All you need to know about…

giving happiness global impact

Students Change the World One Laugh at a Time!

This is no laughing matter. Students can start to change the world one laugh at a time. It’s week two of The 365give Challenge. Once again the students participating in the pilot amazed everyone with their unique and creative ways to give every day. Bethany Lam Buckle is the teacher of the grade 5 class at Ecole Pauline Johnson that inspired her students to give this week. She came up with create ways to integrate the daily giving into her lesson plans. Class ingratiation included physical education, reading and presentation skills that brought everyone to tears of joy after 5 days of giving. Bethany shares her classes story of how they completed and fully embraced The 365give Challenge.

Monday: We had our regular gym period at the end of the day and our class decided to continue with our planned “Capture the Flag” game… but with an environmental twist.  Students were to pick up a piece of garbage from the playground every time they were caught, and they even made up a rule that you couldn’t just stay on your own side and not take a risk to avoid picking up garbage – you had to attempt for the flag at least once each minute.  By the end of our game, the playground was spotless.

 

Tuesday: The students decided they wanted to read to the kindergarten classes.  Each student was paired up with 2 or 3 kindergarten students and were able to read 4 or 5 books in English and in French.  They were very happy to have us in their class and the two kindergarten teachers were very thankful! Many of our students commented after the reading session that they felt happy, good, and generous.  They even said that the “kindies” showed their appreciation by giving them hugs and high fives!

 

 

Wednesday: The students brought in donations of money and pet food to donate to the BC-SPCA.  We also announced that anyone else in the school wanting to contribute to our “give” would be appreciated as well.  All of the donations totalled 116$!  We thought that was pretty impressive since we only campaigned for one day!

 

Thursday: Our class walked over to Hollyburn House Senior’s Centre.  Every Thursday, there is a gentleman who leads a “Laughter Group”.  He was sick this week, so we subbed in for him, bringing our jokes, songs, costumes, funny faces, and funny stories.  We started off with a few jokes and riddles, followed by songs and tongue twisters.  The seniors were very appreciative of our visit and our efforts to make them laugh.  One lady in particular thought that the purpose of our visit was to come and ask her questions about HER, when she soon realized that all of the “questions” being asked were silly ones!  So we made sure we had a few minutes at the end of the session for a little greet and chat.  The students had lots of fun and were talking about the “Laughter Group” the whole time we walked back to the school!

 

Friday: Our last day was kind of sad because the students didn’t want to stop.  However, they had saved a good one for last! They brought in books from home that they no longer read to donate to a Vancouver school in need.  They had chosen this “give” because they really wanted to help others who were less fortunate than themselves for one of their gives.  We’ve had many discussions this year already about how fortunate we are to live where we do, to have what we have.  Not everyone is as fortunate.  They were very proud of their act of giving, especially because it would benefit children of the same age.  Again, we invited the rest of the school to donate books as well.  With our class, other donations, and even a donation from Mme Boulet’s library, we collected 2 big boxes full of books!
Thanks 365give for giving us this opportunity,
we are VERY excited about our second week!

A very special thank you to Bethany and her class for making
such a positive impact on the world.
If you would like your school to join The 365give Challenge for the Fall 2014 please contact us and let us help your students change the world one day at a time.

What people are saying about 365give

“I wanted to express my gratitude for the teaching you provided today. Your message was delivered eloquently, compassionately, and without judgment. The kids were engaged, and now have knowledge with which they can change the world. We all appreciated how you took the time to help us learn to build positive mindsets and practice happiness.”
Shelley Gardner, Grade 6 Ridgeview Elementary (West Vancouver)
“Actions really do speak louder than words, which is why I believe the 365give Challenge has resonated throughout my community. Every give we do is so important to us and leaves us happier and appreciating our lives a little bit more than before.”
Mahina Niyozova (Tajikistan)
“After watching the 365give TEDx Talk, I was inspired to join and begin a daily giving program in India. Today, along with 12 other volunteer women, we provide 100 meals to local underprivileged children in Bangalore for school every day.”
Deepika Ahuja, Mom (Bangalore, India)
“My life has greater meaning now.”
Renate Jorge, @BeKindBrazil and 365give Member, Family Program (Brazil)
“I just wanted to share that 365give really helped me. I am a better person now, thank you.”
MayLee, 365give Member, Individual Program
“This 365give Challenge has really injected excitement and extra enthusiasm in each work day as I think about what we can do. It has motivated me and the students.”
Cristina Peters, School Counselor (New York City, USA)
“I have seen a huge shift in energy throughout my classroom since doing the 365give Challenge. The Challenge has empowered my students to make a positive difference in the school’s community and beyond.”
Cella Adriana, Special Needs Educator /The Holliswood School (New York City, USA)
“The 365give Challenge helps students understand their impact on others. It opens avenues for introducing and discussing global and local issues in classrooms. It is powerful to watch students of all ages think about how they can make a change in another person’s life with one small act.”
Jessica Hall, Primary Teacher, French Immersion at École Pauline Johnson (West Vancouver, Canada)