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YGTA Teen Council 2024-2025

03 January 2024

Asvene Pathmanathan Co-Chair

Asvene is a grade 12 student who attends R H King Academy. She has been with the YMCA since August 2020 and has been on the YGTA Teen Council since November 2021. Her interests include music, food, and connecting with people. At school, Asvene is the co-chair of her school’s HOSA chapter, the secretary of state of her school’s music council and volunteers as a math tutor. She aspires to live a life of purpose and to put her best foot forward in whatever she does.


Aryan Rajagopal Co-Chair



Aryan was born in Markham, Canada and is currently 17 years old. He is in Grade 12 at Pierre Elliott Trudeau HS, and he has been a YMCA member since March 8th, 2011. He volunteered at the YMCA for over 3 years in youth basketball classes before becoming a part-time instructor in January 2023. He has been a YLD member for over 5 years at the Markham YMCA. This is Aryan’s fourth year on the Council and his second year as a co-chair, he is very excited to host the Pinecrest conference again in May. Aryan’s hobbies include playing/watching sports, hanging out with friends, playing Football Manager and participating in Model UN conferences. He hopes that the pressure of the entire universe doesn’t obliterate him, but he also enjoys meeting new people and tackling new challenges.


Ehvena Lam – Social Media and Marketing Coordinator



Ehvena is a 16-year-old born in Markham, Ontario and is a Grade 11 student at Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School. She has been a member of the YMCA since 2022. She volunteered as the chair of Teen Night from November 2022 to September 2023, and she currently shares her passion for dancing with young children as a volunteer. It is her first year on the YMCA Council as the Social Media and Marketing Coordinator. At school, she is the executive of the club Didomi, a member of the Yearbook committee and part of the Grade 11 Wind Symphony. Outside of her commitments, Ehvena enjoys badminton, video games, graphic design, and music. In the future, Ehvena aspires to become an elementary school teacher, while running a small business on the side.


Arjun Rajagopal – Social Media and Marketing Coordinator


Arjun was born in Markham, Canada and is currently 14 years old. It is his first year at Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School as a grade 9, but he’s already got things off to a great start. Arjun’s been a member of the YMCA since March 8th, 2011, or since the ripe age of 3. He’s helped the community, volunteering at the YMCA since the summer of 2022 and has been a YLD member for much longer. He’s been attending for over 4 years now, right from the moment he was eligible to join. Much like school, it’s his first year on the YGTA Teen Council, and he would like to make a positive impact as a social media and marketing coordinator. Arjun has many skills and hobbies to bring to the table, including a love for any sport played in high school P.E., anything to do with video creation (especially editing), a knack for video games, a creative thirst for building and designing gadgets and thinking deep thoughts. He hopes to turn his interests into something that could drive his future, and still get him invited to family dinner, but on the other side, something buried deep inside, he wants to try to help beginners.


Karthika Nagendram- Speaker Coordinator



Karthika is currently in grade 11 studying at Saint John Paul II C.S.S. She was born and raised in Toronto, Canada by two Sri-Lankan immigrants. Karthika has been attending YLD for almost three years and can say she is having a blast. She is active, loves to dance, talk to friends and watches TV. She also enjoys helping people and is willing to give advice when needed. She is passionate about the things she loves and is a hard worker. Karthika is determined to get her work done on time. This is only the beginning of Karthika’s life and hopes she can succeed in the future with the help of her allies.


Rayan Ghani – Speaker Coordinator



Rayan was born in Mississauga Canada, he is 17 years old. He is in Grade 12 at T. L. Kennedy Secondary School, and has been a YMCA member since 2014. He has volunteered at the YMCA for over 4 years in children’s sports and in the pool, before becoming a part-time swim instructor in April of 2023. He has been a YLD member since 2019 at the Burnhamthorpe YMCA. This is Rayan’s first year on the Council. Rayan’s hobbies include playing football, squash, and tennis. He is looking forward to the coming year and the events he will be part of.


Kabishan Selvakumar

Kabishan was born in Scarborough, Canada and is a Grade 11 student that has a great desire towards leadership and pursuing community involvement. He has been a driven volunteer at the Scarborough YMCA for over two years and through this experience has developed great teamwork, communication, and engagement skills with staff and members. Additionally, he was a participant of YLD in where he learned to grow from the youth and mentors around him. This will be his second year part of the YGTA Teen Council, and his main goal is to create a positive impact through enhancing youth voices and having a strong connection with the YMCA’s across the GTA. Apart from volunteering, Kabishan enjoys soccer, debating, and meeting new people. He wishes to pursue a future in business and law, with his motivation being to support others and empower them to make a meaningful impact in the world.


Bhavik Patel

Bhavik is a Grade 11 student from Scarborough, Toronto, Canada. He recently got involved with the YMCA through joining YLD and the Civil Action Project (CAP). Through these programs, he has started learning more about leadership, meeting new people, teamwork, and how youth can work together to make a difference in their community. Even though he is newer to YMCA programs, Bhavik is motivated to learn, get involved in new involvements, and grow through his experiences.

As a member of the YGTA Teen Council, Bhavik is especially interested in mental health, leadership development, and helping new youth feel welcome and included because he feels deeply connected within those interests. He wants to support positive spaces where teens feel  safe and comfortable being themselves and sharing their ideas. Outside of the YMCA, Bhavik enjoys swimming and spending time with friends. In the future, he hopes to pursue a career in dentistry and make a positive impact by helping others as well working with a team.

