At the age of 14 years old, Harnoor Gill had a vision to improve literacy skills among unfortunate children locally as well as worldwide. He dreamed of creating a project where he could fulfill his goal.
Gill, now a grade 10 student at Christ the King Catholic Secondary School in Georgetown, Ontario spoke to his family about his commitment to help others and has never looked back. He took a lead role to inspire others in Canada and beyond. His family provided support to help him reach out to others so that he could convey his message through his project.
Gill is a Canadian Sikh of Indian descent who was born in Hong Kong. His local connections to Canada are that he is a founder of Peace Welcome Club (PWC) and is also a student leader in his community of Georgetown, Ontario. A 15 year old teen, he has been volunteering nearly eleven years and plays basketball in his spare time.
The PWC that was founded by Gill in February, 2012 was to encourage other children such as newcomer youth to volunteer in the community. This is a one of a kind youth-led group which has created a lot of buzz worldwide. The age for these volunteers range from 4-18 year olds. Among PWC’s other projects: Jean Green Drive, Book Drive, Shoreline Clean Up, Go Zero Waste and No Hungry Children have made a lot of impact to the community on a local and international level..
His main objective relates to the topic of newcomer youth. “Young People need to focus on volunteering in their spare time, on building peace, rather than focusing on just their lives”, remarked .Gill runs the club and plans all the projects himself. Gill “You don’t have to ask anybody to do something for you, you step up and do what you want to change in this world – miracles don’t happen overn...
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... try your best”, suggested Gill. He explained that “the integral part of our green projects can be celebrated while bringing positive attitude as well as inspiring newcomer youth to get involved!”
“All of our projects are run under one forum and that is our facebook page,” confirmed Gill. “That is really interesting to know that a social media campaign can make a big difference in someone’s life with such a simple and clear message,” he added. Pamphlets, posters were created and distributed to share to spread the word in communities as far as India, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Nepal.
“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” – Unknown.
Now let’s celebrate a book drive to the world from us.
Miigwech/thank you!
Deborah Brandt (1998) wrote “Sponsors of Literacy”, a journal where she explained her findings of the research she has done on how different people across the nation learned to read and write, born between 1900, and 1980 (p. 167). She interviewed many people that had varying forms of their literacy skills, whether it was from being poor, being rich, or just being in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
One of Bandow’s last points was very effective. Which states “People won’t do more if they perceive no need to do so, and they will see less need if Washington provides charities with “volunteers.” Within this citizens lose interest into getting involved with their civic responsibilities by relying only on federally funded services instead of helping one’s neighbor, as mentioned by Bandow at the beginning of his essay.
The mission of StandUp for Kids is “to empower teenagers toward lifelong personal growth through on the streets outreach programs.” This mission statement is clear and concise. It guides the actions of StandUp for Kids, spells out their overall goal and provides a path. StandUp for Kids strives to gain the trust of homeless youth in order to achieve its mission statement (StandUp For, 2014). This trust is sought out through programs such as street outreach where volunteers search for homeless youth who are in need of help. The homeless youth are then introduced to outreach centers where they are provided with food, basic supplies, counseling, educational assistance, independent living skills training and referral services for available programs throughout the community (StandUp For, 2014).
“Making a Difference” by June Callwood is an expository essay created to inspire the reader to make a change in the world around them, and to stand up for what they believe in. By just doing simple, positive things, people can make a huge impact on their lives and the lives of people around them. June Callwood, author of “Making a Difference”, changes the way many people see the world by describing scientific research and telling the stories of people who performed small, random acts of kindness that made a huge difference in people’s attitudes and the community around them.
Their Facebook page was a relic that only seemed to be dusted off for the occasional announcement. I created dynamic content catering to our target market, utilizing Facebook’s ability to set ad campaigns by certain parameters such as location, age, and gender. For our purposes, it helped that you could also specify if you wanted to target people that like your page, their friends, or the general public. As we wanted to just target families in our school, we chose people that like our page and their friends, as we felt that many families might not know that the PTO had a social media
Journal of International Development, No.10; pp. 427. Anonymous (1995). Make a Difference: An Outline Volunteering Strategy for the UK, Volunteering Unit, Home Office Public Relations Branch, London. Eberts, Marjorie and Margaret Gisler (1991). Careers for Good Samaritans and Other Humanitarian Types.
