BY HARNOOR GILL
Grade 10 student
Christ The King Catholic Secondary
Georgetown, Ontario
ARE you an empowered or passionate youth who wants to provide an incredible example of how to make a difference in your community? Then you are reading the right post. I believe that it doesn’t matter what age, size or colour we are because we are all capable of making a difference.
I was inspired to participate in my community throughout various volunteer events and this is how I grew my self-esteem and confidence in the community. I grew up helping in local neighbourhoods for various things and I gained a lot of experience by doing it consistently from time to time. I wanted to empower not only the local but the worldwide community to take positive actions.
How did I start? Everyone starts from somewhere, and I was fortunate enough to be born into a family that is into volunteering and who supported a local charity in Hong Kong. Since then, it has become an integral part of my life as I have realized that helping each other is important.
At the age of 12, I visited the local park in my area and engaged my school in cleaning a garden as well as fundraising for the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 of 2011. I was inspiring fellow participants through various initiatives as well as sharing my own story to let others know how they can help. One of these initiatives was a peace speech about Sikhism in 2011 where I was invited to speak for World Religion Day held in Dunville, Ontario.
I had never imagined that my family trip to India in January 2011 would have such an impact on someone’s life. During this trip I also had the opportunity to assist with community projects around education and vulnerable water resources. From this trip I gained further insights into the life of underprivileged children from another part of the world. Believe it or not, many things have changed tremendously in my life. Currently, I have been going out and lending a hand in community projects. I’ve gotten amazing opportunities that I could have never thought of before such as the honour of speaking at the We Day event. I spoke in front of thousands of youth in Kitchener, Ontario. This is just a small list of the rewards and accolades that I have earned through inspiring others to help out as well.
Last week I had the honour to speak about a peace quote at the YMCA Peace Week event in Brampton, Ontario. I was surprised that the words that came out of my mouth were just so natural and I had simply illustrated this peace in simple words. The gist of my speech was that peace cannot be built in a day; peace is built over time. Every movement starts from scratch and each one of us can take the lead role to start it.
I believe that my initiative Peace Welcome Club is living proof that small actions can grow into positive change, and you can be too. The world can be a better place and everyone has the power to enjoy challenging others to light their sparks and make a difference. So be confident in yourself and stay committed to inspire others to experience.
Everyone has the spark to change within them, and we have to continue to keep lighting it with good deeds and actions around us. So light your spark today and turn it into a flame!
I am always excited and willing to share my journey on this path of volunteerism and my experience with youth and take every opportunity to support relevant initiatives. Do you want to learn more how young people can make a difference? Then you must explore more about Peace Welcome Club, and visit this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PeaceWelcomeClub
Stand up for change and become the leader of today. There are endless causes around you and you just need to look at them with the courage and from there you can take one step at a time to help with the cause.
So, ignite your spark, take action and step up with peace this holiday season.
Happy Greentastic Holidays!
