The sky is blue and cloudless. My eyes are squinted from the sun shining directly at me as a soft breeze blows in my hair. With my left arm I grab the board and stride further towards where the tide comes in. My feet leave faint footprints in the sand until I reach the shoreline. I enclose the two ends of Velcro around my ankle and scout the scene.

I fully emerge my body into the salty water. The wetsuit keeps me unaware of how much colder the water really is. Hand and hand, arm and arm, I slowly begin paddling into the stretch of blue. It’s like continuously digging a hole that disappears. I make it over the waves, pushing through them as they pass. A giant one nearly crashes on me, however I dive under it. I resurface and hop back onto the board and regain control. The only thing that can be frustrating is that you are not always in control, the ocean is. Out of the blue, unexpected waves can appear, and currents can simply drift you away.

My arms are tired of fighting the current so I let it carry me. Far away I drift from where I started. I spot an array of dolphins leaping out of the waters close to me and catch glimpses of the odd schools of fish. I can see the waves rolling closer towards me, and see new ones form across the horizon. Calmly and slowly they approach as soft white peaks form and they finally crash. It’s only a matter of time until the perfect one comes. It soon draws closer to me and I begin to paddle, thrusting myself forward. At the right time, I push myself up and plant my feet on the board. The board tips and sways as speed builds up. I quickly regain my balance by readjusting my feet. I spread my arms wide out and feel the ocean’s spray burst into tiny water droplets among my face. It feels refreshing and relaxing. At the height of the moment I suddenly plunge downwards with the wave. I descend into the shallow waters, and my board tugs on my ankle. I get up and even so more determined to catch another one, more determined to improve. I think that if you have the chance, try surfing, it is a really unique experience. The adrenalin rushes to my brain and even after, the excitement never fades.

The Influence of Hate

Hate. This is a forceful, powerful word that to many, is used within their everyday conversations daily. Most people don’t think before they say it, hate just diffuses right out of their mouth when they get frustrated, angry or just plain confused. It has become a normal word of our language as you can often hear children saying it. Within the word hate, there are many emotions tied along with it, the same emotions that started the horrifying and tragic Holocaust.

The holocaust was a dreadful and dark period of time and is unimaginable to envision and relate to. Only those with the gruesome memories and experiences can. Eva Olsson shared these thoughts as her voice beamed from the podium at which she was standing. It wasn’t just the compelling stories she was telling, but the way she told them, with a dignified passion.

She was an incredible speaker, and she touched my heart as she shared her voice with us. The crowd was silent as she recounted back to the distressing memories of her life experiences. I found it absolutely awful when she described how her mother was taken away for her to never see again. Eva never got the chance to say goodbye to her mother, and tell her how much she loved her. I found it amazing at the amount of courage she had, and how she had enough hope to survive the Holocaust.

I was upset and shocked that something so revolting was caused by hate. It was horrible that so many were killed or suffocated because they were simply different. We all vary from our peers in one way or another, so why should someone be killed because of their religion, race, or skin colour?

Eva not only retold the historic disaster of the holocaust, but also related it to now. Bullying is a reoccurring issue that we often hear about in school as well as see it. Eva specifically said that being a by-stander is as bad as being the bully. If the by-standers had done something, then the Holocaust would have not happened. She also said to never say hate, the root of the holocaust, but instead ‘I do not like’.

After hearing Eva Olsson speak, it changed a part of me. She was an incredible speaker with important and meaningful lessons taught within her speech. She taught us not use the word hate, not to drink and drive, and to stand up instead of being a by-stander. I was appalled at what she among many had to endure, and how she had the strength to survive. I felt honored to have introduced her, she was such an inspiration. Her voice is one I won’t forget, as the world cannot forget the upsetting times of the Holocaust.

There is No "I" in Team

On Monday our school went to Norval to all come together to learn fundamentals such as trust, team building, listening, and leadership. We started our day off by joining the two classes together and experiencing Inuit Blanket Toss. We all gathered around a blanket with handles going along the edge. One person would lay flat, with arms crossed in the centre of the blanket while everyone else, eager, would lift the blanket causing the victim to fly into the air. It would only work, if everyone synced together to pull on the count of three. This gave me a complete rush of adrenaline and made me want to re-live that unique experience once more.

