Nobody Visits the Club
Posted by Joan Hayward
on Jun 14, 2010
A Denim Doll, Some Creative Students, and Supportive Staff
What do a denim humanoid figure, elementary school students, and volunteering have in common? Recently the members of the Rotary Club of Alliston hosted a group of students, parents, and staff representing Ernest Cumberland Elementary School and Holy Family Elementary School. The students answered the question by talking about their “Who Is Nobody” experience to the club and explaining how pleased they were with the opportunity to help other people and learn something about themselves at the same time.
What do a denim humanoid figure, elementary school students, and volunteering have in common? Recently the members of the Rotary Club of Alliston hosted a group of students, parents, and staff representing Ernest Cumberland Elementary School and Holy Family Elementary School. The students answered the question by talking about their “Who Is Nobody” experience to the club and explaining how pleased they were with the opportunity to help other people and learn something about themselves at the same time.
Club members were very impressed with how well the young people spoke and how enthusiastic they and their teachers are about the program.
The “Who Is Nobody?” program is the creation of a former supply teacher with the Toronto District School Board who was concerned about the lack of confidence and self-esteem she saw in the students she worked with. Kelly Clark decided that the children needed a vehicle through which to make a commitment to their communities and in so doing feel great about giving back to people not as fortunate as they are.
Because Rotary clubs are rooted both in “Service Above Self” and ethical behavior in business and personal endeavours, Clark decided that she would approach some Rotary clubs in and around Toronto. Thus began a partnership that has seen all of the schools in the Durham Board’s jurisdiction implement the “Who Is Nobody?” program. It has been implemented in other schools in the Southern Ontario region.
Here in New Tecumseth the program is in its third year at Holy Family Elementary School and in its first year at Ernest Cumberland Elementary School. All of the teachers involve praise the program for its innovative approach to character education and volunteerism. The students are expected to write about and present to their peers the experience they have had with Nobody and their part in turning Nobody into Somebody. And it adds virtually no time to the teachers’ schedules, except during its introduction to the students.
Over 16,000 students across Canada have participated, impacting local, national, and international organizations and causes with unique and special donations that make sense to them. The Rotary Club of Alliston is proud to be the sponsor of the “Who Is Nobody?” program in our schools.
For more information about the Who Is Nobody? program, please visit www.whoisnobody.com
The “Who Is Nobody?” program is the creation of a former supply teacher with the Toronto District School Board who was concerned about the lack of confidence and self-esteem she saw in the students she worked with. Kelly Clark decided that the children needed a vehicle through which to make a commitment to their communities and in so doing feel great about giving back to people not as fortunate as they are.
Because Rotary clubs are rooted both in “Service Above Self” and ethical behavior in business and personal endeavours, Clark decided that she would approach some Rotary clubs in and around Toronto. Thus began a partnership that has seen all of the schools in the Durham Board’s jurisdiction implement the “Who Is Nobody?” program. It has been implemented in other schools in the Southern Ontario region.
Here in New Tecumseth the program is in its third year at Holy Family Elementary School and in its first year at Ernest Cumberland Elementary School. All of the teachers involve praise the program for its innovative approach to character education and volunteerism. The students are expected to write about and present to their peers the experience they have had with Nobody and their part in turning Nobody into Somebody. And it adds virtually no time to the teachers’ schedules, except during its introduction to the students.
Over 16,000 students across Canada have participated, impacting local, national, and international organizations and causes with unique and special donations that make sense to them. The Rotary Club of Alliston is proud to be the sponsor of the “Who Is Nobody?” program in our schools.
For more information about the Who Is Nobody? program, please visit www.whoisnobody.com