Featured archive at Student Zone

Archive for the 'Featured' Category

Chain Reaction of Hope - Starting Feb 2010 in Ontario

Published by admin January 29th, 2010 in Hero Holiday and Featured. Closed

Chain Reaction of Hope

Hope for Haiti. Hope for another school. Hope for your school. All at the same time

Your school can start a chain-reaction of hope for Haitians! By giving 1 hour of your school’s time for a motivational benefit assembly you will be making a life-changing difference in 3 places: in Haiti, in your school, and in another school of your choice!

Here is how it works:

To start the chain, Absolute will contribute our Think Day assembly free of charge to your school.
What you might normally pay for such a presentation is instead used in a 100% charitable cause:
1. 50% or more (depending on size of donation) to help the Haitian people in an incredibly direct and tangible way (read about it here). If you have another charity that you would prefer to give money for Haiti to, we will still work with you!
2. 50% to “pay it forward”, relaying the impactful presentation to the next school (that you choose), thereby continuing the chain reaction.
You might also consider using this event in combination with, or to spearhead or wind up a school fundraising campaign! More fundraising will create a higher percentage of money for Haiti (as our touring costs will remain fixed).
Check our website to see how far your chain goes, and how much it raises!

Why you should participate:

Absolute’s Think Day is Canada’s leading motivational presentation and is unrivaled in relevancy and effectiveness. It features a live band, inspirational media, and motivational speakers in a concert level production. In addition to all the good that is being generated for Haiti, there will be a powerful message of hope and purpose for your students, and for the school that you pay it forward to.
Grass-roots efficiency. Money for Haiti goes directly to very tangible needs and effective projects - not to the potential bureaucracy of a large NGO. We will provide your school with direct reports and updates on how the money is being used for good, and will answer any question you have on it!
A simple and practical way for your school to feel that they are making a strategic response to one of the worst tragedies of our time.
Snowball Effect. Relaying this campaign to the next school, your school can track how much good is happening down the line!
Exponential Philanthropy! This is creating good for Haiti by doing something good for schools in your community. You can feel great about investing your school’s money or fundraising efforts to make a difference in 3 ways at once!

Why is Absolute doing this?
Absolute has been working alongside Haitians for over 5 years in our humanitarian work. Our hearts go out to many Haitian friends that have experienced unspeakable loss. We have seen the devastation ourselves, having volunteers on the ground within 2 days of the earthquake. It is worse than the media can even convey. This is our humble attempt to do what we can, with the resources we have (ie. a great motivational presentation), to help the people we love, in way that is actually going to get to them. We challenge you to join with us to start a Chain Reaction of Hope!

How to participate:

Email us at bookings@absolute.org or call our office at 1-866-432-4464 and talk to Mandy, our Bookings Coordinator, and we will help you get started.

Absolute in Haiti

Published by absolute January 14th, 2010 in Mainpage and Featured. Closed

I am sure you have all heard, in some form or another, about the great tragedy that has occurred in Haiti. Many of you, including myself, probably thought to yourself, “Really! This is the last thing this country needs!” It is true, parts of Port-au-Prince had looked like a 7.0 earthquake already hit it before January 12th and we can only imagine the state it is in now.

I have been quite impressed by the volumes of messages and emails I have been receiving from people who want to do something to help. Everyone’s heart is broken for this nation and no one wants to sit by and let the people of Haiti deal with this disaster by themselves. Absolute has been directly involved with an orphanage of 60+ children in Port-au-Prince run by a man we know and love named David. You can read all about him in our 52 blog: http://52.absolute.org/2009/04/19/what-do-you-do-with-a-lost-pearl/. Currently, we have not been able to contact David or anyone connected to his orphanage. Some volunteers of Absolute have decided to jump into action and travel directly to where the orphanage is (or once was…) to make sure that all the children are safe and taken care of. Once this is done they will assess if there is something that Absolute can do to take care of our extended family. We will keep you posted on the progress of the team and will let you know if there is anything you can do to help.

Please keep an eye on our website and facebook page (absolute.org) for more updates. Thank you for your concern and desire to help. To give towards this pressing need please contact our office, or donate online here.