I began by tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) and eventually became a teacher at the boys and girls club. The focus of my continued volunteer work was to enrich the children’s after school experience whether they needed help with homework or busy work. During my volunteer work the issue that stuck out in my mid continuously was social class or classism. The BGC emphasizes many different issues and points such as “creating aspirations for the future,” “Helping youth become responsible, caring citizens and acquire skills for participating in the democratic process is the main thrust of these programs and also to develop leadership skills and provide opportunities for planning, decision-making.” BGC encourages kids to engage in healthy and positive behavior as well as to help the youth build and discover creativity in the arts “Club programs help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress, appreciation for the environment and social and interpersonal skills.” (bgca.org)
At least 40 million American adults need stronger literacy skills to take advantage of more lifelong learning opportunities (Knowles 12). Low literacy limits life chances, regardless of how it is defined or measured. According to The Random House Dictionary literacy is defined as “the quality or state of being literate, esp. the ability to read and write.” Another breakdown of the word, from the same source is “possession of education.” Basic skills and literacy abilities are widely viewed as necessities for lifelong learning and the development of success among individuals, families, communities, and even nations. Better knowledge about literacy is an essential condition for improving it. Helping children improve their literacy skills can help them develop the capacity for lifelong learning, keep pace with changing educational expectations and rapid technological change, and achieve their life goals. Today in society there are many adults with poor literacy skills who lack the foundation they need to find and keep decent jobs, to support their children’s education and help them mold a literate future. I have taken one small step towards this problem by tutoring at two schools. The more time people put towards helping the youth of America is the more literate our population can become. Every small action can help, even if it is just tutoring at local middle and junior high schools.
The relationship between young people and nonprofits can be the start of a significant change in our community, and should be a reciprocal and powerful educational experience. An open-minded and encouraging flow of communication between organizations and community members can be the launchpad for the social and environmental change organizations talk about and try for every day. Together, we can make change – not just a semblance of idealism, but reality, as well.
Thesis Statement: Volunteering in your local community will help those around you and help you feel like you have contributed something positive and it is easier than most people think.
STATE THESIS & MAIN POINTS: I’m going to persuade you that going green is one solution you could do to help improve the environment by first explaining the problem, then by explaining the factors responsible for pollution, and lastly by listing ways that can help solve this problem.
In the past four years of my life, volunteer work has left an indelible mark on my heart and mind. When I became a volunteer, I had a very vague notion of leadership. As my high school days come to an end, I am left with the feeling that I have finally come into my own shoes, discovering the things that are important to me and those that are not. I have found my personal leadership style, and I now pay attention to the leaders I come across each day. For this reason, volunteering has been both an enlightening and inspiring experience, for I am surrounded by peers, mentors, and the volunteer program director, all of whom are leaders with creative visions of their own.
"Youth Mentoring Needs a Rethink, Warns Report - Charity Times Article." Charity Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .
Volunteering enables an individual to make a positive impact on his or her community, while empowering the individual to better his or her life. This summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer at many diverse locations. From the hospital to the local library, I truly value my experience and treasure everything it has thought me. Volunteering lets us experience and learn things that we otherwise would not have learned; volunteering opens doors for us that we may not have been able to open before. Volunteering provides us with guidance and tolerance which we may use in the future to aid us in our decisions. At first glance, volunteering may seem to only benefit those who are helped, but on a deeper level, one can realize that volunteering benefits the volunteer as much as, if not more than, those who are helped. Not only does volunteering make a difference in one’s community, but it also helps the volunteer become a smarter, happier, friendlier and more caring individual.
Volunteering benefits a person by building connections with peers, improving family life, expanding career skills, overcoming self doubt, having lasting life impressions, and creating new opportunities. Just a small act can make a huge difference in someone’s life. The future is dependent on the individual person and the people they surround themselves with. Just a few hours will change both the volunteer’s life and the one that is in need.