Select students from Chatelech and Pender Harbour secondary schools had their eyes opened and their hearts stirred at the We Day event in Vancouver Oct. 13.
A group of 29 students from Chat and 28 students from Pender made the trip to Rogers Arena with their teachers and administrators to take part in the one-day event last Thursday meant to empower youth to create positive change in the world.
Big names like Hedley, Shawn Desman, Mia Farrow and Shaq may have been the draw for the 18,000 students that took part, but between energetic performances on stage there were quiet moments of monumental importance.
Students at Chat recalled one boy's "silent speech," that told of the horrors he faced when he was taken by rebels as a child. The ruthless rebels slit the boy's wrists, filled the wounds with cocaine and gun power and then made him shoot his friend.
The boy told his story on large placards and the "silent speech" was meant to be symbolic of all the children suffering around the world who cannot tell their story.
Students found themselves relating to the boy who used to be just like them, enjoying being young and having fun playing soccer.
The experience opened their eyes to another reality far from the comfort of the Coast.
Other moments that stuck with the students were presentations about the need to conserve water, collecting zinc from batteries to create zinc pills to administer to people in third world countries dying from zinc deficiencies and seeing a boy with no legs vowing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Teacher Marian de Jong from Pender Harbour said she and her colleagues took students who could benefit from seeing the bigger picture.
"It's a project aimed at getting our focus off of ourselves," she said.
She finds it astonishing that many kids aren't raised to give back to their communities and to those in need around the world.
"Really we have our eye on this being the catalyst for action where we want to be doing things on a school level, a community level and then a more global level to make a difference and we do want it to be life changing," de Jong said.
Many students said the experience was life changing, and some even signed up to do volunteer service in other countries while at the We Day event.
"I signed up to go overseas and help for the summer to build schools," student Sian Slingerland said.
As part of the We Day experience students that take part must commit to take action on at least one local and one global issue.
At Pender Harbour Secondary, students already have one sponsored child they support, but they may look at taking on another child if the effort proves to be sustainable.
Students at the school have also started collecting batteries to send away to be used for zinc tablets and they are looking at starting a tea project that would ask for donations to famine relief around the globe.
All of the planning for the local and global initiatives will be solidified at the upcoming student council retreat.
At Chat, students are looking at doing a Halloween for Hunger food drive and getting involved in a water conservation project.
We Day will be celebrated in five Canadian cities this year, bringing the message of positive action to tens of thousands of youth across North America.
To learn more go to www.weday.com.
