Think Globally Act Locally | The Power Of R

The grade 6-7 students at Queneesh Elementary are an active and technologically savvy bunch. Every time I visit Jaki Braidwood's class there are a rotating handful of students that use ipods to tweet mental connections they make during my presentations. All of her students utilize technology in everything that they do and, to be honest, it makes me jealous of my own elementary education. I also get to play/fumble on their SmartBoard and the kids all look at me funny because I haven't used one very often. We taught each other and from that relationship, built on solid waste, water issues, pixels,  and personal exploration, we started a very complex video production task together.  The Eco-Movie Preview Project.

The most powerful way to retain a concept of anything you learn is to apply it and then teach it.  Teaching a concept you have just learned, moves that information into a different part of your brain and this shift makes that idea more memorable. The kids were inspired and excited about a video project that I did together with students from Mark R. Isfeld and Lost Boys Visual Effects School called Disposable - The Billion Cup Blood Bath, and they wanted to make their own movie previews in groups of four to apply the knowledge about the environment they've acquired during the year. I think these students now have a better appreciation and respect for film-making and storytelling because as this task unfolded it got bigger and bigger and bigger.

These project was big because before you make a movie preview, it's a good idea to have a movie and before you have a movie you need storyboards and a script and before you have those you need a story, a message, a concept, and most importantly, you need to have facts and a firm grip on what you're talking about. In short, making a movie preview, or "pre-production," is a huge and vital task before the camera even gets switched on.

"When do we get to use the cameras," a kid shouted out as groups filled in a plot summary graphs with action scenes, apocalyptic devastation, person meets person scenarios and  car chases? "What are you going to shoot," I asked? "I don't know, something I guess." "Sounds interesting," I replied, "but probably not a movie I'd want to watch." "Oh yeah, I guess not." There were a few exchanges like this and they were really important to me. I've never tried working with students in this age group on such a conceptual project before. It was challenging and frustrating but also rewarding to see kids laughing their heads off about people picking up garbage and being chased by monsters at the same time. I can't help but to think of the hundreds of issues those monsters symbolize and the kids, unknowingly, tell the story idea to me with huge smiles, big eyes and the excitement that only validated connections can bring. It's a beautiful thing - this storytelling business, on so many levels.

The whole project was about learning to connect imagination with knowledge of the environment and communicating with peers diplomatically. Nothing has ever been achieved peacefully without these skills and collectively the students worked out their creative differences, merged their concepts and eventually produced an idea to create a movie from. Every group dynamic was  unique and moved at different speeds. Some excelled at communicating and got flustered by creative sections, while others had ideas spilling over and no organization. One thing was for certain though, everyone had a skill to contribute and everyone was critically important in the process.

After a quick introduction to lighting, camera angles, composition and audio techniques for their ipods, the students were set lose to film their storyboards.  Chaos, lots of laughs and growth overwhelmed the students and their projects. After that point I left and the groups shot, edited and posted their concepts to YouTube (see them below). Who knew learning about solid waste and water issues could be so transformational, rewarding and fun?  Thanks for the great term Queneesh. ACTION!

Once again GP Vanier's 30-Hour Famine was a fantastic evening of camaraderie and good times. 27 students and teachers abstained from eating to raise awareness and support for poverty related issues in Canada and around the world.

I was honoured to be invited again this year to speak at the event and celebrate with the students in their last hours of the famine. I never missed a famine event as a student at Vanier and going back into the halls always makes me feel good. I spoke to the student participants about community leadership and the importance of walking the talk. We discussed consumerism and solid waste, the environment and global interconnections. It was a laid back evening and it was really nice to just chill, talk, and rock.

Four of the students had formed a band and they dedicated some songs to me from the early 90's when I went to Vanier. They dropped a pounding version of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, some Stone Temple Pilots, Candlebox and their version of Anarchy, which they just nailed. It was a rad tribute and I was pumped.

