A couple weeks back our grade 5 students started their Social Change unit. Just the fact that the unit exists in our curriculum is pretty cool, but grade 5 decided to bring in some "expert" social change makers to allow our students the chance to glimpse into the minds and world of people actually making change and helping others - the environment and their community - on the ground. Who were they? Well, they were you!
A number of parents and community members, and even a high school student, visited grade 5 on that afternoon to share their initiatives. The chats were about 10 minutes long and the students - in groups of ten - moved from one location to another to meet yet another "change maker". Things that were covered included items such as recycling, supporting local indigenous rights, assisting refugee communities or fundraising for orphanages in the region. The ideas were just flowing and the kids, engaged and impressed, asked a number of great questions.
The big idea behind this is that each and every one of us can be a change maker. We need not wait for our chosen leaders to do the leading. What it takes is a little courage and a good dose of empathy and caring. It takes a bit of planning too. Add a tad of perseverance and follow-through and you've got yourself a change maker!
How absolutely wonderful to see our community engage in such conversations, to allow our grade 5 students a glimpse of how people around them - in the hallways and in their classrooms - choose to make positive change! Add the many, many others in our community - our parents and our children - involved in positive change and it becomes quite obvious that global citizenship is very much alive at ISKL!
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