We then headed towards a 14 foot wall, that we somehow had to get over. The wall had no source of objects to grab, it was just 14 feet of solid wood. In my mind i was thinking, you must have to be kidding! How were we going to ALL get up the wall within 30 minutes, by just using our bodies and brains? Then it also occurred to me that half of our grade was standing before the wall, each with their own ideas waiting to shout them out. To solve this problem, we all took turns, listened, as well as having Will as a leader, then turned our plans into actions.

We figured out a system to get over the wall. All they needed was the first victim to go up the wall. Guess who went? Me. Slowly but surely, i climbed onto the knees of my classmates, still wondering how on earth i was going to make it up and over the wall that stood before me. They raised me up, and with every inch, i got closer to gripping the top of the wall. Finally my hands clasped the top. Within the rest of the thirty minutes, our whole class got over the barrier using teamwork, and trust.

Our last activity before lunch, included three possibly four lucky people that got to be harnessed to four ropes that their peers were gripping onto. The person being belayed, had to retrieve various balls located within the blades of grass. We all had to work together and use our heads to figure out which ropes to pull, and which to give slack. Using the right combination's, we helped the person to redeem the balls. The only suggestion i would have for next year, is that we would ALL be able to enjoy the activity, instead of just 3-4 people.

After we reflected on the two activities, we had lunch outside, followed by a special drum circle. We entered the building, everyone roused up to begin tapping the drum that lay in front of them. Without saying many words, the leader of the drum circle got the whole student body, including the teachers, to become one voice. We expressed our self through music, and created different rhythms by simply tapping the drum all on the same beat. It sounded amazing when we got it right!

In conclusion, the day left us with much to think and reflect on. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone (climbing a 14 foot wall isn't exactly what i like to do in my spare time). As well as brought our grade closer together in sense that I could trust them more than before. We all learned that together, we can accomplish "the impossible", and there is in fact no "i" in team.

'The Best Things Come in the Littlest Packages'

They always say the best things come in the littlest packages. I find this statement utterly true. It seems as teens we always have to have the latest technology, newest video games, coolest designer clothing, and the most expensive or exclusive items. We waste our time socializing on MSN, Facebook, watching shows like gossip girl, and being hooked to our computers trying to beat level five on Miniclip. We don't open our mind and eyes to see what's really in front of us. So much of our time is consumed, shortening the 1 chance that we have to live. We don't see all life has to offer, or what we have to offer it.

When I went to Australia, our family went on a crocodile cruise. This certain cruise was about an hour down calm murky waters on a petite boat only big enough to hold our family. The way there was a dreadful 4 hours due to a motorcycle accident, and I was not happy about the excruciating long wait. Finally, things got moving, and we were headed to our destination. We arrived later than planned so our trip out was shorter than we hoped. I hopped into the boat, a bit nervous about what was lurking underneath. We slowly commenced down the river, hearing nothing but the cheerful calls of exotic birds hanging high in the canopies. Trees towered over me, and everything was lush and green

Further in, I would catch glimpses of the odd monkey or pure white cattle’s grazing the fields. The undisturbed water had crystal clear reflections mirroring what lay above. It was so serene and peaceful. Despite the fact that it was just tons of trees compacted together, it was beautiful. It set my mind to the fact that if we keep harming the planet, there will be nothing like this to see left.

After the boat docked, and the sun disappeared, we stopped on our way back on the side of the road. It was entirely black out, and the only source of light was from millions of stars hanging high above my head. They twinkled so brightly, and gleamed from afar. It was nothing like I had ever seen before! The difference between this and the city sky, made me consider how much pollution we release into our atmosphere, and how much we really do harm our planet. It also made me think how we can change it.

We can all do simple things like saying "hi" to someone we don't know, standing up for someone that's being bullied, spending time with our families, serving food at a soup kitchen, or recycling. Believe it or not, these little things can make a huge difference in not just our lives, but also the lives of others. By going greener, we can watch our world be preserved, and allow our children’s children to admire its beauty.

