the Red Cross since she participated in her elementary school’s Red Cross Club each week. Jacie joined the Canadian Red Cross over 12 years ago in fundraising and was gradually drawn into the world of volunteers and youth. As the Volunteer Resource Coordinator for Atlantic Canada, Jacie is delighted to be part of this youth committee.

Emily Leaman, youth representative, Atlantic Canada
Emily Leaman has been involved with the Red Cross since 2006, when she joined her high school’s emergency response team. Since then, Emily has volunteered with Injury Prevention and worked as a Standard First Aid instructor, but she is now turning her focus toward youth engagement. To date, she has started a youth club at her university, and serves two youth volunteer governance positions within the organization: New Brunswick Regional Council Youth Representative and Atlantic Zone Youth Representative on the National Youth Engagement Advisory Committee. Currently living in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Emily is in the second year of her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology program at the University of New Brunswick.

Sophia El Chaar, youth representative, Quebec
Sophia has been involved with the Red Cross since December 2010. She has volunteered for several programs, including First Aid and International Operations, and recently had the opportunity to assist with the recruitment and deployment of volunteers during the severe flooding in Quebec. As a nominated youth representative, Sophia hopes to help increase youth engagement in the community. Sophia holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and a Masters in Emergency and Disaster Management. She currently works as a toxicologist at the Emergency Preparedness Office of the Montreal Public Health Department.

James Liu, youth representative, Western Canada
James started his Red Cross career as a resource leader for the Global Issues Symposium for Youth in 2005. Over the next four years, James continued to work on various projects in the Humanitarian Issues Program, such as the national cluster munitions campaign, workshop design, facilitation training, capacity building, and youth engagement. In the Lower Mainland Region, James has been involved in Disaster Management, and is currently a member of the Regional Council.

James joined the National Youth Engagement Advisory Committee in 2008 in hopes to increase opportunities for youth to mobilize the power of their humanity. He is most interested in building organizational capacity for more meaningful youth engagement. He has represented the Canadian Red Cross in two international conferences with the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies.

James is currently completing his medical degree and plans to continue to work with the Red Cross Movement after graduation.

Amy Mapara, coordinator, Operations and Youth Engagement
Amy has been a dedicated volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross for the past 20 years, and currently works with the organization to implement the overall strategies for the Canadian Red Cross and Youth Engagement. She also works closely with the Board of Governors and helps support the Governance Committee and Nominating Committees. Previous to her current role, Amy worked with several programs, including Humanitarian Issues Promotion and the Malaria program. As a volunteer for the organization, she has held several leadership positions, including regional council member and a member of the National Youth Task Force. Amy graduated from the University of Western Ontario where she studied microbiology/immunology and biological psychology