Thursday, 8 December 2011

Moving From Me to We - Global Mindedness

Our school has an active extra-curricular program and character education program. This year we decided to match our programs to the IB Learner Profile and to become more community-oriented. A group of grade 7 and 8 students joined up for an activity entitled: From Me to We- Global Mindedness. Inspired by participation in We Day, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the students brought awareness to issues such as poverty, economic inequality, and child exploitation throughout the world.
Two students became motivated to take the step of going to Kenya in order to truly make a difference. Last week they spoke at our Lower School Assembly about their upcoming trip to Africa in June-July of 2012. In conjunction with our younger students in grades 7 and 8, these two grade 10 girls used the opportunity to raise awareness about the needs of people in parts of the world less fortunate than our own. We take it for granted that children go to school; this is a luxury that many families cannot afford in many parts of the world. Going without footwear is something we would never countenance in the developing world; many school-aged children in Kenya do without these commonplace items. Clean drinking water is available throughout our homes, while many in Africa trek long distances to get the resource that is most vital to sustaining life.
Such comparisons are seemingly endless. However, raising a generation of students and citizens committed to closing the gap between rich and poor worldwide is surely a step in the right direction. That is the philosophy and motivation of Moving from Me to We- Global Mindedness.

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