There are scant few reasons a teenager would be willing to be called Panini Queen.
But when the nickname comes from a young child in her care, 15-year-old Ang not only wore the tag with pride, she even went a step further – creating an entire origin story for her mouthwatering moniker.
“I had Panini powers,” the teen said with a laugh. “It was great.”
Ang was one of nine Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane and Area Leaders in Training to cap off the end of a successful summer last week – a celebration of a season filled with field trips, crafts … and of course, Panini Queen tales.
The annual LIT program offers teenagers from around the country a chance to volunteer with their community’s Boys and Girls Club summer camps and become mentors and role models to young children.
Youth worker Jodi Hensbergen said nine Cochrane youth between 13 and 17 years old trained for one week before committing to a minimum of 40 hours of work over the entire summer.
This year’s participants finished with a collective 873 volunteer hours.
Teenager Brea, 13, earned an impressive 150 of those hours on her own.
“If it wasn’t for LIT, I would be stuck at home,” said Brea, who just moved to town from Wainwright in June. “It was really cool to make a bond with (the kids). It feels like we’re always there for them.
“There’s a lot of quality inside of the little people.”
Hensbergen said she’s thrilled to see the teenagers make friendships with the little ones over the course of the summer, and find confidence in themselves at the same time.
“I’ve seem them blossom – not only with the children, but with each other,” she said. “Seeing them come out of their shell is amazing.”
Youth worker Nichole Williams said on top of the emotional benefits of the summer volunteer position, there are practical reasons for teens to participate as well.
“It’s a really awesome way to get them … into the job market,” she said. “They really get to see what it looks like working with children as a career.”
Ang wants to be an elementary school teacher, and she said her experience as a leader in training for the last two years has only served to solidify her choice.
“There’s a lot of benefits,” said Panini Queen. “It’s a great program.”
