Excitement is building for ten young women, Heidi Bevington writes, as they prepare for the first-ever Miss Teen Haida Gwaii Pageant Saturday in Masset.
This week the participants are "practising, practising, practising," says event coordinator Shirley Kricheldorf of the Masset Economic Development Office. "They have an opening number, a dance routine choreographed by Louisa Marshall."
As well as their performance, the contestants have been gathering up sponsorships, collecting pledges and putting the finishing touches on the resumes and essays that are part of their entry requirements.
Planning for the pageant began in the fall, and the young women began participating in February.
"It creates VIPs for the islands, and gives us an opportunity to showcase the islands elsewhere because the winner will go to the Miss Teen BC pageant on July 6," says Ms Kricheldorf. "There's not a lot of youth events, and we thought it would be a fun thing for the girls to be involved in."
One contestant, 16-year old Jennifer Sheppard of Masset, says, "I think the event is a really good experience. I've made friends I otherwise wouldn't have made. I think the ladies who are putting it together have done a really good job."
"We've gotten to do some really fun things that we wouldn't normally get to do-- like get our photos taken. It's made me more of a social person and helped me get rid of my fear of getting on a stage," says Ms Sheppard.
Cecile Pages got involved in the pageant hoping to create opportunities for young women on the islands. "I was thinking it would be good for our young girls to be involved in something like this and get them off to another pageant in Vancouver or Toronto.
"A few of them have a lot more confidence. They're getting out in the community and fundraising which is something they maybe weren't doing before," says Ms Pages.
The organizers hope the event will continue next year.
"We hope it's an event that will travel around the islands," says Ms Kricheldorff. "We've worked out some of the bugs, and the girls will be able to help next year to promote it and assist."
Both the contestants and the organizers agree the relationships they've made are the best part of the whole process. "I've really, really enjoyed working with these young women. It's been really neat getting to know them," says Ms Kricheldorf.
The pageant starts at 7 pm at the Howard Phillips community hall.