WE Day

W I N N I P E G F R E E P R E S S S P E C A I L F E AT U R E | N O V E M B E R 16 , 2 016 | P A G E 2 WE DAY SPECIAL SECTION SECTION 2 How young woman healed from intergenerational trauma empowerment event that fills the MTS Centre with 16,000 youth. "I only went because Hedley was going to be there." But after hearing Ashley Murphy speak about growing up with HIV and sharing her positive perspective on life, Orvis- Campbell was inspired. "It made me feel like I could do something." That night, her ideas flowing, she wrote down her vision: to create care packages filled with toothbrushes, mittens, and notes of inspiration and distribute them to the homeless. "In Winnipeg, I'll walk down the street and there's always someone asking for change or a smoke or something," Orvis-Campbell says. "I thought, 'this is obviously a problem, so what can I do about it?'" She had never considered volunteering before, but knowing what poverty is like drove her to act. She mustered the courage to show her teacher her idea. "I wasn't confident it was going to happen," Orvis-Campbell says. Adult Education takes part in WE Schools, a free educational program that provides service-learning resources and mentorship opportunities. So, with the help of Nancy Cosby, the WE Schools educator, Orvis- Campbell's vision was brought to life. That first year, Orvis-Campbell handed out the care packages in neighbourhoods that needed them most. "At one point," Samantha remembers, "when a woman opened her bag, she was so happy she was moved to tears. That made me feel like I was doing the right thing." Now, Orvis-Campbell volunteers whenever she can. She takes part in community cleanup days, volunteers at the Thunderbird House and advocates for protection of the land and water. "Volunteering changed my life," she says. "I used to feel like I couldn't be happy, and now I'm at a place where I'm starting to be." This year Orvis-Campbell will graduate, and she plans on becoming a community support worker. She hopes to pass on her passion for volunteering to others, including her five-year-old son. "I want him to give back," she says. "Everything I do, I explain to him." Her goal is selfless. "When people see what I do, they might be inspired to do the same, or to improve their lives in some way. I live to inspire people." Samantha Orvis-Campbell started a volunteer group at her school after attending WE Day. Now, she gives back in her community any way she can. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. ‡ All other trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s). "Everyone told me Kenya is a life-changing experience. Now that I've been, I understand why." – Hannah Alper rbc.com/hannahsjourney Choose to create change together! Shop online right from your bank account using the Free The Children RBC ® Virtual Visa ‡ Debit card and RBC will donate a portion of each purchase to Free The Children. Thanks to our cardholders, RBC has donated over $500,000! Check out Hannah's journey to Kenya to see the impact the donation is making in WE Village communities. > Continued from Pg 1 Looking through the lens of his camera, Yasin Osman sees hope for the future. Growing up in a community faced with violence and poverty, Osman wanted to forge a different path for himself. So he chose a life of helping others. "In the world that we live in, there's a lot of hate and a lot of negativity. I feel like now, more than ever, is when we need people to be positive and kind," he says. Osman, 23, is a force of positivity in his community. He works as an early childhood educator, helping youth gain access to new opportunities. In addition, Osman runs the photography group #ShootForPeace, providing youth in his community of Regent Park, Toronto, with an outlet to express themselves through art. He is proof that it doesn't have to take much to make a difference. Osman was recently chosen for #Make150Count, RBC's celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary. RBC is handing over $150 to thousands of young Canadians with one request: make a positive impact. When Osman received his $150, his idea was simple: get people to smile through random acts of kindness. A few weeks ago, he brought this idea to life. His first stop was at his local coffee shop, where he helped strangers start their day off right—with a free cup of coffee. Most people accepted the gesture with a smile, and some even decided to pay it forward. Later, he passed out tokens to people waiting for the bus and stopped by the basketball courts to surprise the youth in his photography group with a new set of basketballs. He was met with beaming faces both times. "When you help someone else, sometimes it makes you happier than it makes them," he says. "We're all capable of being kind, but sometimes it takes seeing someone doing something nice to trigger that." Yasin Osman, founder of #ShootForPeace, believes that kindness is one of the most important elements in building a strong community. Canadian youth #MAKE150COUNT ~JAMIE STOTSKI IN 2017, CANADA WILL MARK THE 150 TH ANNIVERSARY OF CONFEDERATION. Pledg e to build a s trong er Canada with WE! TAKE THE WE ARE CANADA PLEDGE AT WE.CA

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