As a past participant at the UN Secretary General’s Case Study for the Rights of the Child, Fathia was not only involved with the planning committee but was also a youth delegate presenting to the entire forum. She represented her school at the UN’s New York Conference on War Affected Children and was on the organizing committee of the Citizenship Ceremony for new Canadians at Anderson C.V.I. Fathia organized the Tsunami Disaster Relief efforts, the Foster Hope Campaign and was a recipient of the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s 2004 Ontario Spirit Tsunami Award. Involved with her schools Cultures of Peace Committee, White Ribbon Campaign and annual Black History Month events, Fathia balances these committees with her ongoing responsibilities as a Corporal at 151 Chadburn Squadron in Oshawa.

Van-Nhi Nguyen’s commitment to volunteerism has gone beyond 500 hours. As Minister of the Environment within her school, she designed a peer tutoring program, a Reach Out and Respect Club which promotes acceptance for all individuals and a Multicultural Club. Recognizing the need for youth to understand the power of volunteering and the importance of leadership, she created the Leaders of Today program. Additionally, she is a member of the Empowered Students Patrol that promotes anti-bullying and diversity through multiculturalism and has founded the Youth Links with Youth group which helps youth facing problems and tough situations. Van-Nhi is a member of the Toronto Youth Cabinet and volunteers at the Humber River Regional Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children.

As an individual that has had to struggle to overcome barriers preventing her own personal achievement, Helen has displayed a passion for assisting youth in her community. Helen is a founding member of Revolutionaries Honouring Your Minds Eye (RHYME) which is a by youth, for youth spoken word collective which educates and empowers individuals through poetry. Using her spoken word talents, and as employee of the Lawrence Heights Health Care Center, she unites young people through hip hop and poetry dealing with issues such as HIV, violence, racism, and other common dilemmas within marginalized communities. Helen has held a multi-cultural showcase that displayed different cultures from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and facilitated an African History assembly to eliminate false perceptions of African heritage and culture.

Since his first day at A.B. Lucas, Stephen has worked with teachers and the administration to establish a safe resource for students who have been bullied. He has worked tirelessly to establish an anti-bullying committee, a Gay/Lesbian support group, a Crimestoppers committee, a Gay/Lesbian library, for which he got support from the United Way, as well as created a survey to help administration understand the effects of bullying on new Grade 9 students entering high school. Outside of school, Stephen teaches Math and English to special needs adults and councils victims of sexual abuse, rape, bullying and traumatic events. Stephen has been granted the Violence Prevention Award and the Lucas Silver Medal for his work at A.B. Lucas.

As a self identified South Korean feminist, Heidi Cho took it upon herself to be a powerful leader at the School of Experiential Education (SEE). She initiated and organized different events within her school such as the 2004 Gandhi Peace Festival, the 2005 Ruckus Anti- racism Conference for youth of colour as well as created numerous events for queer youths including PrideProm and Fruit Loopz 2006. Heidi also is a writer for Shameless Magazine in which she speaks to individuals about gender, racial and sexual stereotypes. Heidi’s talent’s, as an artist has been showcased at the Art Gallery of Ontario in the students component of the Massive Change exhibition, where its focus is to tackle social issues.

Aliza’s effort to promote harmony has not only touched her school, but has also reached a global level. She has worked with Afghani refugees to help them adapt to Canadian culture, volunteers at a Muslim Mosque/Community Centre working as a reading buddy, a Big Sister, helps run tutoring programs and created “African Outcry” to raise awareness about poverty in Africa. She also traveled to Tanzania to volunteer at a school for the blind, an orphanage and a beggars’ camp. In addition, Aliza has created a youth project called “http://www.harmony.ca/photospeak” which displays youth’s views on health through photography. Thanks to such program, Aliza has spoken about teen suicide at many conferences and exhibitions.

Referred to by his principal as the “unassuming superhero”, Doug has created and volunteered with many organizations and fundraisers at his school to help promote diversity and acceptance. Some of his involvement includes graduating from Harmony Movement’s Diversity Leadership Certificate Program, being a member of S.T.A.R. (Students Together Against Racism), Culture of Peace, creating a White Ribbon Campaign at his school to promote men against male violence against women and created a “ Battle of the Bands” fundraiser for a women’s shelter. Doug has also been a key participant in the Tsunami Relief Campaign, the Fostering Hope Campaign as well as initiated the creation of Anti-Homophobia day and the development of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at Anderson C.V.I.

From the very beginning of her high school career, Gurkiran noticed that a change needed to be made at Killarney Secondary School and took it upon herself to initiate such change. She organized a Multi-cultural week, volunteered for Student Street Squad, was a leader of the Killarney’s Violence Prevention Team and was Prime Minister of her Student Government. Gurkiran applied for and received a grant from the community to hold an evening of fashion, food and student performances at her school called “Desi Dayz”. This evening was held to highlight East Indian culture and to promote multi-culturalism. Outside of her school, Gurkiran volunteers and helps with fundraising initiatives for the Variety Club, Tsunami Victims, Hurricane Katrina, Diabetes and Food Bank agencies.

Identified by one of her teachers as an individual with a truly global vision, Courtney has made many contributions to both the local and global community. She has organized “Operation Bosnia” which gathered and donated unneeded school supplies from students cleaning out their lockers, assisted in the 36 Hour Wake-A-Thon raising over $3,000 for AIDS Orphans and Street Children (AOSC) in sub-Sahara Africa and joined Amnesty International Group which organized a rock show raising over $750. For the past three years, Courtney held World Vision 30 Hour Famine for her birthdays collecting donations instead of birthday gifts. Courtney has volunteered at Tim Horton’s Camp for children with different abilities and financial needs and Ten Thousand Villages, which is committed to providing fair income for Third World individuals.

Jeremy is an individual who has invested hundreds of hours into volunteering and is still continuing with his efforts. As a member of the Unity and Diversity Club, he promoted equality amongst different cultures, ethnicities, and religions through education. He was a member of Working Against Youth Violence Everywhere (WAYVE), a youth-led group that would educate communities about bullying, labeling, stereotypes and gang violence. Through WAYVE, Jeremy hosted Bullying Awareness Week, WAYVE Awareness Day, A Step in the Right Direction Campaign and the March 21 STOP Racism Campaign. As a recognized guidance counselor at his school, Jeremy has lead anti-violence workshops at nearly 20 schools within the Kitchener Waterloo area, child wellness centers and City Hall.