Osoyoos Princess Laura Devries and Miss Osoyoos Emmaleigh Diwell will be the last members of the Osoyoos Royalty. The program is being rebranded as the Osoyoos Ambassador Program, going in the same direction as many other communities. Kara Burton, who took over in December as program co-ordinator, says it’s still the same program, but with a more modern type of name. (Richard McGuire photo)
The present Osoyoos Royalty will be the last girls to use that name as the program is rebranded as Osoyoos Ambassadors.
“It’s the same program,” said Kara Burton, who took over late last year from long-time co-ordinator Cathie Baskett. “It’s just a change in name… It gives it a broader, more modern type of name.”
Burton said it was a committee decision made in recent weeks. Also on the committee are Natasha Schroeter and Marie Launier.
Many communities around the province, including Oliver, now have Ambassador programs instead of Royalty.
Like Royalty programs, Ambassadors travel the province promoting their communities at events such as fairs, rodeos and pageants.
Participants learn skills such as public speaking and leadership, which help them to build self-esteem.
Some Ambassador programs are open to boys, whereas Royalty programs have normally excluded them.
Burton said the committee discussed participation of boys, but they aren’t ready to encourage it.
“If a boy were to come to us, we would absolutely accept them,” she said. “There are, unfortunately, added expenses involved when boys are part of the program, especially when travel is concerned, because that adds more hotel rooms.”
Although boys aren’t being encouraged at the moment, that could be the eventual direction of the Ambassador program.
“Eventually that will be absolutely the direction,” said Burton. “It needs to be an inclusive program. These are skills that boys need just as much as girls need. There’s nothing overly girly about the program. It’s mostly about personal growth.”
Currently the Royalty consists of Miss Osoyoos Emmaleigh Diwell and Princess Laura Devries. Their term ends at a pageant on June 30.
The Ambassador program is now looking for potential contestants to replace the outgoing Royalty.
An information session was held Tuesday and more are planned.
Burton said Schroeter, who is a teacher, has been talking to students at Osoyoos Secondary School who might be interested.
As well, the committee is contacting businesses throughout the community, asking them to consider sponsoring a contestant or at least to give any potential contestants a nudge.
The program is open to Osoyoos students in Grades 10 to 12, who are usually in the 15 to 18 age range, said Burton.
In addition to the age requirement, participants must be willing to do a lot of volunteer work and “to put themselves out there a little bit.”
Burton said sometimes 16-year-old girls don’t step out of their shells and come forward without a bit of encouragement, perhaps from a business willing to sponsor them.
“We’re hoping to get the community a little bit more involved in different ways than what has been in the past,” said Burton.
The Royalty program began with the first Cherry Carnival, the forerunner of the Cherry Fiesta, in 1949, Burton said.
At that time, it was based on ticket sales for the July 1 event with the girl who sold the most tickets being crowned the Queen.
It has evolved over the years, including being a full-on pageant with girls in swimsuits several decades ago.
“Now it’s more about personal development and skills that see you through into adulthood,” said Burton.
Programs in other communities have evolved at the same time, and Burton said there are fewer programs today than there once was.
“There are so many opportunities out there for kids now that fewer kids are interested in these types of programs,” she said. “So it does get more difficult to recruit, but the skills are just as relevant.”
Burton said some participants might not appreciate at the time how important their new skills are, but former contestants have sometimes gone on to university and discovered that they can speak in class more easily than fellow students.
Some details of the new program have yet to be worked out, Burton said.
These include whether the Ambassadors will be known as Ambassadors and Vice Ambassadors, as in some other programs, or whether they will continue to be Miss Osoyoos and Osoyoos Princess.
“We wanted to start making changes and get people thinking and realizing that the program is changing,” she said. “It’s under new management and we’re trying to update it and make it relevant to the kids today.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
