This weekend I went to the Free The Children Youth Summit. It is a day for young leaders who want to make a difference and this summit helps the youth take action in their community and the world. They are teaching youth about how powerful your voice is and how to turn your passions into action. There were different groups to let you get to know your group leaders and your group better and I was in the Green Group.
One of the activities we did was the Issues Bus. The group pretended that we were on a bus and we would debate which cause is more important to us and we would get to say why we chose that cause. One of the choices was either the environment or poverty. I chose the environment and both answers were really good. Another choice was between women’s rights and child labour. I found out that both causes are connected because if you stop either one, the other cause will also begin to stop. I also learned that the Issue Bus can help think about what you want to be when you grow up or what you want to pursue because you’re learning to use your voice in a way that can be heard by everybody.
Another workshop was Putting Plans Into Action. We had to think of an action-plan or a foundation a school could do. We wrote down who would help you with your plan, your resources, what could go wrong and the solutions. The leaders would help you make a strategy and the next steps to follow your passions.
We also talked a lot about advice for young leaders. These are 5 things that I learned:
- Know your audience.
- Be fun and creative.
- Say it like you mean it, be energized.
- Use why, how and what.
- Share your passion.
There were also a few special Me to We speakers and one of them was Sydney Bouillard Coyle. I saw her speak at We Day in Waterloo. Sydney is 13 years old and already is an awesome motivational speaker – how cool is that? Before she spoke, I got to go inside the auditorium to meet her. We had a nice a conversation. I was so happy when she told me that she reads my blog. Sydney’s speech is about what Canada will be like when she is the Prime Minister. I told her that in 40 years she’ll have my vote to be Prime Minister.
Next up was Me to We motivational speaker Molly Burke. When she was 14 she turned blind and she has such an amazing story to tell that is about bullying, perseverance and courage. She is using her voice to help others that have no hope. She is amazing. People hurt her, even her friends but she has inspired others who might feel that things might not be okay right now, but Molly is proof that it can get better. I read her article in Chatelaine Magazine and her story is so unforgettable and powerful.
Before the end of the day there was a surprise speaker………it was Marc Kielburger! I was so happy when I saw him, he even brought me up on stage. He said he remembered me and my blog, he even called me awesome! He asked me what I’m passionate about and I said the environment. I think he remembered that at We Day I talked to him about his eco cleaning supplies science project when he was a kid. A lot of people don’t know about his project and I think it’s awesome!
This summer I’m going to a Free The Children Take Action Camp (thank you Kelsey!!!) The Summit, as Marc said, was a taste of the week long sleepover camp program! The Summit was so fun and I learned so much about using my voice, being heard and different causes. Just as I answered Marc when he asked me what my favourite part of the day was – I loved it all.
Thank you Free The Children for everything.
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