We can just start by doing something as small as a smile. A smile doesn't really occur to you as an action, but if we all walked around with frowns, it would set a mood among our surroundings. By being happy, you can encourage others around you to smile too! Maybe if we all just focused on being positive, instead of picking out all the bad things in our lives. Sure, the winter can be frigid, but what about the excitement of the first snow and catching snowflakes on your tongue? ❄

So keep in mind, that to change the world, we don't need to have all of these intricate plans, we can start off small. We can first see all life has to provide, from babies giggles, to vibrant rainbows. We can take baby steps together, and all show off our pearly whites. ☺

WE DAY 09

On Monday October 5 2009, 16,000 people and I attended the annual WE DAY. We came together to hear motivational speeches and be inspired to change the world. These speeches encouraged youth to make a difference were spoken by people like Craig & Marc Keilburger, Michael "Pinball" Clemons, Spencer West, holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, Robert Kennedy Jr. and many more. The theme included in every speech was how young people can be the change, and together we have the power to make a difference.

Not only speakers and social issues activists were at the event, but also entertainers sending messages to their fans. Musicians such as Hedley, Louise Kent, Justin Bieber, and a surprise performance by the Jonas brothers, performed on stage. The day for those who attended was a one of a kind experience that engaged the audience to want to help the world.

Every person that spoke sent a message and every person gave something memorable. I loved Jesse Cruickshanks speech about how she went to Kenya (leaving behind her designer clothes and heels!) and how warmly the people welcomed her. She mentioned how once a year the family she was staying with would slaughter goats. The family decided that they would have that day when she arrived. Jesse is a vegetarian and as a tradition had to drink the blood strait from the goat’s neck!

I also found Spencer West’s speech really inspiring. He said that we are at the bottom of the hill, and that the hill is poverty. We all need to work together to push ourselves up the hill and overcome poverty. Many more of the voices spoken were all also amazing, including, Craig and Marc Keilburger.

The Keilburger brothers mentioned a campaign they were doing called 10 bye ten. 10 by 10 is a new project by free the children. This idea is based on that with everyday actions we can make a difference locally and globally. If you make a commitment by doing 10 actions in 2010, Aviva will donate $10 to free the children. Think for a minute. If everyone who attended We Day (16,000) did this, we could raise $160,000! Wow! So share what actions you will complete on www.giveyour10.com and we’ll be on step closer to the top of the hill. I entirely agree that us youth, we are the future generation. But the future is now, and the world needs our help. ❀

'BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD' ~gandhi

Poverty. Any human that cannot meet the basics it needs to survive. Needs. These are things that we have to have in order to survive like food, water, and shelter. Wants. These are excess items or things that are not necessities for us to have. It’s amazing how here I am in Canada, good education, with clean water, 3 meals a day, a house to live in and a bed to rest my head. Right now in some other country a child the same age drinks dirty water from a polluted pond, goes to bed hungry, let alone have a bed, and no shelter to keep warm. This child doesn’t go to a school like I do, because she can’t afford it. Her parents died from AIDS and she only has her very old grandmother left to take care of her and her brother. Everyday she walks barefooted to get water from the shared pond where people also wash clothes. This really makes me consider how we have been in the world for the same amount of time, that our lives could be so different. I don’t know who this child is. She lives in my imagination but carries traits of many of the people that go through the same, horrible thing. Poverty.

Out of all the problems in our world, poverty is a big one, or at least I think so. People die from poverty everyday or are suffering from struggling to survive. In fact, according to UNICEF 25, 000 children die a day from poverty. Every year, eleven million children die, most under the age of five. Every second child lives in poverty. It’s even found in our own country, 1 in 6 children lives below the poverty line. When you read those facts what do you think? The big thing that comes to my mind is how can we change it? How can we help? Well to tell the truth, I have no idea. I do know that there are people out there who have made a difference and probably know the answer, or at least part of it. Craig Keilburger has made a huge difference in the world by fighting against child labour, building schools, and speaking to people across the world. He created an organization when he was only twelve called free the children.

If we all just give a little we could get a 1 step closer perfect world back. Whether it’s something as big as going to Kenya to help children, or as simple as sparing some change to someone you see living on the street. Change. I want to be the change, the difference to a better planet. Difference. How can I make a difference to help poverty, to decrease it? I am only one person, with one opinion, and one voice sharing it with the world as soon as I hit publish then anyone can see it. Although I doubt many people will stumble across my page at least it’s something. Something. Nothing. Poverty.