Candace Christie

Candace Christie knows the sort of magic that can happen when you've got a soccer ball, a little space and a group of young people who need distracting. Over three consecutive years, Christie spent a week in Kingston, Jamaica as part of a team volunteering at a medical clinic. When kids came in off the street, she turned to sport to help keep them engaged, holding impromptu soccer matches in the parking lot. "It made everyone so happy," says Christie, 23. "It made kids who were sad more comfortable. It was so neat seeing that." A graduate of the University of Guelph with a B.A. in International Development, Christie is one of six Canadian interns chosen to go to Africa as part of Commonwealth Games Canada's groundbreaking Capacity Support Program (CSP). The CSP is co-funded by the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Canada. It is designed to support Commonwealth Games Associations in developing countries and help them maximize their organizational performance as they prepare for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi this October and for future Games. The CSP interns will assist countries with sport administration activities ranging from programming, fundraising and communications to the implementation of the games management software program Zeus. Growing up on a farm in Terra Cotta, Ont., an hour or so north of Toronto, Christie has been involved in recreational sports since she was a child. What began on a skating rink in her backyard expanded into a love of athletic pursuits in general—from badminton and baseball to running, cross-country skiing and windsurfing, the latter of which she taught for seven years at a summer camp. "Being involved in sports gives you a boost in confidence," Christie says. "It's also a great way to test yourself." Christie's love of sport goes hand-in-hand with her interest in international development. In 2009, she won a prestigious internship with UNESCO's Honorary Goodwill Ambassador Section, where she monitored and evaluated the activities of UNESCO's celebrity advocates and their projects. "It was an incredibly rewarding experience that I could never have imagined while I was studying," Christie says. She spent December 2009 as an administrative volunteer with Right to Play in Toronto, and also worked as a marketing intern with Me to We [Responsible] Style. All of these experiences will be an asset during Christie's internship with the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), which needs assistance with outreach to athletes, volunteers, the business community and the public, in addition to IT support. "We are excited at the prospect of having Candace with us because 2010 is a very busy sports year," says Andrew B. Kamanga, BNOC's Programmes Manager. "We look forward to her assistance in managing existing programs as well as creating new ones for the benefit of athletes competing in the Commonwealth Games at both the junior and senior levels." "Commonwealth Games Canada's International Development through Sport unit is pleased to offer unique and professional international work opportunities for young graduates," says Carla Thachuk, Commonwealth Games Canada's Manager of International Programs. "Particularly in difficult economic times, these internships will help the participants apply their educational experiences to a challenging work environment as they set out to develop their own careers." In the future, Christie would like to continue on a path that, like her CSP internship, blends her dual passions for sport and development—and would love to work with kids. "I'm particularly interested in securing a future for young people who haven't had the same opportunities as I've had." For now, though, Christie is living by her personal motto: to make every moment count. "You never know what's going to come your way."