At CSI, we are committed to having welcoming spaces and accessible membership. So we created a program for “Desk Exchange Community Animators” (also known as “DECAs”) an amazing crew of folks who spend eight hours a week greeting and assisting members in exchange for a free membership to CSI.
Some DECAs have gone on to start their own companies. Others have joined organizations working out of CSI. A handful have even become full-time CSI staff. All DECAs are creative and interesting people that we think you should get to know.
Today we’d like you to meet Arqish.
At 11 years old, Arqish already has a great sense of who he is and who he hopes to become. He loves science, math, origami, and maple ice cream. When he grows up, he wants to become a professional tennis player, or to build robots that could teleport people to a hospital during a medical emergency.
Already determined to work with others to create change, Arqish told his parents that he felt a typical summer activity like going to camp wouldn’t allow him to make the kind of difference he wants to with his time. He became excited about CSI after his father showed him some of our videos, particularly this one that outlines how CSI member Stop Gap is working to create a barrier-free world.
Impressed by our commitment to diversity and working together to make change, Arqish decided to become a DECA for the summer.
In this role, he hopes to improve his collaboration and communication skills. He wants to learn to speak out more, have more discussions, while being a part of place and connecting with a community. He wants to boost his relationships with other people, because he knows that different people have different expertise, and you can ask your friends to help you out!
Arqish’s parents agree that it’s going to take innovation and collaboration to solve the world’s problems. They are proud of how much passion he has for working with and helping others, and are looking forward to him becoming part of the broader community at CSI. They hope the DECA program helps Arqish understand the world from non traditional ways and multiple perspectives. They also want him to live up to being a Canadian: Helping others and being a part of the solution.
We can’t wait to see what Arqish accomplishes this summer. He says: “Here at CSI, you can do what your heart and your mind tells you to do.”
If you’re interested in doing what your heart and mind tells you to do, apply to be a DECA today!