This event never disappoints and it was really fun meeting and getting to know the kids. Every day is a powerful day when you are making the world a better place. Congratulations Vanier on your amazing effort and fantastic 30 hours.

Find out more about the 30-Hour Famine by clicking here.

Throughout the year I have the privilege of visiting The House - of Carihi High. The vibe at the school is always friendly and I enjoy being there. The staff is super positive and happy to be at what they consider the best school in Campbell River. One of those bright lights is Wayne Demers. Wayne is a force of nature when it comes to teaching and it makes me really happy and honoured to visit his classes every semester. Jim Vining is another teacher that is an inspiration. Jim vacations in Mexico once a year with his family and they participates in recycling projects and random beach clean-ups. This term one of Jim's classes really intrigued me and it went a little something like this out of the gate: "hi my name's Zac and I'm here to talk to you today about our  solid waste issues in Campbell River." "Woe... that's disgusting," a hair twirling young woman blurted out from the back of the classroom. "Yes," I said, "I agree."

Solid waste is invisible in Campbell River and the Comox Valley right until you stand on top of it. We throw stuff away and it  teleports on a magic carpet made out of tax dollars to garbage mountain - it is the antithesis of Eden. Some would say we're living in a fantasy of over consumption and the result of that fantasy is starting to suffocate our biosphere. When the garbage arrives at the landfill it celebrates with the seagulls for the split second before it gets crushed by an 8 ton compactor and driven into the ground where it will live out the next 200o years. In Campbell River the waste is almost stacked high enough to break the tree line and see the ocean. That's pretty high; and, the landfill is almost full so it's closing shop in a couple of years. Soon operators will sort waste in Campbell River, load it onto trucks and transport it from Campbell River  to Comox Valley Waste Management Centre (formerly Pigeon Lake Landfill). "Shipping waste 40 km south and piling it on an even larger garbage mountain is 'disgusting,' and we should do something about it."

From this point on things always get more positive and really energized. I was sensing some real energy in the room but needed to diffuse my intensity a little to let everyone breath and figure out their plan. I asked "what do you do on the weekend in CR- you know - for fun?" "We party," one champion of excellence chirped from the center of the class. "I used to do that too in High School and it takes a significant am0unt of energy, time, money and coordination to throw a party, even if it is snowing in the bush. How many of you here help spread the word, coordinate, gather 'supplies' or participate in parties on the weekend?"  80% of the class raised their hands or nodded confidently. The other 20% were curious so I thought I would continue on my new tangent and catch up with them later on.

I read the class pretty well and now I wanted to turn the energy back up. I often feel like jumping around when the Juice starts flowing back at me from the audience... so I do. People think it's a little odd at first but entertaining. All that energy is too big for the room so jumping helps. :)

As I looked around there were some really good potential leaders in that class - men and women with charisma. They were loud, very clear in their delivery and motivations and, although slightly culturally misguided, incredibly idealistic when it came to partying. I get it - I was there once and in actual fact these kids have the skills and talent to pull off something big and positive for their community - fast.

I could tell they were the hub of the school's social network and the hub is where most things begin, fail  and succeed from. The "event planning," as I started to call partying, takes a lot of skill to do well and if I'm not mistaken this class does it well because the collective intensity level shot up ten notches the second I started to ask questions about the reality of weekends in Campbell River. Girls, boys and 'supplies' equates to opportunity for connections that make life worth living in High School. However, girls, boys and experiences that change the world for the better can make life incredible for everyone. "That's the real party that we are all capable of throwing and there are no headaches in the morning. When you are ready to create a real legacy with real rewards, contact me and I'll do whatever I can using my strengths to get you there or connect you to the people you need to meet."

Most teachers may have been uncomfortable letting this kind of conversation brew up but considering the chemistry and the honesty that started pouring out, Jim Vining confidently let  our day turn into something really worthwhile. Although my idealism is really obvious and admittedly really intense, it's a crucial part of  what I do. I know that I will be speaking and engaging in community building projects for the rest of my life, so when people hear that they know one person that they can turn to for direction when inspiration hits them.

