BSS students learn about homelessness during their One Night Out event
In the summer of 2009, a group of students from the Bishop Strachan School, an all-girls school in Toronto, embarked on a trip to visit Free The Children's projects in Ecuador. During their time there, the girls experienced firsthand some of the challenges affecting the country, such as poverty and lack of access to clean water. They discovered that their visit was only the first step to creating change. So when the girls returned home, they were inspired to share their experiences with their fellow students.
"We tried to come up with a way that we could take this knowledge [gained on the trip] and share it with others; our trip decided that education was the best way," explained student Alexandra Sisam. "All of the girls agreed that if people are not aware of the problems, then they cannot do anything to stop them."
Thus, the idea of Global Awareness Week was born.
Student Shannon Elizabeth Brent explained that each day of the week, the group set up information booths in the cafeteria and delivered presentations. One day they discussed poverty in Ecuador and on other days they examined the same issue in Jamaica and Kenya.
The girls also spent an entire night at the school to take part in Free The Children's One Night Out campaign where they raised awareness about homelessness. They invited speakers from a variety of backgrounds to visit and talk about what it means to be homeless.
"The One Night Out was a critical portion of the week as I was able to learn about what it means to be homeless. There are often misconceptions of what it means to be homeless, and I think many of these misconceptions were overcome. I really enjoyed both the speakers because they gave a lot of insight into what it means to be homeless," said student Erica Croitoru.
The action at Bishop Strachan did not stop after Global Awareness Week. Once a month, the girls get involved locally by participating in "Go-Out-and-Serve" days. On average, 40 girls participate each day.
The girls of Bishop Strachan are leaders in service and advocacy. In the past three years, they have raised over $35,000 for Free The Children's Adopt a Village program. In addition, they are going on service trips around the world to explore and understand issues on a global scale.
Currently another group of inspired BSS girls are embarking on a journey to Ecuador where they will be building a school and learning about the power of helping others.
Taking action and making a difference in your own community is not always easy, but the girls of Bishop Strachan demonstrated that if you are passionate and have a great team, anything is possible.
