No, Really: A Narwhal, Teenagers, and a Local Artist Inspired This Fundraiser

We’re absolutely serious.

When ECO-02 opened its community centre in 2024, our goal was to create a welcoming space where people could connect and belong. What we didn't expect was how quickly local youth would make it their own.

Today, our Youth Nights regularly welcome 15–20 teens, and many continue to use the centre as a safe place to gather after school. To help keep our snack carts stocked and our drink fridge full, we're launching the Feed the Teens / Fonds Énergie Jeunesse Fundraiser.

This fundraiser features original artwork created by a local English-speaking youth named Kass. The design is inspired by the true story of a narwhal that was discovered living among a pod of belugas where the Saguenay River and the St. Lawrence meet.

Much like that narwhal finding its place in a new community, the artwork reflects the experience of many English-speakers who have chosen to make Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean their home.

Read on to learn more about the artist behind the design, Kass D, a recent Riverside Graduate, future member of the Canadian Armed Forces and current member of the ECO-02 Youth Advisory Committee.

How did you first hear about ECO-02?

I first found out about ECO-02 when they were at Riverside Regional High School animating the Life Skills class, I had some friends taking that class. I remember stopping by during my breaks to talk to Ashley and show off my latest thrifted finds. Shortly after that, I tagged along with friends to a Youth Night at the ECO-02 centre and the rest is history.

Now that you have graduated, what are you looking forward to the most?

I am absolutely excited to be joining the English side for the military; that’s my next step. Doing a job that’s like what I did when I was in cadets. That’s something I am very passionate about, everyone in my immediate family are/were in the military. I am joining to do the same job as my mother and my sister!

I am also excited that I have a new job this summer so that I can make some pocket cash before I leave for the military in the fall. I was very happy because I met some other people that were also cadets and spoke English! Half my family speaks English, but we are francophone first.

You also participated in our Prep for Cegep Program too, didn’t you?

Yes! It was really fun, I got to see what it was like to be away from family. It helped me to prepare further for my adult life. AND I learned cooking skills because I almost burnt up the kitchen once.

I am saving more money, I started putting some into my new savings account that I just recently opened. It’s better than losing the cash and then magically finding it in my coat pockets.

I was always dead set on joining the military but after doing this workshop and the cegep tours, I was able to recognize the importance of having a backup plan. I learned that I would be able to have my post-secondary education in English and that it is a possibility to actually live on my own and do that.

John Abott and Dawson are my choices if the military doesn’t pan out. I would be pursuing art or criminology along with a friend of mine!

“Have you seen the octopus in our conference room and ever wondered who the artist was?”

— Its-a Me, Kass!

What are your thoughts about story of the narwhal?

I think a lot of people can relate to the idea of feeling lost and the need to integrate in a community where you don’t quite fit in. English-Speaking students that arrive at Riverside Regional High School probably feel happy that they have an English school to go to in a Francophone region. Like the narwhal, other English-Speakers relocating to the region have the reality and the difficulty to learn a whole new language in order to settle in their new home.

Narwhals are unicorns of the sea, they stand out because they are like a whale but with a horn, a lot of people think they are fictional, kind of like an English-Speaker in Saguenay.

One time I was at a restaurant in the region and I was speaking with a friend in English asking for directions, we were surprised to hear someone else answer our question in English. So, I can just imagine how surprised others are when they realize that there is a whole community and a community organization in English here.

One thing that you appreciate about being bilingual?

W jobs, amiright, low key. (Teen translation: I have access to more job opportunities.)

Can you share one thing you like about ECO-02 with the people reading this?

Oh, I love it. It’s like coming to a family, from my actual family and feeling that acceptance. I walk in and I am like, “Hello people I am here, its me Kassandra!”