Student creates website to help find fun virtual activities during holidays

High school student Madelyn Iwankow stands outside and with her frozen fingers scrolls through a website she created herself — warmed by the excitement she radiates as she shares what she has learned.

"Over the holidays, that can be really, really tough to not be able to see your family in person. And I'm in that situation as well," Iwankow said.

"My family's in that situation and I know a lot of Islanders are. So I created this to share some resources that I have."

The Grade 11 student created Holidays From Home, a website dedicated to sharing festive ideas so people can still connect while remaining apart.

"It can actually create the opportunity for more connection and I find that we value human connection a lot more in these times," Iwankow said. 

"Like when it's suddenly being taken away from us and we have to find ways to adapt, we value it a lot more because we have to actively work towards it."

She had started the project a few weeks before the Atlantic bubble burst, and before the majority of Charlottetown area high school students were sent home for online learning.

Looking for ideas

Iwankow wanted to find free — or mostly free — options and ideas so that there were fewer barriers for people to participate from afar.

The website is broken down into different sections like activities, games and ways people can connect digitally. She even had a suggestion to encourage people to share traditions or try things like baking together from different places.

"You can cook together at the same time. You can maybe make the same recipe and like help each other out with it, like from far away," Iwankow said.

"Or you could like pass on family recipes that maybe you wouldn't in another year because you wouldn't even think to do that because you'd just be in person."

School project

The website was part of her school work in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Charlottetown Rural High School.

The two-year diploma program offered to students for grade 11 and 12 has more than 40 students enrolled this year.

Through coursework and personalized projects the students are encouraged to think critically and independently.

Students have had to adapt some of their projects to make sure they were staying within shifting public health guidelines.

"It takes a little bit of reflection and just that awareness that there are things I can do. I'm not shut down," said Philip Pierlot, IB program co-ordinator at Charlottetown Rural.

"From my point of view, one of the values of this within the framework of COVID is that there are those outward reaching — I'll call it self-donation — things you can do within the community that do not have to end."

He said it has been exciting and heartwarming to see the students shift their projects to fit the world during a time when there are so many uncertainties.

"Their proficiency with technology — they have grown up with digital technology — means they don't see borders that I might see," Pierlot said.

"And that's remarkable to see how they are using that. I think they are among the most effective people in using these various media for very positive things."

Open to other suggestions

The website has a spot for other people to make suggestions and Iwankow said she plans to update it as more submissions come in.

It's only been up for a short time and she has already had one idea for a scavenger hunt, which she added to the site.

"It's an honour. It makes me really happy that people are just, like, looking at this," Iwankow said.

"It makes me happy that maybe someone looked at this and thought, oh, these are cool ideas and I have an idea and I want to share it with other people. That means a lot to me."

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