Norwell District Secondary School student Shaelyn Thompson was a guest speaker at Minto Clifford Public School alongside Spencer West.
Both spoke about the Me to We program, which is inspiring young people to create change in this world.
The following is the text of Thompson’s remarks.
“Why Me to We? Why did I devote so much time, effort, and passion into this organization for five years? Simply put, my experience with Me to We truly began to shape who I am as a person.
“I was fortunate to attend multiple We Days – seeing an army of young people being inspired to create change; I was challenged to educate myself about social injustices around the world; and to take a stand and use my voice for so many who are silent. I enjoyed devoting my time and effort alongside Minto’s Me to We mom (teacher Naomi McCulloch) as she pushed me out of my comfort zone, while supporting a wide variety of local and global actions. Me to We inspired me to be myself, to create memories and live life to its fullest and most importantly chase down my dreams because, they are in reach. Take Action Camp was another step out of my comfort zone and another life-defining opportunity.
“I spent a week with like minded students, driven to make a change in this world. We were challenged and inspired while building skills to ensure our voices are heard.
“My biggest accomplishment is seeing my personal action plan come to life, speaking at two schools with Tia on our joint passion of Bullying and Suicide Awareness. I’m proud to say, we are continuing to use our voices to speak out to even more schools next year.
“So, thank you Mrs. McCulloch for inviting me to come back and speak today, thank you to the staff and students of Minto-Clifford for amazing memories and challenging me to stand up and be a better person. Thank you to Free the Children for creating a tool for educators to give students the power to have their voices heard. Thank you Spencer for coming to this amazing school. They truly deserve to hear your message and I hope it encourages them to continue to redefine what students are capable of doing.
“Minto, I want you to remember that it doesn’t matter how big or small you are, it’s what you do that truly defines you. Remember to always turn Me into We.”
Submitted by Amanda Fergus-Moore