Hero Holiday is traveling to Haiti in May 2010. Check out the trip details on our website: http://heroholiday.absolute.org/haiti

Check out our 52 story on the earthquake: http://52.absolute.org/2010/01/14/but-a-breath/

**UPDATE: Absolute has received word that the children at the orphanage are all safe and accounted for. This is great news! We are going to hear from our volunteers as to how their homes are but will keep you informed.

2010 Calendar

Published by absolute November 6th, 2009 in School of Leadership, Hero Holiday, Mainpage and Featured. Closed

We’re excited to announce our 2010 Hero Holiday Calendar, “Together”. This calendar is full of incredible photos taken on Hero Holidays around the world by some of our very own photographers. Included in the calendar are excerpts from our blog, “52″, as well as some great quotes and thoughts on how to make a difference.

The calendar costs $20 and proceeds from the sale of each calendar go towards Absolute and Hero Holiday’s charitable projects.

Shack’n It Up!

Published by absolute October 2nd, 2009 in School of Leadership and Featured. Closed

Our Absolute School of Leadership students in Mexico get to do the coolest things: learn about world issues through our Social Justice Curriculum, help with our Hero Holidays, and work within a Mexican community of the most kindest and gracious people you will ever meet. We designed a practical lesson for our students called, The Shack Experience. This year, our 2009 students are living for one week in a shack they made with their own two hands! They will work and live the way the some Mexicans in their area do. This experience’s goal is to open their eyes to the suffering and day to day life of 2/3s of our world. Here is a bit of how their first few days have been written by Brett Dyrland, their “Jefe” (Spanish for Boss):

Life as a low income Mexican can be hard as the School of Leadership students are finding out. First, the students had to build a shack to live in. The rule of building the shack is that, it had to be made out of materials that were found on the street and free. They took the challenge, gathered supplies and started building. The two boys made a shack that was slightly larger than a dog house. (Have fun spooning boys!) The four girls on the other hand, wanted a larger, more spacious house. They soon realized that larger means more work. Especially after it big gust of wind blew it over. With a little assistance, they built a smaller shack with a structure that was more sturdy.

Day 1 was great! It began with a 5am rise for work day. The team had to take their make believe kids to school and meet the bus at the highway (about 1km away) for 7am. Their first adventure was off to the river bed to get a load of sand to finish off some work around one of the Hero Holiday yards. From all the groaning, seemed to me like they thought loading a truck with sand was hard work. They off loaded the truck at the yard into wheel barrows, placed the sand in designated areas, and leveled it all out. First load was done by 10:00am. Half way through off loading the second load, I heard some excuses saying they were done, but as any boss would do, I told them to put more sand on the sand until the truck is empty. By then it was only 12:30pm and I had to find more work for them. Six people can get a lot of work done quickly! It was easy finding more work for them: detail the truck, clean the yard, wax the truck, wash the bus, and shampoo the dogs. Each of my workers received $100 pesos (which is approximately $8.50 CAD) for the day of hard work. But then they had to pay rent, pay for their “children” to go to school, transportation to work and back and food for the whole family. So needless to say, there was not much is left for food and water, but they made it work some how.

The statement of the day is “Don’t ever say a Mexican is lazy.” Most of the students have never had labour jobs before and are not used to this type of work. Many of them found it hard, especially in this kind of heat. They all have a new respect for the term “A good days work”. I think a lot of them found it hard to stay motivated for only $8/day but that is what a lot of Mexicans have to deal with daily. At least the students have a hope of getting out of this, but many will know this for the rest of their lives.

I am look forward to the next couple days where they are able to do actual Mexican jobs. Jobs like clamming, field work and rock picking are all jobs we see often here. When the students go out to perform these jobs, all the proceeds from their days labor will go to help the people they are working with. They will be able to double or more the income of the person they are working for. This is such a great experience!

Its the Circle of our Lives

Published by meagan August 5th, 2009 in School of Leadership, Staff Blogs, Hero Holiday, Mainpage and Featured. Closed

Think Day, Hero Holiday, School of Leadership, ONE Book … Absolute.org has a variety of interesting programs, but are they related, tied together somehow? Absolute is like a ring, no no not the one ring…you know the one…”in the darkness bind them?” That’s not us, that’s some other guy. At Absolute.org every one of our programs support and lead into the other. Someone asked me today what I do for Absolute, in what capacity I work for them. The truth is that my job title is irrelevant. Each of our jobs support and are connected to each other’s. Absolute is a circle.

