Buy Canadian First - Your destination for good shopping

Blog post written by: Kirsten Bartel

Are you a student? Have you ever thought of taking a volunteer vacation? This may be just what you are searching for!

Me to We is an organization which works with youth to help promote change by action. Schools can register their students, thus giving them the opportunity to help such organizations as Free the Children and travelling abroad to places like Kenya, Africa, to build schools, dig wells for fresh water, plant trees and more.

We Day was recently hosted in Vancouver on September 29, 2009, and now We Day Toronto has moved to the Air Canada Centre for Monday, October 5, 2009. Registration for tickets is closed, however, you can still catch a LIVE webcast on Monday, from 09:00 to 14:30 EST at ctv.ca/weday. We Day Hamilton will return to Hamilton Place, for the second year in a row, on November 5, 2009. This unique event is a celebration of the power to change the world, and is always attended by inspirational speakers and performers. At We Day Vancouver, His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke to the 16,000 students who filled GM Place. Every one of the attendees at a We Day event is committed to help make the world better.

If you are attending university and wondering what you should do during the next summer break, wonder no more. Me to We Trips will offer you something unique, something that will impact your life. You will be able to apply knowledge you have learned during your school year to real life applications.

 Embark on a trip to a place like Kenya, Africa, and:

• help build a school so children can have a place to learn
• work at providing clean, safe drinking water for the communities
• learn about the traditional culture of another land
• participate in hands-on workshops to learn about issues in Africa

That is only the beginning. While there, you also get to experience and be awed by the natural environment around you. Spend evenings under starry skies and days taking a safari to see the wildlife — lions, zebra, wildebeest — living on the vast savannah. This will definitely be a trip filled with memories which will last a lifetime.

If you plan to embark on such a volunteer vacation, you will need to bring quite a few items. You can purchase great and meaningful apparel directly from the Me to We Style online store where fifty percent of all the proceeds will go to the Free the Children organization (and you'll be happy to know that everything is made-in-Canada too).

And be sure to check out some of the items we have here through Buy Canadian First members.

• First of all, a strong backpack will come in handy to carry your personal items. Check out the medium backpack from Fort McPherson Tent & Canvas.
• You then have to consider that you will be working and walking a lot, thus a good pair of work gloves and well-fitting hiking boots are also a must.
• The sun is stronger in Africa, and many of the places to which you would travel, than it is here, so a supply of good Lip Balm will also be important. Try the Honey Trap Lip Balms by Lush. We also really like the idea behind their Charity Pot Body Lotion. Lush selects different non-profit organization and to which they donate all the proceeds of their sales to. Lush hand-makes their products in Ontario and British-Columbia to ensure quality, they source their ingredients ethically from around the world and they generously give proceeds to charities, so you can help a cause each time you buy their products.

• Since the work you will be doing will require that you can move freely and efficiently, you will need to have a good pair of pants, such as the Sport Fit Pant by Respecterre, which will allow you the flexibility you need.

• Lastly, organic cotton clothing, such as those made by Attraction in their facilities at Lac Drolet, Quebec, will help show your commitment to the environment and the betterment of the world, as well as, wearing something which will breathe while you work.

Go out and try something new, join the cause, learn while helping others and exploring the world and realize what impact you can have on those around you.

Image sources: Flickr Creative Commons Stevie Withers, Flickr Creative Commons Greg Westfall, BuyCanadianFirst.ca