Me to We Club Loves I Love to Read Month!

Students from the Me to We Club will be visiting classrooms in our school to read online from We Give Books with our younger students. For every book we read, a book will be donated to a child in need. BHS students can add to our book count by logging in with username: birdshill and password: books
Stay tuned for our books read/donated count and photos of us in action!

Vow of Silence

"We won’t stand by while children are subjected to exploitation, poverty and the denial of their basic rights. Every day, millions of children are silenced by these abuses. But we can take a stand for children everywhere."

-http://www.freethechildren.com/vowofsilence/

I got an email last night explaining to me that one of the students in our Me to We Club, Madeline, was going to take the Vow of Silence today. I was impressed because this seems like a very difficult task for a young student. When we were at We Day, one of the speakers was participating in the vow and did his entire speach with posters. The entire crowd of 16 000 children and teachers was silent. Absolutely silent. It was moving.

Today Kaitlin came to school and had decided to take the Vow of Silence. As she came in silently, other students were wondering what she was doing. Some thought it was silly and others jumped on board with her right away. Kaitlin's brother is a part of a Free the Children Club at his school and many of the students in our class are a part of our Me to We Club. After the Vow of Silence was explained to the class and we watched a short video clip about it, 22 out of our 26 kids are participating (and 2 are absent!). Next door in Mrs. Tresoor's room the exact same thing is happening.
Awesome.

"The Vow of Silence is Free The Children’s annual awareness-raising campaign that engages tens of thousands of participants to stand up for children whose rights are not being upheld."
-http://www.freethechildren.com/vowofsilence/



We Day Reflection

Who was your favourite speaker or artist? Why?
Sean Desman. His song inspired me and made me feel like anything is possible.


Who or what was the most inspiring idea/thought/experience you had today?
Spencer West. I never knew there were people who could walk on their hands.

What message will you share with your friends, family and our Me to We Club after your experience?
That it's possible to change the world.

What are you inspired to do as a result of your experience at We Day?
I'm inspired to help unlucky kids around the world.

Spencer West is going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on his HANDS. That is definitely “redefining possible”. How are you going to redefine possible?
By thinking about what I can do instead of what I can't do.

-Abby S.

We Day Reflection

I really enjoyed listening to Hannah Taylor speak because she is really inspiring. I loved hearing her story and I thought she really connected well with the crowd. Rick Hanson and Spencer West were the most inspiring because neither of them have use of there legs but that didn’t stop them, they gave life their all and persuade their dream. The message I will share with my friends and family is that you can make a difference no matter your size or shape, age or gender you can make a difference! We Day inspired me to want to raise money for children in India and places like that because they deserve better then what they have. Because Spencer West is going to climb mount Kilimanjaro on his hands makes me want to redefine possible by raising all the money I can to help children with disabilities like his.

I think the reason Spencer West said “there is no can’t or won’t only how” because we can do anything if we try. I think Rick Hanson said to “set goals chase dreams and never give up” so we know that we know that if we don’t give up we can reach our goals and fulfill our dreams. “Caring is the power to make the world a better place” is what Hannah Taylor said to make us understand that if everyone cares and doesn’t take anything for granted then we can change the world.

When Hannah Taylor said “together we are the future of tomorrow and today” I think she said that because she wanted to let us know today we can change the world and it will be better tomorrow. “You have the ability to join together and do great things” is the thing that al Gore said to make us understand we can do any thing of we try. Sierra Noble said “people of the world we love you” to tell us what a big difference we are making.

I was really inspired by We Day, it was awesome and I’m glad I got to take part in it! Thank you!

-Lauren

We Day Reflection

My favourite speaker at We Day was Craig Kielburger. He was my favourite speaker because he inspired a lot of kids, me, and our school to do amazing things. He said small things make a big difference at the end .

The most inspiring idea was the stories and thoughts that people told. I was also amazed of how those 4 other schools at We day raised enough money to buy a school, clean water, and build a little health center for the people.

The thought and message I shared to my family was how Craig Kielburger was only 12 when he took a stand to stop child labor I also shared that Spencer West is going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on his hands!

Now after We Day I am inspired to pass our me to we club goal and to make a change in the world. I would like to redefine possible by making sure a poor community gets food and Christmas presents. My dad and I go to Superstore and buy $500 worth of food for Winnipeg Harvest every year.

-Elli

We Day Reflection

I think we day was a great experience with lots of inspiring speeches. But Hannah Taylor’s speech really got to me. She said when she was only six years old she saw a man eating out of a dumpster and thought to herself she needed to make change. As Hannah Taylor grew older she met a homeless man and he said don’t be afraid of homeless people be afraid of a country like this that still has homelessness. And I shared that thought with my family, and my mom and dad know that there are still homeless people today and how sad the thought of it is. But anything is possible and anyone in the world can make a change! You have to set a goal, chase your dreams and never give up, said Rick Hansen. The reason Rick Hansen said that, was because when he was only 15 years old he was in a severe car accident and shattered his spine. He was then told he would never be able to walk again. And his goal for his 16th birthday was to be able to sit up again, and when he could he was put in a wheelchair. Rick Hansen wanted to inspire people, so he attempted to make it around the world in a wheel chair. He did not complete his journey, but he did compete in the Olympics and won a metal. And that is why Rick Hansen said to never give up your dreams.
-Samantha