I just returned from a Hero Holiday trip in the Dominican Republic. I met some fantastic people. There are few things more surprising than how content the people of Dominican Republic really are, compared with someone living in a developed country. Even more surprising is the effervescent joy that overflows and spills onto us from the displaced people of Haiti living in Dominican Republic. There are too many stories to tell here and now. For more on Hero Holiday, please visit Hero Holiday’s site or subscribe to 52 Stories. What I’ve come to realize is that my job, my official job at Absolute, is incredibly tied into Hero Holiday. The members of Team 3, my Hero Holiday team, had students (and one mom) from all across our fine country. Almost every province was represented by Team 3’s members, and we even had a girl from the Yukon! Most of these participants were there because of Think Day, a multimedia motivational experience that visited their schools. That is my job, Think Day. I am a Road Team Manager, along with my husband JP. We travel with teams across Canada from September to June (we break for Christmas of course!) tirelessly (most days) driving, setting up, performing, speaking, running workshops, discussion groups, etc etc etc. We tell our stories to bring hope and courage to our listeners and to let our generation know that they have value, that their voice can be heard, and that we want to join our voice with theirs to change our world!

On my Hero Holiday trip I saw those values not only realized in the lives of our participants, but applied to a people who are considered regrettable and forgettable by a world who has done very little to better their situation. All year I talk, and I talk, and I talk about social justice and trips like Hero Holiday, telling Canadian students that they can do something about the injustices they see in their world, and that it is just that; THEIR WORLD. And here they were! All 19 of them on Team 3 asking the same question I asked myself over and over again this year. “Have I actually accomplished anything? What is it that I’ve really done?”

The answer to my question was in the 100+ students who participated in Hero Holiday Dominican Republic Week 1, and more directly in the 19 members of my team. Not all had been at the shows that I spoke at, but there were quite a few who had been, and most of them had seen an Absolute show or had known someone who did, and that was why they were there! Their experiences in Dominican Republic taught them, not just told them, that they matter to the world. They matter to that stateless Haitian child, or to that Dominican Grandmother. They are actually making a difference.

My purpose in Absolute was reflected in the eyes of a girl who had been given the power and opportunity to help when she thought she couldn’t. When she thought she was helpless to do anything about the situation she saw in front of her, I got to help her realize that we’re stronger together and that we really could help this life, this girl, this time.

Hero Holiday had changed my life before I had ever been on one and experienced it for myself, but now it’s not just stories, it’s real. I got to work alongside some people I had met briefly in a gym somewhere in Canada and had asked “Now that you know, what will you do?” and they showed up. That gives me 19 new reasons to keep going. To keep telling my stories, stories about myself, and about the people I have met and been inspired by. To keep touring, and driving, and setting up, and tearing down, and talking and talking and talking, because though you may not all come on a Hero Holiday, some of you may. Some of you will hear for the first time that you are valuable, that your life counts for something, and you will take that message with you wherever you go, including a Hero Holiday.

I will step out onto the road again with fresh perspective on what it is that I do. 19 faces and stories to keep me going, and this is the cycle, this is the circle: Think Day, School of Leadership, Hero Holiday, 52, One, Think Day, School of Leadership…

So watch for us this Fall. Are we coming to your school? If we’re not and you want us there, CLICK HERE .

Reunited

Published by absolute May 6th, 2009 in Hero Holiday and Featured. Closed

For three summers in the Dominican Republic, Hero Holiday participants worked their butts off to complete our Arroyo Seco school project. In 2006, we finished the first floor, 2007 the second floor, and 2008 completed any final touches on the building including a fence around the building and a safe play ground for the children. This work site was always, by far, a favorite among our participants for one main reason: the CHILDREN. Everyday you were greeted by cheering bright faces, and by the end of the work week one child would have claimed you as their “Gringo”. Most participants dreamed of visiting the school again someday, and one past Hero Holiday Participant got to live this out. Nikki is currently living in the Dominican Republic for the next few months, and yesterday she was able to return to see her favorite school. Here is her blog entry about her visit:

Today was a day I will remember forever. The four of us hired a driver to bring us into Arroyo Seco, my favourite place in the world. Being in Puerto Plata now instead of Sosua, it is quite a bit further and I was really nervous about how I would manage to go out there. I was so excited when we heard that a group was in there today running a clinic. The group is led by Phil and Donna, of Servant’s Heart, an organization that we know well as they work closely with Hero Holiday and help us plan most of our work. Liz decided to come with us and it turned out really well as she was able to network with them and get to know more about their organization- which is a great way to learn and team up with each other. I was trying not to get too excited this morning as we were getting ready. It is a weekday and so the kids, I knew, could be in school. I have only been in the DR during the summer and did not know that (like Ethiopia) kids go to school for half days here (this was a great surprise!) As we drove up Bella Vista road to the school, I saw Danny standing in front of his aunt’s house. I stuck my hand out the window and waved, and his mouth dropped open and he started screaming and running into the house

calling Frangelis. We continued down the road to the school and parked. Within a minute I could see Frangelis’ aunts and cousins peaking down the street to see if it was me. We were waving from down the road as I walked up to their house, and all the sudden Frangelis came out of the house and came running at me with a huge smile and jumped into my arms. It was such an amazing moment- I missed her so much and to be able to hug her and kiss her and tell her how much I missed her was so wonderful. Frangelis is a shy girl. That is sort of what drew me to her two summers ago when we met. Last year when I saw her first again it took her a little while to warm up to me. This year, she just ran and jumped into my arms and was so happy and excited and took no time at all to warm up. We stayed at the school for several hours and it was just a fun and happy time, walking throuhg the village and seeing all of ‘my’ kiddies again.

I had made photo albums for several of the kids from the village with photos from the past few years. The kids took me around to their houses, showing their parents, their grandparents, their aunts, their cousins, the photos. They were SO excited about them. Frangelis, like most of the other kids, goes to school in the afternoon, so I was able to see and spend time with her, Elise, Hernardo, Tata, Minerva, Danny, Luisa, Noberto, Jennifer, Andony, and Alessandra. Juana, one of the girls who I became very close to, and Jessica, another one who is very special to me, were both at school (they are too old to go to the Arroyo Seco school so go down the road), so I didn’t get to see them. I left their albums with Frangelis so she could deliver them this afternoon when they get home. We walked through the village and toured the school and it brought back so many memories. It was absolutely amazing to see kids in uniform sitting at the desks I had helped to paint in the room I had helped to construct, singing and learning and calling my name through the window. That village is just such a special place for me and it was amazing to see each child again and see how they are doing. Such a fantastic day… I am just so happy from getting to see those kids again. You can read more about Nikki’s adventure in the Dominican this summer from her blog site: www.heroholiday07.blogspot.com or her experiences in Ethiopia: www.ethiopia2009-adana.blogspot.com

Absolute on Channel 6 News

Published by absolute October 6th, 2007 in Newsletter, Team 1, Road Team Blogs, Faculty Site and Featured. Closed

Absolute recently played at John Diefenbaker Secondary School in Hanover, ON. Channel 6 news covered the event, and here is the news clip that aired on Monday, Oct 1 2007:

Miss Canada Scholarship Joins Absolute

Published by absolute May 25th, 2007 in Team 1, Road Team Blogs and Featured. Closed

We were very privileged to have Kristen Parsons, Miss Canada Scholarship 2006, join us for our last week of tour in Manitoba! Miss Canada Scholarship is a competition run by Canada Pageants. Honestly we were a little skeptical when we first approached by Canada Pageants last year, because we thought that having a "Beauty Queen" might be contrary to our message on inner-value. However, we sooned learned that this was much different that a typical beauty contest. (more…)

Wheelchair Rockstar!

Published by absolute May 8th, 2007 in Team 1, Road Team Blogs and Featured. Closed

We had a great time in Whitecourt, AB today. During our shows we have been having a "rock-star" contest - getting some students up on stage to do a little sing & dance-off. Well in Whitecourt today Tina picked one of our best rock-stars ever, Daryl. Not only did he sing and move like the best of them, but he did it from all from his wheelchair! The audience cheered him on loudly and Daryl was very excited to win a CD from our band (Beauti). Props to Daryl for a being a great rocker!

Student Zone