WE Day

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS SPECIAL FEATURE | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 | PAGE 5 By Kathryn Dorrell Proud to support Manitoba's youth as they inspire change in our community and around the world. Presenting Sponsor of WE Day Manitoba 2015 3618438 James R WE Day r.pdf;Customer is responsible for accuracy L earning to balance a budget might seem like a headache, but for a Grade 7 math class at Lincoln Middle School, it turned out to be as gripping as an episode of Dragon's Den. To help her students grasp the essentials of financial literacy, Lindsay Swereda had them enact their own version of the popular reality TV show. "I thought this would be a great way to help math be more mean- ingful," she says. The class broke into small groups and stepped into their roles as up-and-coming social entrepreneurs who needed investors to support their fundraising ideas. Each group researched the costs of running their fundraiser, estimated the potential profits, and then created business proposals and two-minute pitches to pres- ent to the rest of the class. "We liked working together because when something wasn't my strong suit, I knew it was somebody else's," says Nicole Robinson, 13. Swereda found the activity in "It All Adds Up," an educational resource created by RBC and Free The Children. The practical lessons teach students how to manage personal finances and plan cost-effective fundraisers. After weighing the pros and cons of each plan, the class voted on the two they thought were best: selling chocolate bars and "candy sushi" — small, round Rice Krispies treats covered with colourful gummies — at their school's open house. As a group, they took on the task of organizing and promoting the fundraiser, and decided that the proceeds would go to the Chil- dren's Wish Foundation and two other local charities. By Kiyoye Marangos MATH ADDS UP TO FUN AND PHILANTHROPY "We were passionate about our ideas and going through with them," says 13-year-old Teighyn Betz, who looks forward to in- cluding other classes in the project next year. "It would be great if it became this schoolwide thing that could have lots of impact on charities." For Swereda, tying philanthropic ideas into her students' learn- ing was a uniquely rewarding experience. "I would do it all again in a heartbeat," she says. S tudents participating in the WE Schools program are stepping up to give back to their communities. These are their stories of local and global change. TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, WINNIPEG Last fall, the student council at Technical Vocational High School made it their mission to provide heaping food hampers for 22 families in their school community. To get their class- mates on board, they visited homerooms, made weekly an- nouncements and hung mas- sive posters in the hallways. Their efforts kept momen- tum high throughout the two- month food drive. Students not only brought in canned and boxed goods, but many also donated part of their lunch money. The collection was tal- lied up just before the holidays and used to buy produce, dairy products and a turkey for every family. The council's initial goal was to provide enough food for a nourishing holiday dinner, but students got so excited about giv- ing back that they rounded up enough to last each family a week. Why give to families in your school community? "It motivates students because it's their classmates, and you don't want them to be left out. We ran out of tables to put food on. It was falling off !" — Darence Lipio, 18 What was inspiring about this action? "We don't have a lot of students that come from money. With lim- ited resources, they still wanted to give to somebody who has less. That's what's most rewarding." — Trish Goldrup, educator OAK LAKE COMMUNITY SCHOOL, OAK LAKE Not even a bitter snowstorm could keep 200 Oak Lake residents from packing into the school gym for the "Power Plays for Purple" floor hockey tournament, and they weren't just there for the game. This fundraiser was to support Juliana, a kindergartener with ep- ilepsy, a neurological condition that requires expensive medical treatments. The student council had spent weeks organizing the event, find- ing schools in neighbouring towns to participate and calling up local businesses to request donations for raffle prizes. They even got local junior hockey team, the Virden Oil Capitals, to come out to the event, and invited media to cover the story. On the day of the tournament, the crowd came through sport- ing shades of purple — the colour for epilepsy awareness. Student organizers distributed handmade educational brochures, charged spectators an entry fee and sold $5 lunches, raising nearly $3,300! What was the best part? "Seeing how much we raised for her. It put a smile on everyone's face to see how happy she was that everybody was there just for her." — Jeremy Larway, 13 What moment stood out for you? "We weren't expecting Juliana to be the one dropping the puck. