Waterdown’s Mackenzie Boers has the world at her feet – and whatever the future holds for her, it definitely won’t be boring.
The 26-year-old is crafting a life that combines her talent for communication and design, a passion for social justice and volunteerism and a love of travel, just not necessarily in that order.
Since 2022, Boers has been the coordinator for the Healthy Education About Relationships Team (HEART), a Healthy Youth Network program that operates at Waterdown District High School and Sir Allan MacNab. In her role, she facilitates club activities designed to get young people talking about sometimes awkward topics such as sex, consent, gender-based violence, and keeping each other safe when out with friends.
The activities, such as a Halloween Boohaviour event, an updated version of The Dating Game, or making friendship bracelets, incorporate “red flag” and “green flag” behaviours, which students identify to win prizes.
“It's just a lighter way to talk about it,” said Boers. “And people can have fun with it. But it's also just getting people thinking.”
She wasn’t always comfortable discussing such sensitive topics. She discovered social activism when attended WDHS through the school’s SOLID club and the Connexions class with teacher Evan Smith, which culminated in a trip where they volunteered in a community in Costa Rica. However, it was during her second year at University of Guelph Humber when she really started to come out of her shell.
There, she got involved with “Consent is Sexy” – later rebranded to the Consent Peer Education Program – where she learned to talk about consent, facilitated workshops, participated in Take Back the Night marches and helped awareness of domestic violence.
“It was the first time even I was talking about consent and sexual violence and sex and relationships,” she said. “And I’m uncomfortable and awkward talking about these things to people who are awkward, uncomfortable. And so it was a huge growing experience.
“Coming back to the high schools now, with the knowledge that I have in this program, I wish I was having these conversations in high school.”
Exploring the possibilities - and the world
Boers studied communications at Guelph Humber, and says the broad program allowed her to explore career possibilities. She has a strong background in design: parents Sophie and Len have their own graphic design business and she has been involved with numerous volunteer and paid positions where her own skills have served her well.
Boers got involved with Healthy Youth Network while in high school. In Grade 11 she and a partner launched the WDHS Chronicle as part of a class project and the school newspaper continues today online. She was also on the yearbook committee in her graduating year; during her gap year, she started working for Oakville-based cinema film.ca, and still provides design services. She also worked as an intern in Ward 15 Coun. Judi Partridge’s office, before taking on the role with Healthy Youth Network.
Throughout it all, Boers has pursued her passion for world travel. Her adventures - with family, with volunteer groups and solo – have taken her to Amsterdam and Denmark where she studied abroad in university, returning home for sister Jessa’s high school graduation before setting off again for India with Operation Groundswell. She’s also hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with dad Len, and has been toSpain, Portugal and Morocco (where she learned not to drink the water). She went to India, Vietnam and Thailand in 2023.
She’s looking forward to returning to Asia this summer, where she’ll cross off Malaysia and Cambodia from her bucket list.
Whether she’s traveling for pleasure or volunteer opportunities, Boers’s trips are always focused on exploring the local places and meeting people. Even when she sets out solo now, she often connects with friends along the way.
“When you do local travel, you meet a lot of international friends,” she said.
So, where does she plan to be in five years?
She looks forward to continuing the HEART program at WDHS and MacNab nex year; in the longer term, she's thinking global.
“I would potentially join my parents’ graphic design business, because they also work from home…I can do that anywhere,” she said. “So in that case, I would be able to live abroad longer. Ideally, I would like to split my time between Canada and Asia.”
