Learn to Create Global Change at Take Action Academy

I heard about Free the Children and Me to We when my media teacher showed us a documentary about a child soldier and children in Africa. I was exciting about getting involved, and when I came across Me to We’s Take Action Academy – a summer camp for social change – I thought it would be a great start.

Being in a wheelchair part-time, I have a physical disability. Most summer camps have a “physically fit” requirement that I do not meet, so when I heard that Take Action Academy did not have any physical requirements, I was excited to learn more about it.

Since I have a disability, I am not always taken seriously because I cannot accomplish certain things a more mobile person can. Instead of focusing on the things someone like me may have trouble with, the Academy made me feel included and accommodated in every way they possibly could.

Take Action Academy gave me the opportunity to learn about the challenges in our world that everyone knows about but never really stops to think about. We spent a day with kids of low-income families at a daycare, we hosted a barbecue for people with special needs and we danced and sang for hours. Meanwhile, we were always being reminded of topics such as hunger, child soldiers and other important global issues. These are all issues we tend to ignore because it is easier than doing something about it or because it does not directly affect us.

I learned of a day in September called We Day, held annually in Vancouver, where selected schools take students to Vancouver's GM Place for a day to hear from world renowned inspirational speakers and learn how they can take action to change the world. When I found out my school did not have tickets, I volunteered to sell merchandise and I encouraged my school to attend and they eventually got tickets.

I recommend Me to We’s Take Action Academy to any student who is remotely interested. It allowed me to meet amazing and inspirational people with common interests and opened my eyes and heart to the challenges our world faces.