Vaishnavi Raveendran

Vaishanavi is currently a Grade 9 Student attending Richmond Hill High School in Ontario. She has been part of YLD for almost two years and has volunteered with the NYLD program where she has developed a strong interest in youth leadership, teamwork, and community engagement, leading to her to apply for the YGTA Teen Council Outside of school, Vaishanavi enjoys playing volleyball, listening to music and spending time with her friends and family. She plays the flute in her school’s concert band and enjoys being involved in her school community by partaking in different clubs such as HOSA and Music Council. Vaishanavi is passionate about giving back to her community and looks forward to continuing to grow as a leader while contributing to meaningful initiatives through the YGTA Teen Council.


Prakhya Sree Regalla

Prakhya Sree Regalla is a Grade 11 student at Woodbridge College who has been involved with the YMCA since 2023. She participates in Youth Leadership Development (YLD), Teen Night and Aquatics volunteering, and enjoys finding ways to support and connect with others in her community. In 2024, she became President of Vaughan YMCA’s Teen Council, where she works alongside other youth to encourage involvement, leadership and positive change.

Outside of the YMCA, Prakhya is the President of her school’s HOSA club, Vice President of MUN and Ethics and an active member of several clubs.  She enjoys being involved in school life and working with others to make a difference.

Prakhya has a strong interest in healthcare and hopes to pursue a future career in medicine. She is passionate about learning, leadership and giving back, and is always excited to take on new opportunities to grow and help her community.



Chayce Pugh – Speaker Coordinator



Hi, my name is Chayce and this is my third year on the Y-GTA Teen Council. I found out about the Y-GTA Teen Council by joining the Youth Leadership Development program at the Markham YMCA, which I still attend weekly. I am 16 years old and am a grade 11 student at Bill Hogarth Secondary School in Markham. At school, I participate in a variety of clubs and sports including Model UN, FBLC, DECA, cross country, golf, rock climbing, and track and field. In school, I also play the alto saxophone in the senior band. I enjoy going for runs, reading, and spending time with friends. I am excited to return to Pinecrest for my fourth year and work with new council members.

Second Year (2024-2025)

Hi, my name is Chayce and this is my second year as a Speaker Coordinator on the Y-GTA Teen Council. I found out about the Y-GTA Teen Council by joining the Youth Leadership Development program at the Markham YMCA, which I still attend weekly. I am 15 years old and am a grade 10 student at Bill Hogarth Secondary School in Markham. At school, I participate in a variety of clubs and sports including Model UN, FBLC, DECA, cross country, golf, rock climbing, and track and field. In school, I am also heavily involved in the music department, taking repertoire after school and an instrumental music course during the day. Music is a huge part of my life and always has been. I play the alto saxophone and have been taking weekly lessons since grade 4. Furthermore, I have experience playing piano and guitar. In addition to music, outside of school I enjoy reading, playing golf and tennis, going for runs, and spending time with friends. I am excited to return to Pinecrest for my third year and work with new council members. Chayce is 15 years old and is a grade 10 student at Bill Hogarth Secondary School in Markham. He is returning as a Speaker Coordinator for his second year on the Y-GTA Teen Council. Chayce found out about the Y-GTA Teen Council by joining the Youth Leadership Development program at the Markham YMCA, which he still attends weekly. At school, he participates in a variety of clubs and sports including Model UN, FBLC, DECA, cross country, golf, rock climbing, and track and field. In school, he is also heavily involved in the music department, taking repertoire after school and an instrumental music course during the day. Music is a huge part of his life and always has been. Chayce plays the alto saxophone and has been taking weekly lessons since grade 4. Furthermore, he has experience playing the piano and guitar. In addition to music, outside of school Chayce 

First Year (2023-2024):

Chayce was born in Markham, Ontario and is currently 14 years old. He is in grade 9 and attends Bill Hogarth Secondary School. This is his first year serving as a YGTA Teen Council member and has been a member of the Markham YLD for roughly a year. He enjoys playing golf, playing tennis, practicing his alto saxophone and piano, and talking to his friends. Chayce is an active school citizen and has participated in extracurricular activities like the golf club, the cross country club, TSS, DECA, FBLA, is a member of the grade 9 concert band and the music council, and represents the school as a BHSS Ambassador. Outside of school he does weekly alto saxophone lessons, referees soccer games, and is active in his community by delivering the local newspaper for 4 years. Chayce is extremely excited to serve as a speaker coordinator and to return to Pinecrest this year as a Council member. 



What is the YMCA GTA Teen Council?

  1. The Teen Council is a group of youth chosen based on their community involvement and leadership skills, who are responsible for creating awareness about Youth Social Issues.
  2. The YMCA GTA Teen council was started as a form of outreach towards becoming influential citizens within their communities and being more self-aware.
  3. These youth plan initiatives for the year based upon the UN guidelines and host the yearly youth conference at YMCA Camp Pinecrest each May as a culmination of their work throughout the year.

How can you get involved?

  1. To apply for a position on the Teen Council please contact your YLD or NYLD advisor or email Dedric Nelson. *note that to be part of the council you must be a current YLD or NYLD member.
  2. posting information & how to apply