As parents, we hope we are doing our part to ensure our children are empathetic to those around them. In a world that offers our children so much, we hope that they can see outside their comfortable surroundings to those less fortunate. We talk to them about making sure they make the new student feel welcome, about donating their much loved toys and clothes to charities, we pick a needy child's name from the school Christmas tree and we volunteer our time as a family at a few charitable organizations. But is it enough? Are our kids 'getting' it? Do they realize that they have the power to make a difference too? Earlier this year, I took my 10 year old daughter to
We Day for the first time and she was so excited. She didn't stop talking about it for days and I secretly wondered if her excitement was due to the fact that she spent the day singing and dancing along to
amazing performances by some of her favourite bands instead of being inspired by the days events and the true meaning of We Day. Beginning in grade 4 and continuing throughout the remainder of primary school, students are required to write and present a speech on any topic they choose. My daughter chose to speak to her classmates about We Day and was selected along with one other student from her class to present it at the school level. When I watched her take her place in the centre of the gym and speak confidently to fellow students, parents and judges, I came to the realization that she did indeed 'get it'. She wasn't just mesmerized by the famous performers, she was being inspired that day and now she was spreading that feeling and sharing it with her entire school. Here is Q card #1 from her grade 5 speech...
"How many of us think that we can make a difference in the world?
Probably not many of us do...BUT...Marc and Craig Keilburger did and they were only 8 and 12 years old.
I'm standing up here to tell you that all of us have what it takes to make a difference in the world. Together we can make a change for a better tomorrow." She ended her speech by saying
"So, who's with me? If not now, when? If not us, who?" Yes, I think it's safe to say she most definitely 'got it'. Image by Aimee Nishitoba
As parents, we hope we are doing our part to ensure our children are empathetic to those around them. In a world that offers our children so much, we hope that they can see outside their comfortable surroundings to those less fortunate. We talk to them about making sure they make the new student feel welcome, about donating their much loved toys and clothes to charities, we pick a needy child's name from the school Christmas tree and we volunteer our time as a family at a few charitable organizations. But is it enough? Are our kids 'getting' it? Do they realize that they have the power to make a difference too? Earlier this year, I took my 10 year old daughter to
We Day for the first time and she was so excited. She didn't stop talking about it for days and I secretly wondered if her excitement was due to the fact that she spent the day singing and dancing along to
amazing performances by some of her favourite bands instead of being inspired by the days events and the true meaning of We Day. Beginning in grade 4 and continuing throughout the remainder of primary school, students are required to write and present a speech on any topic they choose. My daughter chose to speak to her classmates about We Day and was selected along with one other student from her class to present it at the school level. When I watched her take her place in the centre of the gym and speak confidently to fellow students, parents and judges, I came to the realization that she did indeed 'get it'. She wasn't just mesmerized by the famous performers, she was being inspired that day and now she was spreading that feeling and sharing it with her entire school. Here is Q card #1 from her grade 5 speech...
"How many of us think that we can make a difference in the world?
Probably not many of us do...BUT...Marc and Craig Keilburger did and they were only 8 and 12 years old.
I'm standing up here to tell you that all of us have what it takes to make a difference in the world. Together we can make a change for a better tomorrow." She ended her speech by saying
"So, who's with me? If not now, when? If not us, who?" Yes, I think it's safe to say she most definitely 'got it'. Image by Aimee Nishitoba
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