Development of Mulgrave’s Global Outreach Programme.

*Namaste*Esperance*Justicia*

Although the name Global Outreach is new, this program has been part of our students’ lives and, the fabric of our school, for more than 10 years.  It all began with the creation of the Kids Care Club—a service club for “kids caring for kids.”             

The original KCC members have graduated yet  Mulgrave students continue to have the same raison d’etre and passion the students had then:  to respond to the children they heard crying for help; whether it was on the local, national or international scene.  Utmost, it was help without borders and Global Outreach perpetuates that mission. 

In the 1990s,  some of the most heart warming endeavors pursued by the students were visiting our community’s Lions Gate Hospital to read and play games with the infirmed children; creating care packages and mailing them to the children who were being housed in refuge centers from the devastating 1997 Red River flood. This was followed by a repeat mission for the victims of the paralyzing Montreal ice storm in 1998.  In recent times that same outreach has been extended to the victims of the horrific 2004 tsunami and hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In 2001 our students heard the plea for warm clothing from Afghani children, suffering the atrocities of war.  Shoes, boots and winter coats were gathered by the mounds in the junior school foyer and when the time came to mail them in January, the planes were no longer delivering supplies! Oh what to do? The students went to work and discovered the next best solution: personal delivery to the refugee centre here in Vancouver.  For the whole month of February, KCC outfitted the few hundred children who arrived directly to our winter city with no more than the meager clothing on their backs.  The satisfaction and joy from these kinds of personal gifts of kindness are incomparable.     

In unison with the school’s evolution to grade 12, global outreach has maintained a continual tie with local aid organizations such as Harvest House, North Shore Family Christmas Bureau and Covenant House; with provincial and national organizations such as Terry Fox Foundation (Terry Fox Run), and BC Heart & Stroke (Jump Rope for Heart), international NGOs such as UNICEF and the Mennonite Central Committee (http://www.mcc.org).  

The most rewarding outcome of the outreach programs within the junior school is the connection students have established with their foster children.

The first child, Francis Aikins, had been in our care for 8 years when in the summer of 2006 he was fatally struck by a speeding car whilst collecting water for the family. Through his photos, artwork and correspondence, we watched Francis grow from age 4 to a healthy 12 year old boy who was a good student and family helper. 

The dream was that in time he would, through good health and education, rescue the family from their abject poverty. Needless to say, along with him, those hopes vanished as did the dependable lifeline of child support. Questions on the importance of connection, investment in youth and family sustainability emerged at this time.  Fortunately for  all involved, Francis had a younger brother, Collins, whom was eligible for support through the Foster Parent Plan (http://www.fosterparentplan.ca). Hence, Mulgrave continues to keep the flame of hope burning for that family.  Read More.

A few years ago KCC chose to sponsor an additional child, Thembokwakhe Cele in South Africa, through World Vision (http://www.worldvision.ca).

As stated above, much of the satisfaction gained from having a foster child is a direct result of the personal link: being able to see, hear, and ultimately know you are making a difference.  It is easy to intellectually accept the fact children everywhere have the same basic needs for food, shelter, health care, and education; to also have a desire to belonging and be treated with respect.  However, it is another matter to learn first hand the disparity and injustice between how these needs are met in our community and in a community in Ghana or Sudan, for example!   It is yet still another leap when students are able to articulate this to positive action for a more equitable world.  Mulgrave students take on their outreach programs with a morale conviction to help children and, whenever possible, influence conditions so children’s basic needs are met and rights respected.  How commendable! 

Just as it takes some years of schooling for individuals to mature, so it has taken Global Outreach to develop the curriculum-tied programs currently under its umbrella.  With roots woven in such a rich Junior School tapestry our students began entering upper school motivated, concerned and vying for opportunities to learn more about developing countries and the role they could play. A track record of successful excursions to Australia and teachers passionate for using the real world for the classroom, led Mulgrave to start by offering a science-based program in Costa Rica and a cultural exchange with Setagaya Gaguen School, Tokyo, in 2003. (http://www.setagayagakuen.ac.jp/top.html)

In 2004, the Japan trip added on a service component by including a week of service at Father Ray’s Orphanage in Pattaya, Thailand (http://www.pattayaorphanage.org.uk).

In 2005 the Costa Rica program shifted to incorporate humanitarian aid and that was the beginning of our link with Habitat for Humanity (HFH) @ http://www.habitatcostarica.org and subsequent Central American programs.   These two shifts in the program became pivotal to influencing the direction the Upper School’s Global Outreach program is taking now.

Two of the essential pillars for any viable program are the underlying philosophy and the mission statement.   Given our students’ commitment to children as well as the importance for them to have ownership of the programs, undoubtedly Global Outreach will consider opportunities for  direct student participation at most levels of the program and offer hands-on experience. The challenge is to ensure the scaffold allows for this while also guaranteeing safe, quality learning experiences which will serve as catalysts to understanding, empathy and attitude shifts. In other words, to be effective global citizens our students need to be willing to examine themselves, their lifestyle and, ask some poignant questions like: Do I wish to be part of or perpetuate an indulgent society? Is gaining power ok at the expense of others? Am I willing to make poverty history (http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca) when the corollary must also be true; make rich history?  Such are the fundamental questions the students grapple with during their spirit growth and a global vision needed for peace.  Read More...

One of the keys to survival of any program, of course, is funding.  The students are of the mind the donation of funds required for their Habitat for Humanity house building in Costa Rica,  for example, should be earned by them through the provision of goods and services, rather than solicitation. Underlying their fund raising choices are the same principles promoted through their programs: gender equality, fair wages, no child/slave labor, and environmental sustainability.  Hence, the students sell only fair trade products (Read More), offer services such as movie matinees, cultural lunches, and reach out to other youth (locally as well as abroad) by offering seminars and forums to educate and transfer skills for leadership, conflict resolution and other issues.

  
The goals of our students—they reach for the stars—and the work they do each year in their efforts to make the world a better place, is more than admirable: it is courageous and, for all involved, life-changing.  So, to sustain connections and build on their programs, especially in Costa Rica, Kenya, Cuba and with SOS Villages, the students are willing to take ownership of a substantial financial commitment each year.

In turn, this means a major investment of time and skills.  Consequently, we have been searching for at least one major annual event where students could fulfill many roles whilst respecting their fund raising tenets.  In December 2007, such an event will be The Magic of Christmas at Mulgrave. Click here.

Addendum: Other links our students have made are numerous, but to name a few:

• creation of an Amnesty International Club  in 2006
• Involvement with our Middle School’s Global Issues Renaissance Activity initiatives (investigating issues such as the affects of genocide in Darfur)
• Sending financial aid to peace building workshops in Asia (in conjunction with Peace Action Nepal @ http://www.youthaction.org.np/ and the organization for street children in the Philippines,  Stairway Foundation @ http://www.stairwayfoundation.org/)
• Provision of books and health aids (like daily vitamins) for SMD School, Kathmandu (alma mater of our scholarship student @ http://www.himalayanchildren.org)