WHAT one leap forward creates: bootcamps for change

February 27, 2021 • Shaynah Tahir

Every potential social impact entrepreneur or non-profit supporter has asked themselves the same fundamental question: “Where do I even start?”.

Initiating social impact, regardless of its potential range and influence, is an overwhelming step. We are constantly surrounded by stories of social impact entrepreneurs that seem to know exactly how to make the difference that they want through their initiatives. As someone interested in non-profit and social entrepreneurship, you may be reluctant to attempt to make your social impact simply because of the daunting  image that surrounds beginning this journey.

Katie Heggtveit, founder and director of impact at Bootcamps for Change and Sweatier For The Better, redefines that beginning. For Katie, her journey to influencing thousands of lives began with witnessing a call to action and sending one cold-call email, coupled with a profound passion for and commitment to making a difference. A small leap for an important cause led to the brilliant development of “Bootcamps for Change”.

QNP recently had the incredible opportunity to chat with Katie to further hear her vivid perspective on social impact.

What is Bootcamps for Change?

Bootcamps for Change is a national not-for-profit social enterprise serving at-risk youth by providing fitness programming and employment scholarships. The organization aims to utilize fitness as a method of leveraging youth out of shelters, as this increases their financial self-sufficiency.

Founder Katie had been working at Trek for Teens in an executive role. She took a leap, reaching out to the organization Horizons for Youth offering to teach free fitness classes for youth living in the shelter. With 10 years of experience working with at-risk youth, she became a group fitness instructor after Horizons for Youth approved her request. Her international and local experience at organizations like Trek for Teens and Jay Care Foundation provided Katie with the skills, knowledge, and network to develop her own organization. In addition to her supportive network, her year of learning by teaching weekly classes to homeless youth as a fitness instructor is what Katie credits the success of Bootcamps for Change to.

Katie describes the structure of Bootcamps for Change as a program that comes full-circle, where those helped ultimately become the ones providing the help. This structure is the source of success behind Bootcamps for Change, as Katie notes there is no one better to teach and mentor at-risk youth than at-risk youth themselves. When asked to describe Bootcamps for Change as simply as she could, Katie told QNP that Bootcamps for Change is built to be “breaking barriers.”

Stories of Mentorship 

Youth success stories at Bootcamps for Change debunk common stereotypes we may hear surrounding this population. The following stories emphasize that at-risk youth require a chance and opportunity to succeed. Here are a few moving stories of youth involved with Bootcamps for Change and how they created their own beginnings:

Hash

Hash began his journey when he crossed the American border on foot. With few hopes of exiting the shelter system, Bootcamps for Change shifted Hash’s life. Hash showcased leadership, kindness and involvement, leading him to be the first recipient of the organization’s scholarship. Now, Hash has earned 6 certifications of fitness, 3 of which he paid for himself as a full-time employee at Goodlife Fitness. Currently living in Alberta, he delivers programs at the Boys and Girls Club Calgary as a fitness instructor to deliver the same impact. After graduating from Bootcamps for Change, Hash quit smoking entirely, claiming he no longer needed it--he had found fulfillment and purpose.

Henry

Henry has had a long-life goal of a career in medical fitness. Like others, Henry was limited by his circumstances. Bootcamps for Change taught Henry not only of the importance of fitness on physical and mental health, but also provided him with the resources to be certified and begin studying Fitness and Health Promotion in Centennial College. Now, Henry pursues a promising career and has a sense of stability. “If I can move on from the shelter system, you can too.”

Abdul

Abdul came to Canada as a refugee. Becoming a fitness instructor or pursuing further education was perhaps only a dream until Bootcamps for Change. Abdul was a competitive athlete and, through Bootcamps for Change, began understanding the fundamentals behind his sport. With the organization’s assistance, Abdul claims to have grown as a person and as a coach. Now, Abdul is attending Humber College to study Health and Fitness to ultimately become a coach and instructor. Abdul “hopes one day [he] will be able to help people just like [Bootcamps for Change did for him]”

Parting Words

For some, the process of making an impact will resemble that of Katie’s--seeing and acting on an unmet need. For others, this process may resemble the stories of Hash, Henry, and Abdul--realizing the value of helping after being helped. The moral of this is that impacts come in many forms, and there is no one clear-cut way to begin making your impact. You can develop a social enterprise or you can contribute to one that already exists. All impact is profound impact.

Bootcamps for Change might be the place to start your impact. The work of Bootcamps for Change would not be possible without the commitment of the youth that supports it. If you would like to become one of those youth, contact Prairie Gillis, Practicum Manager, at info@bootcampsforchange.com.

In the upcoming years, we cannot wait to see more individuals like Katie, Hash, Henry, and Abdul making a difference in their societies and the development of more organizations like Bootcamps for Change. Who knows, you may even be the one to develop the next Bootcamps for Change!