Miss Teenage Canada hopeful aims to help others

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This article was published 11/08/2020 (2220 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Keira Young hopes to use the platform of Miss Teenage Canada to help those less fortunate, and she’s off to a strong start.

Young, 14, was named Miss Teenage Winnipeg last fall and hopes to become Miss Teenage Canada at a competition in Toronto on August 24. When her mother told her about the opportunity she quickly applied.

“I wanted to put myself out there more and wanted to get involved with things,” Young explained.

“I wanted to get into modelling, helping people and inspiring people.”

The Kildonan East student, who will enter Grade 9 this fall, said the Manitoba competition included a series of questions.

“They asked me where was my dream place to visit, and I said Africa, because their culture is so beautiful,” Young explained.

“They also asked me where I saw myself in five years and I said I want to be studying to be an orthodontist and maybe starting a family.”

An important aspect of Miss Teenage Canada is encouraging contestants support important causes. The competition’s national charity is the Children’s Wish Foundation, which Young is supporting by selling necklaces online and at farmers markets.

“So far we’re doing pretty good,” Young said. “We’re almost at $1,000.”

Young also wants to educate people about not discriminating against people living with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and autism.

“I have family members who have ADHD and autism, so I’ve grown up learning about them and see how they are treated differently from everybody else,” Young said.

Due to the pandemic, plans for Miss Teenage Canada have been scaled back. Competitors will meet the judges in a smaller venue and answer questions. There is also a talent portion, where Young will either sing or do a dance routine.

You can help Young become Miss Teenage Canada. Online voting helps decide the winner, with more details available at missteenagecanada.com.

Links will also be available at Young’s  Instagram page (missteenagewinnipeg2020) and on her Twitter page.

Young thanked everyone for supporting her and took one last opportunity to encourage everyone.

“Be yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you who to be,” Young said. “Just be yourself.”