READ: Rideau Encouraging African Development, an acronym for success

The famous Brick By Brick graffiti wall in the Rideau Highschool cafeteria

For students at Rideau District High School in Elgin, Ontario, every day brings another chance to make a positive impact on the world. The student group READ (Rideau Encouraging African Development) under the guidance of teacher Christopher Sleeth, mobilized their peers, teachers and community to help support the Maasai Mara region of Kenya through the Adopt a Village campaign.

Rideau students have a long history of global citizenship, but after a tragic car accident in which former student Cara Howard died, the students of Rideau and the small town of Elgin pulled together and were inspired to do something in Cara’s memory. The Cara Howard School of Hope, a classroom built on the Enerlerai Primary School compound in Kenya is a shining example of how young people can come together to make a difference in the lives of others.

Since the group’s beginning in 2005, Rideau High School has raised more than $20,000 toward education opportunities for impoverished children in Kenya.

Through the Brick By Brick campaign, young people can help support the building of classrooms in the Maasai Mara

How can this small, rural school of only 420 students raise so much money and make such an incredible impact? Innovative and frequent fundraising is important. Students have held air guitar contests, dodgeball tournaments, golf tournaments and bake sales. But their most prized fundraising strategy is the graffiti wall in their cafeteria. An entire wall of the school’s cafeteria is dedicated to Free The Children’s Brick By Brick campaign, where students are able to buy and decorate a brick on the wall for $5. It’s been a huge success and a great visual demonstration of READ’s efforts.

The dedication and care that the students of Rideau have shown in their Adopt a Village campaign attests to the ability of young people to make a difference on a global scale through local actions. After all, that’s what the R.E.A.D. philosophy is all about.

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.