‘Actions, not words? has become the rally cry for Waldon Middle School’s life skills students.
The class focuses on consumerism, problem solving, teamwork and employability skills and, according to Kearsten Manoulian, the students have just learned the ultimate life skill: helping those in need.
Manoulian, the class’s teacher, and her 55 life skills kids brought Free the Children (FTC) to Waldon. FTC was founded in Canada and is the largest network of children helping children.
‘It’s about learning social issues and what they really mean ? caring and wanting to do something about it,? said FTC’s Lauren Roach, youth coordinator.
In the program, students choose one of four ways to help a region in need: education, health, alternative income and water and sanitation.
The Lake Orion students chose a village in Kenya to help with water and sanitation.
‘They blew me away with their reasons for choosing water and sanitation,? said Manoulian.
In videos on the region, students learned women and children in their village walk four hours round-trip to collect water, a chore some do three times a day.
By helping provide funds for clean water, Waldon students decided they’d effectively kill all four birds with one stone.
‘It frees up kids to go to school, frees up moms to raise children, frees up time to find alternative income and is directly related to healthcare,? Manoulian said.
After months of planning and fundraising, the student collected over $3,400 to send overseas. Their vow of silence was the single biggest fundraiser, bring in $2,500.
‘The silence represented kids in the world who don’t have a voice,? Manoulian said. ‘We were raising funds as well as awareness.?
The life skills? class goal was to raise $6,000 for FTC, and though they didn’t quite make it, Manoulian and her students are satisfied with their effort.
‘We won’t make the goal but we will make an impact,? the teacher said.
Some students want to continue FTC work into next year and possibly bring it to the high school.
‘From participating with Free the Children, I learned that I really take a lot of things for granted. The experience was very valuable to me because once the school year is over I am still going to take everything I learned and use it to help still.? said eighth grader Nicole Evans. ‘I was always wanting the newest phone or newest laptop, but the children in Kenya just want some food to eat. I would always get upset if I had to take out the trash. Some children in Kenya walk 12 miles just to get water.?
Emily Moll, seventh grade, urges the rest of the community to realize the importance of FTC and helping those in need.
‘You may think ‘Why are we helping the people in Kenya when we are in an economic crisis ourselves?? or ‘Who cares about those kids in Kenya?? Moll said. ‘But our government knows what to do and what we need.? In Kenya, their government doesn’t.? The United States of America is known as a giving country and we are just carrying out that reputation.?