In a few years from now these kids are going to be taking on roles in the community that require the most energy and the highest levels of intensity because they have those qualities... that's what I was thinking in the moment but here's the surprise finish; I have received more emails asking questions and commenting articulately, positively and passionately from this single class than all of the classes I have spoken to in the last six months combined. I'm excited to see what happens - the odds are heavily stacked that one of these leaders will be running a show full of brilliant, lasting ideas for this community. Watching the wheels turn is a powerful experience.

“Zac held everyone’s interest for two and a half hours. in fact we could have gone into overtime! A great discussion followed the presentation and students were inspired to do something – even one small thing – to make our home, the planet, a better place.” – Jim Vining – SS11 Teacher – Carihi High Secondary

I am inspired by the energy of Lake Trail Middle this year in Courtenay. I had the pleasure of speaking with them about making a lifestyle shift to change the world. The school is now buzzing with ideas to reduce solid waste in the school, control frivolous spending habits and make the hallways a happier place to be with free hug campaigns.

I was invited by counselor Heather Riedle and principal Laurie Carpenter to deliver three presentations that would give me time with every student in the school throughout the day. The students and staff were amazing and that filled me with incredible amounts of energy. My goals for the day were to help kids understand the coercive world of marketing, engage their critical thinking skills to interpret messages behind powerful brand campaigns and open a road to boost their individual self confidence by redefining their own individual definitions of success. Reducing... eliminating solid waste is my mission and there is a direct relationship between purchasing and self-confidence. Creating a strong identity is easy if you take a break from buying more than you need.

I spoke of my own experiences to hundreds of kids. I have a terrible time wrestling with a shoe fetish. That's right, shoes. My situation started early when Micheal Jordan unknowingly blew my mind with his high flying domination in his second dunk contest. Well, he only beat Dominique Wilkins by 2 points for the win but I was very impressed. I wanted to "be like Mike" and "just do it," because Mike was a somebody and I wanted to be a somebody too. "It's the shoes" and they were "banned by the NBA." After months of brainwashing I staged a full fledged begging and pleading campaign on my loving parents. They eventually bought me a pair of Air Jordan Generation 3's for my birthday and I never looked back.
 

By the time I had hit high school I was rolling three pairs of basketball shoes in any given month. I lived in Europe when I was 16 and I was shocked to see a sticker price of $500 on a pair of Jordan's. Knowing that made me feel like a superior human being just wearing them - I was elite - I was a somebody - people wanted to be me now - I was better than any European kid and most North Americans. What? Who are you? What kind of marketing poison have you been drinking Zac? I was a jerk.

Obviously no person is more valuable than another. The false sense of self that I felt and pushed on other people was  destructive to my character and everyone around me. My shoe fetish was also making my world a horrible place to be. If I wasn't buying the latest pair of Jordan's or keeping them spotless, then I was worthless.  When you sink your identity into material goods, no matter what they are, then you better be prepared to have a tattered, old, lost and broken identity. Things come and go in our lives. We out grow shoes and we all have smelly feet at the end of the day no matter what shoes we  wear. Just keep it real and be yourself - it's free.

When I came to grips with my shoe fetish my world started to improve, my confidence became stable and elevated; people supported me more than ever. I was turning into a nice person that was secure and more fun to be around because I didn't take myself so seriously. I began living from a place that started with me - not a new pair of leather and plastic kicks. After a year of conscious effort I began a long journey of adventure, self improvement and positive actions that changed my world for the better.

Be more than the shoes on your feet and kick your buying habits to stop creating waste. To hear the end of this powerful story, or request a customized presentation that fits your lesson objectives involving solid waste reduction or water efficiency please contact me and book your free Power Of R presentation today (for SD71 and SD72 only).