‘Be the Change’ is a grade 5-7 student group at Canyon-Lister School. As students of a UNESCO school, this group of volunteers are committed to creating positive change on a school, community, national, and global level. They regularly participate in projects through organizations, such as Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots program, as well as various charitable projects that are researched and selected by students.

‘Be the Change’ focuses on understanding and educating others about the challenges facing many children; poverty, hunger, clean water, environmental issues, housing, school construction in developing countries, and freedom. In turn, our students then focus on becoming active and how to become a part of the solution. These are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Each year, the group aims to tackle a goal to support a local, national, and international cause.  

Some local projects that ‘Be the Change’ has taken on are: painting a nature-inspired mural in the school’s breakfast area, creating poems and gifts for staff for UNESCO World Teacher/Educator Day; WE Scare Hunger Halloween food drive for the local food bank; pulling invasive weeds at the local wetlands; garbage pickups throughout town; making Christmas cards for medical workers and first responders; Christmas cards and caroling at local seniors homes; and compost program at the school. Students are ambassadors for change at the school and often present their knowledge to the school community.  

A few national projects that ‘Be the Change’ has worked on are: sending a birthday box to a child in Nunavut; raising money for Emerald Sea Society to support ocean cleanup efforts; purchasing emergency backpacks for children in northern Indigenous communities; raising money for ‘Water First’ to support clean water in northern Indigenous communities; and writing letters to the Prime Minister to advocate for clean water in Indigenous communities.

International projects include raising money for: building water pumps in through UNICEF in Africa; education in Ethiopia; ShelterBox, which provides emergency shelters and supplies for families in need; Ukraine crisis fund; and Turkey and Syria earthquake relief.

‘Be the Change’ is an integral part of Canyon-Lister Elementary School. It is part of our commitment to positive and sustainable change, and part of our responsibility as one of the few UNESCO member schools in British Columbia. We are very grateful to staff members Jessica DeBoon and Rachel Vlachos for their ongoing leadership and commitment to ‘Be the Change’.