We Day Reflection

We Day was the greatest experience any person could ever have. It was exciting and had lots of positive energy going around. I would have to say that my favorite speaker was Hannah Taylor. She witnessed something that she could not bear to see. She had no clue that it was going on around her. When she was only six years old she was a man eat out of a dumpster. She didn't like that. Later on when she was eight years old she started the Ladybug Foundation to help raise money for homeless people. Hannah Taylor is the speaker that inspired me to help make a difference in the world. The message that I would like to share with my mom and dad would be "you're never too young to make a difference" Craig Kielburger. From my experience at We Day I am now inspired to help raise money to help Free the Children! Spencer West says he is going to climb up Mount Kilimanjaro on his hands, that is redifining possible. I am going to redefine possible by not just sitting around and waiting for things to happen or follow what other people are doing. I am going to become a leader and get people to follow me so they can help too. I left We Day inspired to help make a difference.
-Madeline

Note: Madeline is taking action starting today! She has chosen to independently take part in the Vow of Silence to "stand in solidarity with children who are silenced by poverty, disease and exploitation." Way to go Madeline!



We Day Winnipeg - Task for Attendees

A task for those of you who attended We Day today.

You and I were a part of an amazing and unforgettable day today. We were a part of the first ever We Day in Winnipeg! I hope you are as inspired as I am to make change, take action and redefine possible.

I would like you to write a reflection about your We Day experience. I hope that you will include some thoughts like:

• Who was your favourite speaker or artist? Why?

• Who or what was the most inspiring idea/thought/experience you had today?

• What message will you share with your friends, family and our Me to We Club after your experience?

• What are you inspired to do as a result of your experience at We Day?

• Spencer West is going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on his HANDS. That is definitely “redefining possible”. How are you going to redefine possible?

I will compile your responses into a blog post and newsletter article. Please be sure to respond with complete sentences and to review/edit your writing before you give it to me.

Here are some quotes from today to remind you of what your heard and to inspire your writing.

• "There is no can’t or won't, only how. Redefine possible." - Spencer West

• “Set goals, chase dreams, and never ever give up on your dreams!” - Rick Hansen

• “Caring is our power to make the world a better place.” - Hannah Taylor

• "Together we are the future and the today" - Hannah Taylor

• “You have the ability to join together and do great things!” – Al Gore

• "People of the world, we love you!" - Sierra Noble

The We Day Dance

This week we are working on our We Day dance so we are ready to dance with the 15 000 other people at the MTS Centre tomorrow. We practiced the dance at our lunch meeting.

Here is a video of Shawn Desman, who will be there tomorrow, teaching the dance.

Countdown to We Day

As we get ready for We Day Winnipeg I thought I would share with you some of the special guests we will be taking in at the event.

• Craig and Marc Kielburger, co-founders of Free The Children and international children’s rights activists
• Al Gore, Former U.S. Vice-President and Nobel Laureate
• Mia Farrow, award-winning actress and activist
• Hedley, Multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording artists
• The Right Honourable Paul Martin, Former Canadian Prime Minister and Founder of the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative
• Rick Hansen, Canadian icon, gold-medal Paralympian and activist, world-renowned for promoting inclusiveness and accessibility
• Down With Webster, JUNO Award nominated, MMVA winning Canadian band
• Shawn Desman, platinum selling, JUNO Award winning Canadian pop icon and producer
• Neverest, renowned Canadian pop band
• Sierra Noble, Canadian singer, songwriter
• Hannah Taylor, teen community activist and founder of the Ladybug Foundation

Adopt a Village

Students in our Me to We Club are asked to go to Free the Children to check out the countries where we can Adopt a Village. Please read about the country and their needs so that you can make an informed decision when you vote for Adopt a Village at our next meeting.
-Mrs. Dent Scarcello :)

An Awesome Sharing Experience

Today a group of kids from our Me to We Club were invited to attend the Media Literacy Week kickoff event at the Manitoba Museum. The theme of Media Literacy Week this year is Digital Citizenship and how we can use digital media with children in a positive way, how we can use digital media to make the world a better place and to create change.
We were there to share how we are using digital media to positively support our Me to We Club.



The Me to We Club created and presented this video.

After our presentation some of us were even interviewed by CBC News!

-Me to We Club :)



Getting Pumped for We Day!

Some of the lucky students in our Me to We Club will get to go to We Day this year. My hope is that this will pump them up, excite them and empower them to be the change in the world. Check out what We Day is all about.

Welcome to Free the Children at Bird's Hill School!

This year Bird's Hill School is one of the lucky Winnipeg schools that gets to be a We School. This means that we get to take 13 children in grade 6 to We Day at the MTS Centre on November 23. We will also work as a Youth in Action group of grade 5 and 6 students throughout the year who are interested in making the world a better place for children everywhere. This is our Free the Children Club's blog which we will use to raise awareness, spread the word, share our progress and gather feedback through comments. Stay tuned!