Making a positive impact on youth in our community!
Supporting the growth, confidence, leadership, and education of Nanaimo youth while encouraging community engagement and tourism to our city.
Our vision:
We are excited to announce the return of the Nanaimo Ambassador Program, a youth leadership program returning to Nanaimo with a fresh vision for a new generation.
The program is dedicated to empowering youth, building confidence, developing leadership and public-speaking skills, encouraging community involvement, and promoting civic pride.
The program is open to all Grade 11 students in Nanaimo, providing an inclusive opportunity for local youth to challenge themselves, develop valuable skills, become involved in their community, and proudly represent Nanaimo.
All eligible applicants will be welcomed as candidates, with three candidates ultimately selected to serve as Nanaimo Ambassadors.
Our Committee:
As a committee, one of the things we care most about is creating opportunities for young people to discover what they are capable of.
We believe being part of the Nanaimo Ambassador Program is about so much more than wearing a sash or representing our community. It is about giving youth a place to build confidence, find their voice, meet new people, take on challenges, and grow as individuals.
The skills they gain along the way — public speaking, communication, teamwork, leadership, professionalism, and working with others — are skills that will stay with them long after their time in the program is over. We hope these experiences give our Ambassadors a strong foundation as they move into post-secondary education, the workforce, and whatever path they choose to pursue.
Most of all, we want our youth to feel that they are valued and that their ideas, voices, and contributions matter. Nanaimo is a better community when young people have the opportunity to be involved, take on leadership roles, and make a difference.
We are proud to help create those opportunities, and we look forward to seeing each of our Ambassadors grow, learn, and become the leaders they have the potential to be.
Jayse Ruckstuhl is excited to be part of the committee helping bring the Nanaimo Ambassador Program back to the community.
Her ambassador journey began when she was crowned a Ladysmith Princess and awarded Miss Congeniality in 2010. She later represented Ladysmith in the BC Ambassador Program in 2012, where she developed valuable leadership skills and a passion for community involvement.
Today, Jayse is a teacher who is passionate about supporting and inspiring young people. When she’s not in the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, beachcombing along Vancouver Island’s beautiful shores, travelling, and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Jayse is proud to be part of the team relaunching the Nanaimo Ambassador Program and is excited to help create opportunities for the next generation of ambassadors to grow, lead, and serve their communities.
Jayse Ruckstuhl (She/Her)
Society Chair
Kate Mooney has followed the Cowichan Lake Ambassador Program as well as the BC Ambassador Program for a few years now, and it is remarkable what a difference she sees in the young people who participate in these programs. Kate has watched shy teenagers grow into confident and well-spoken young leaders as a result of their experiences in these programs.
After graduating from VIU this past spring, Kate found herself with more free time than she knew what to do with, and an itch to make a difference in her community.
Revitalizing the Nanaimo Ambassador Program seemed like the perfect solution to both problems! Kate is excited to see where this journey takes her and looks forward to supporting the leadership development of Nanaimo’s youth!
Kate Mooney (She/Her)
Society Co-Chair and Treasurer
Lindsay Whyte was born and raised just outside of Victoria where she spent her youth playing a variety of sports and secretly creating lip-sync concerts in her bedroom with choreography copied from the latest Britney music video.
While fear of judgment kept her creative hobbies strictly behind closed doors, it gave her the ultimate superpower: becoming a teacher and coach where she could be the ultimate hype-woman for her students.
Today, she channels that energy into helping students crush their goals and flourish in whatever they love—whether that’s on the court, in the classroom, or secretly practicing hair flips in the mirror.
Lindsay Whyte (She/Her)
Society Co-Chair and Secretary
Out in the community…
Acknowledges that we live, work, learn, and play on the unceded and traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples – Snaw Naw As, Snuneymuxw, and Stz’uminus Nations.
Let’s Work Together
Need volunteers at a community event? Looking to get involved? Drop us a note :)