Agents of Change Pt.2

In my last entry, I mentioned that I’m doing my summer volunteer placement through a program called Beyond Borders. Over the past 8 months, I’ve had many other amazing individuals going through this learning experience with me. Together we took courses that required us to read Pedagogy of the Oppressed, challenging us to rethink what education means and the importance of dialogue. Together we served the local community by volunteering at The Working Centre, pushing us to get out of libraries and classrooms to get right down to being full present with people. Together we exhausted all our resources to raise money for this volunteer trip, knowing we are going to come back being completely broke. And together we share our excitement, passion, opinions, frustrations, laughs, cries and most importantly, friendship.

Each of us came from different walks in life, studies a different major in school, and will be going to different countries working at different placements this summer. But we are all similar in that we share the same commitment of learning more about the world with an open heart & mind, making little differences, every day, in every way.

I’m featuring some of their blog posts here – all of them a first-time blogger. Please note that these blogs are written for a course so you may see entries where we are all writing on the same topic and making references to the same books/people over and over again. Here we go:

Matt Fox, an aspiring math teacher, shares his encounter with the homeless, his view on our inabilities to take actions, and that laziness and selfishness aren’t the only options. Katie Cowie, majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies, challenges what you would differently if you could do it all again and read this to see if you have Social Justice Leprosy. Maryam Woldeyohannes, an aspiring doctor, shares her view on why we can’t simply accept the way things are, why smiling at strangers matters, and her frustrations when her friend told her all she aspires for was her own happiness and her life. Read Sabrina George‘s honest testimony about her recent lost and how gr.2 kids melt her heart. Krista Hundt, a soft-voiced but courageous girl, shares her lessons learned from volunteering at the Speak English Cafe. Jessica Vorsteveld, a wonderful writer, is a firm believer in small things count and the importance of dialogue . Marissa Taggart summarizes the the essense of our journey thus far, while Jess DB aspires to grow her own food and repair her own things after volunteering at The Working Centre. Jen Deweerd, whose entire blog is full of creativity and inspiration, reminds us that through our ordinary actions, we really can make a profound impact.

Preview of “Agents of Change Pt.3″:

One of the most important things I have learned from the Beyond Borders program is that we don’t need to go far in order to help or make a difference. In my next post, I will be featuring some Agents of Change who are affecting change locally in their own meaningful way.

Tagged as: Agents of Change