Elementary kids explore the meaning of home
November 1, 2008
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Sherryll Sobie
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead knew the power of words, and so does Mark Andrews' Grade 6 class.
"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world," Mead once said. After a recent visit to Crosby Heights Public School in Richmond Hill and listening to Brennan, Vandood, Claire, Anikka, Sherry and their classmates, I say, "A thoughtful group of small people can change the world."
Inside a portable, one in a row that lines the school's one-storey brick building, the class is discussing the difference between "house" and "home," what life would be like to be without shelter, and what they can do, as active citizens, to effect change for our nation's homeless.
Andrews, their teacher, has integrated the topic into the class curriculum as a result of The Meaning Of Home Contest, launched by Habitat for Humanity Canada and Genworth Financial Canada. The nation-wide contest, now in its second year, is aimed at students in Grades 4, 5 and 6, who are asked to write a poem, essay or composition on what home means to them.
The ultimate prize clearly illustrates the power of words, as it forever changes the life of one family in need.
Genworth Financial Canada will donate $60,000 to Habitat for Humanity Canada to build a home in a region chosen by the grand-prize winner. The winner will also receive a home computer system. Five runners-up will each see $5,000 earmarked by Genworth for a Habitat affiliate of their choice and receive a $100 gift certificate to Chapters Indigo.
"We had a partnership with Habitat for a few years but we wanted to go beyond volunteering on their sites and giving donations," says Linda Belanger, Genworth community relations leader. "That's when we came up with the contest."
Last year, 1,900 entries were whittled down to 20 by a panel of 30 Genworth staff. The final selection was made by the president and CEO of Genworth Financial Canada, Peter Vukanovich, and the president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada, David Hughes.
"The great thing about the contest," Hughes says, "is not just that it allows us to build a home, but it creates awareness of the critical need for homes. Someone said, 'It's the youth and children who have a unique insight and can play a future role in building communities and building homes.'"
Last year's entries prove Hughes's point. "What struck me," says Belanger, "is how articulate these kids are. Their stories are touching and address the issue of home. They know it goes beyond the walls and roof."
During my visit, Andrews's class is buzzing with free-flowing discussion on the meaning of home. The kids sit at desks, pushed together in groupings of four, surrounded by posters extolling words of encouragement: "Do Whatever Moves You," reads one. "Perseverance," "Responsibility," "Mutual Respect" and "Making Connections" are printed on others.
Vandood Farhadi, 11, raises his hand. "A house is a physical place. A home can be anywhere that you feel like yourself," he offers.
Claire Uhm, 11, gives her take. "A house is a structure. It's not a home until a loving family moves in."
Anikka Chan, 11: "In a house you might be all alone, you won't have the feeling that you belong, or you might feel neglected. In a home, you may have problems but you can discuss them with your family and fix them."
Sherry Lu, 11, adds, "Home is a place you belong. It is where happiness starts."
Don Wood can vouch for that. He and his family, who currently rent a house in Kingston, are recipients of a Habitat home thanks to Genworth's donation on behalf of last year's contest winner, Grade 4 student Sarah Murray, also from Kingston. The Woods' new home is currently under construction.
The Wood family, consisting of two parents and three children, has always rented, never having had the means to purchase a home despite the fact that both Wood and his wife work; he as a roll-off truck driver, she as a customer-service representative.
The Wood family's economic status has prevented them from getting ahead – a situation that is not unique in Canada. Unlike the U.S., Canada has no official definition for working poor.
"Poverty is extremely controversial," says Armine Yalnizyan, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). "Over the last 10 years, we've been talking about (defining) it ad nauseam, and we just can't come to a consensus."
Here's what the numbers, as supplied by CCPA, tell us:
18 per cent of all jobs in Canada earn less than $10 an hour.
49 per cent of jobs in the low-skill service sector earn less than $10 an hour; 10 years ago it was 51 per cent.
20 per cent of all families raising children in Canada earn less than $26,000 year.
How do these statistics translate into home ownership?
"Four million Canadians are being affected by what the United Nations, in reporting on the state of Canada, has called 'a national emergency' – a housing 'crisis,'" says Hughes.
"How could it not be a crisis when average house prices are – according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) – as high as $421,000 in some parts of Canada and averaging out across the country at $290,000? How do the millions of Canadians who are earning $30,000, $40,000 or even $50,000 a year afford these prices? The answer: They don't!"
The Wood family, who are expected to move into their Habitat home on Dec. 1, are an exception. Theirs is a story with a happy-ever-after ending.
"It's amazing that a little girl's words built our home," says Wood. "I've met (Sarah) and she's a bit on the shy side, but when you think about what she's accomplished through her story, you realize that she's a powerful force."
When asked if anyone has ever known a homeless person or a family without adequate shelter, the students in Mark Andrews's class become quiet as their eyes curiously scan the portable. Another pause follows when the students are asked if they know what it was like to be without a comfortable place to sleep. Vandood hesitantly raises his hand.
"My grandparents came to visit from Iran, so to make them feel comfortable, they are sleeping on my bed and I am on the ground. I have no mattress, just a pillow and blankets. In the beginning it was hard to sleep, it hurt my back. I'm getting used to it now, but I would really like my bed back," he tells the class.
Although Principal Ryan Friedman says the school draws a cross-section of children from across Richmond Hill, including a public housing project, the kids in this enriched class appear to be from solid, middle-income families.
Prior to this contest, each student could have regurgitated a definition of homelessness. Now, thanks to the incorporation of the topic in the curriculum, many of the children see a sharper and bigger picture of a problem that plagues their country and community.
A big number is thrown out to the class: Did you know there are an estimated 300,000 homeless people in Canada? Claire raises her hand. "When you say 300,000, is that people without any house or home, or is that just people with poor living conditions, like a little house that's not really their home or anything?"
Until now, 11-year-old Brennan Wong has sat quietly listening to his classmates. "When they say 300,000," he responds, "it's people who don't have a house at all and are living on the streets."
Brennan knows what he is talking about. He placed second in last year's Meaning Of Home Contest, and asked that the runner-up prize of $5,000 be sent to the York Region Habitat affiliate. Brennan has also played a leading role in other fundraising initiatives.
In lieu of birthday gifts, he has asked friends to donate money toward Free the Children's school-building projects in Kenya and rural China, a cause that has been championed by the school since April 2005.
As well, Brennan has founded a newspaper, World News Corporation (worldnewscorporation.com), with funds from the sale of the paper once again going to Free the Children. He and his sister Shannon, 12, have received monetary awards for their successful fundraising endeavours, and they, too, have been funnelled into the cause.
"Crosby Heights Public School has raised a total of $33,600. I would estimate that Brennan Wong has single-handedly raised approximately $5,000 for Free the Children initiatives," according to Anne Miller, the Crosby Heights Grade 7 teacher, who first introduced Free the Children to the school three years ago.
The charity, founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Keilburger, is the world's largest network of children helping children through education.
The "about us" section of the organization's website lists one of its primary goals as being to "free young people from the notion that they are powerless to effect positive change in the world."
Back in Andrews's class, Claire had something on her mind. "Some people say the street is their home. But I think they'd rather have a house, and after they have a house, they would probably like a home."
Entries for the Meaning Of Home contest will be accepted until Nov. 14. For information, visit the contest website. Finalists should be announced by the end of January, 2009. The Star's New in Homes section will publish the winning entries.
Toronto Star