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. She had a little Oil Capitals jersey on and she got to take a shot on net. It was amazing." — Brenda Masson, administrator JOHN W. GUNN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WINNIPEG When the "WE" student group declared a school-wide Goat Wars fundraiser, teams went all-out to collect the most coins to buy goats for families in developing communities. One goat would cost $50. Students wanted to buy 10. MANITOBA SCHOOLS MAKE THE SHIFT FROM "ME" THINKING TO "WE ACTING" John W. Gunn was already divided into "houses" for a school spirit competition. Each team had a pop bottle to fill with the nickels, dimes, quarters and toonies they collected and donat- ed to earn house points. Loonies counted for negative points, so students slipped those into competing teams' bottles to sabotage their score. The points were tallied in each house's end-of-year total. The competition was fierce, but the generosity was fiercer. Teacher supervisors had to investigate where one $50 bill dona- tion came from. It was a student's birthday money. Why raise money for goats? "It was just something different. It was the first time I'd heard of buying animals for people. It helps them be self-sufficient because you can get milk and make cheese and you can sell that and start making an income." — Erika Ritter, 14 Did you expect the turnout you got? "As teacher supervisors we started thinking, '10 goats, that's a su- per-big goal.' But that's what the kids wanted. And then we ended up raising enough to buy 42." — Amber Ens, educator KLEEFELD SCHOOL, KLEEFELD Kleefeld School's SHOC (Students Helping Other Communi- ties) group put together two "Kleefeld's Got Talent" shows — first for their school, and again for their community — to boost their ongoing fundraising effort to build a school in a developing com- munity. SHOC volunteers worked as ushers, stage hands, prop masters, lighting designers and concession attendants and put together a packed show. Students, staff and community members came out to sing, dance, juggle, give speeches and perform slam poetry. Some acts were multi-generational, with Grade 1 student Camer- on singing a song backed by her dad on guitar. Local celebs added extra star power. Wildlife photographer Dennis Fast and WE Day performer Robb Nash served as judges, while MIX 96.7 FM host Trev Shellenburg emceed. Together, the community raised $2,000. Why support education? "I feel that it's really important that everybody can go to school." — Drew Hallett, 13 What impact does education make for a kid? "You can grow up and have a career and get money and food for your family, and have a better life." — Tori Rempel, 13 AMANDA LINDOUT MENTORS SURVIVOR OF VIOLENCE A uthor and activist Amanda Lindhout has transformed excru- ciating tragedy into personal triumph. Now seen as a role model of compassion, she is showing another survivor of extreme violence that life's darkest ordeals don't define one's future. Rinelle Harper — the Mani- toba teen who was left for dead beside the Assiniboine River — met Lindhout on social media. Lindhout, 34, is a mentor who's encouraging Rinelle to pursue her passion for medicine. Lindhout's call on Facebook for donated Air Miles will allow Rinelle and her mother, who live with financial hardships, to fly to Francis Xavier Univer- sity in Nova Scotia to discuss the teen's studies and potential scholarships. It's a promising connection that Lindhout bro- kered with her alma mater. The hero of her own harrow- ing story, Lindhout is known for surviving a brutal 15-month kidnapping in Somalia six years ago, and spreading her inspirational message of for- giveness in a memoir, A House in The Sky, which still tops in- ternational bestsellers' lists. On November 16, Lindhout will interview Rinelle on the WE Day stage in Winnipeg about activism, education, and ending violence against women. Here, the freelance journalist discusses how she has grown through adversity. You grew up in poverty. How did that experience shape who you are? "I had to learn from a young age to be a survivor and fend for myself. Coming from noth- ing, I also learned about really believing in, and hanging on, to your dreams. For me that was about being able to explore the world. I went on to do that." How did you find compassion for your kidnappers? "Over 460 days I had an op- portunity to understand those young men. They had never been to school; some were or- phans. They were shaped by war and propaganda. I heard all of my captors talk about a desire to have an education. Some of them would have made different choices if they had known more about the world. That allowed me to find compassion." You lead workshops for wom- en on forgiveness. What les- sons do you impart? "It is a choice and it's a prac- tice that you have to dedicate yourself to, sometimes every day. When people start to do that, there's an internal peace, which is freeing. It's one of the most life-changing decisions you can make." This is an edited interview from WE Day Waterloo Region in November 2014. Technical Vocational High School, Winnipeg Oak Lake Community School, Oak Lake Kleefeld School, Kleefeld John W. Gunn Middle School, Winnipeg Students at Lincoln Middle School in Winnipeg sell "candy sushi" treats to raise funds for the Children's Wish Foundation.

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