Voices International - November 2005

We want to see you on August 06-13, 2006 at the Take Action! Academy in Toronto. This week-long summer program empowers young people to address global issues by providing them with the necessary leadership tools to  affect positive change  through action.

This year’s Take Action! Academy features a newly revised curriculum developed by experienced Leaders Today facilitators that draws on the Take Action! and Take More Action! series authored by Marc and Craig Kielburger.

Participants will receive both educational and hands-on experience through seminars, workshops, games, and fun social activities. With five different levels of leadership training and an optional college prep program, the Take Action! Academy has something for young people of all ages and levels of experience.

Interactive workshops in small groups allow  participants to explore topics such as public speaking, personal discovery, fundraising techniques, the Seven Steps to Social Involvement and much more! Participants will be able give back to Toronto and put their skills into action right away through a group volunteer day. Every workshop will include special Free The Children sessions, in which participants will learn about social issues and how they can make a difference through annual campaigns.

The Take Action! Academy is perfect for anyone interested new friendships, personal discovery, and social activism: a life-changing experience!

To find out more, visit www.leaderstoday.com/academy or email Gillian Ream, Leadership Programming Coordinator, at academy@leaderstoday.com.

Be The Change Tour
A Day With the Be The Change Tour

Our days, just as yours, begin early in the morning. We wake up, eager to drive to and prepare for the presentation and workshop at our next school. We walk through the front door of our host school and are always greeted with puzzled looks, since both Louise and I are carrying more bags than any one person should, plus a guitar.

As Louise begins the Be the Change speech, I sit amongst the students observing their reactions. You can feel the energy through the crowd as Louise starts to sing! I always feel chills when I see students stand up and dance. In the workshop that follows, we have the opportunity to get know the youth; and we are constantly amazed! By the end of the workshop, we look around at the faces of those we just met and have the confidence that they truly will change the world.

It starts with me. It starts with us. It starts right here. It starts right now.

To those of you who have taken part in the Be The Change tour, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! You have shown all of us how simple it is to truly change the world. Whenever we need inspiration in our own lives, Louise and I just start talking about you.

If you would like more information on how to bring the Be The Change tour to your school, please contact Marianne Woods at speakers@leaderstoday.com or visit the Leaders Today website.

Peace and Love,

Bartek Kosinski
Be The Change Leadership Coordinator

In the middle of the night, the Volunteer Now! Program tucked itself into a suitcase and flew across the wide country to Alberta to provide 100 leaders with global awareness and leadership training.  From Alberta, four inspired Youth in Action groups have now joined the movement sweeping the continent: they have decided to build a school to share the gift of education to children in a developing country.

The days started out harmless enough; we would play a few games and learn a few names. And then, a moment of realization would hit, and we would all see what was at stake that day! We knew we weren’t just gathering to miss school, to have a few good laughs, or to make a few new friends. We were gathering to truly change lives. We were gathering to change the world … one life at a time … starting with our own. 

And thus, the Volunteer Now! Program has begun something big in Alberta. Watch out – it’s contagious! The excitement of Volunteer Now! is traveling so fast throughout the Greater Toronto Area that it is literally unstoppable, and it will soon be spreading to British Columbia! For more information on how to bring the Volunteer Now! Program to your school, please contact Scott Baker at scott@leaderstoday.com.

Free The Children is excited to introduce an exciting new program for youth across Toronto! The Life In Action program educates and empowers young people in elementary schools to be actively engaged in their nutritional and activity choices. Through the generous support of the Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation, thousands of youth will participate in the program. Participants are challenged to examine their daily choices and are educated about the incredible impact that making different choices can have.

This unique program is designed to overcome the incredibly high rates of obesity and type-II diabetes among Canadian youth. Education is the solution! Participants are educated on nutrition and activity choices, and are challenged to alter their choices to help themselves and to help their peers  in developing countries through the Adopt a Village campaign. Imagine how many schools we can build, how many kids we can educate, if everyone drinks one less pop and donates those funds to Adopt a Village! For more information on the Life In Action program, please contact Kim Plewes at kim@freethechildren.com.