On November 15th I volunteered to speak with a Queneesh Elementary grade 7 class to throw more juice on the passion hurricane that the kids were creating. I spoke to them about my experiences and shared my excitement for working on poverty related issues globally and locally. Specifically, the kids were very interested in The HEAL Project and Free The Children.
Earlier in the year Queneesh Elementary sent this particular class to We Day in Vancouver and my friend Michel Chikwanine‘s speech resonated with them the most. Michel didn’t speak at all – he held posters up above his head one by one that explained his horrific story of abduction and becoming a child soldier. The event really stoked the energy level for social justice issues in the class and three of the students completed FTC’s Halloween for Hunger shortly after. They felt some great success with around 10-15 bags of food for the local foodbank. In Michel’s honour the class also participated in The Vow Of Silence and created a video about peace (I’ve posted that below). After that the teacher Ms. Braidwood showed them examples of people doing things in the community and watched some videos that I had done and my TEDx talk called Facing the Fear of Success before inviting me in.
This class was amped! They knew everything about me they could find on the internet and they were excited to tell me the details and inspirational tidbits they had connected with individually. I spoke to a riveted class for an hour and we had a discussion for another hour about poverty issues and what we can do about them on different levels.
Yesterday the students invited me back to their classroom to show me what they were up to. They had inspired their entire school to donate 41 bags of high quality groceries for the local food bank. It was so impressive and very exciting. Following a quick photo shoot and a Hug Pile (which was a big hit) we had a discussion about the desperate and deplorable poverty situation in Attawapiskat First Nation. The kids wondered how they could “aid the people of Attawapiskat in the short-term” (their words), and how they could reconnect the Federal Government with it’s people. Canadian Red Cross is providing emergency aid but the next answer was difficult and complex. However, I was inspired and confident that there could be a solution if all of our kids were given the opportunity to be as engaged and educated as Ms. Braidwood’s grade 7′s. I witnessed critical thinking skills rising out of these kids that were far more developed than most people I’ve met in their age group.
The Queneesh grade 7′s are really doing some special things this year for our global and local communities. They are daring enough to learn about and act on issues to direct change where they believe it’s needed. I am honoured to be a part of their inspiring journey and to have met these courageous leaders of today.
To find out more about Queneesh’s Ripple Effect actions and inspirations click here. Thanks friends – feel free to comment below and share this with other students and teachers in your life.
