Youth Ambassador Alumni
Representing the provinces of Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Digitally Lit Youth Ambassadors are cherry-picked, book-loving digital natives united in their love of Atlantic Canadian books.
Andre
Fun fact: Both my arms are double jointed, so I NEVER need a back-scratcher!
My name is Andre Fenton, and I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia. For me, home is where the water is. So living in a coastal city has always filled my heart in the right ways.
As well as being a writer, I am also an arts educator, and have experience mentoring young people and helping them build their craft. As I navigate through this industry, I feel that it’s important to give back, by helping young up-and-coming writers and poets find their voice.
I am thrilled to be part of this great team of like-minded readers and writers. Being a Youth Ambassador is an important opportunity to help build bridges, and work towards having more people feel inspired by books.
Jessica
FUN FACT: I love collecting things. I don’t just read books, I collect them (or at least this is my excuse for having six different copies of the first Harry Potter book). When I was in elementary and had the chance to go to Scholastic Book Fairs, I wouldn’t buy books but I would buy those long, skinny erasers and collect them in a pencil case which I still have to this day.
My name is Jessica Parsons and I currently live in Halifax, NS.
I grew up on the other side of the harbour in Dartmouth and have just moved back after living in Vancouver, BC for the past three years.
They say you never miss something until it’s gone and that’s how I felt about Atlantic Canada. Moving away gave me the distance to see the wonderful history, culture, and people that live here and just how unique we are to the world. I have always loved stories; reading them, writing them, daydreaming them on long car rides. Being a Youth Ambassador means being able to celebrate and showcase the talented creators that come out of the areas I call home and understand the experiences and stories of different viewpoints around me. In doing this I hope to create a space where books can bring people of all backgrounds together under the canopy of where we live to broaden our ideas of what it means to create in Atlantic Canada.
Lauren
FUN FACT: I was a gymnast (in both artistic and power tumbling) for 12 years, and I competed on team Nova Scotia at competitions across the country!
My name is Lauren Stevens and I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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I lived in Halifax up until 2016, when I moved to Toronto to do my undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, where I am still studying, though I am often back and forth between Toronto and Halifax.
I’ve been a part of the bookstagram and book blogging community since 2015, in which I have worked with various international book publishers to promote and review young adult books, so I am very excited to continue this type of work by being a Youth Ambassador!
Nolan
FUN FACT: I love creating and inventing and try to live by Walt Disney’s motto “if you can dream it, you can do it.” Although I’ve tried many things, I most recently was able to ‘build’ a cotton candy machine using a tin can!
Hi, my name is Nolan Lohnes. I’m 15 years old and attend Bayview Community School. I live just outside of Mahone Bay Nova Scotia with my parents, my twin brother, and my dog, Dallas.
I’ve been a Youth Leader with the YMCA Leadership Program for the past four years doing volunteer work and fundraising and I also volunteer at my school’s mentorship program.
I have recently started a small business called “Nolan’s Candy Cave”, making and selling various flavors of taffy and rock candy. I’ve always been an avid reader and I’m very excited to be chosen as a Youth Ambassador for Digitally Lit.
I look forward to sharing the books I read with others.