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Social Entrepreneur

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Summary

Mel speaks about how her family background, travel experiences, and the lack of groups or clubs at the school inspired her to start a Youth in Philanthropy group. Due to the students' passions, the idea of a service trip was proposed. ME to WE's philosophy of "a hand up, not a hand out" as well as the pillars they establish (health care, water, food, education, and economic opportunity) that allow a community to be self-sustainable appealed to both the students and staff involved. 

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As the first service trip in 2016 to Nicaragua was very successful, a second was planned to Ecuador to work in a community in the Amazon jungle. She speaks to the pillars addressed on each trip and some of the more poignant moments on each trip. Additionally, she discusses the legacy of each trip in terms of making students global citizens and inspiring them to enact change. 

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Reflection

I have been a friend and colleague of Mel's for the last 12 years. Her involvement with students, in turns of honing their leadership skills, helping them focus their philanthropic desires to effect change, and empowering them by advocating for more student voice has been transformative for many students and for the school culture at John Taylor Collegiate.

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She doesn't mention it in the interview, but one of the most powerful moments on our initial trip was on the last night. The 18 students and 4 staff recognized how much they had bonded, grown, and changed as a result of their collective efforts. As such, it was a very emotional evening for everyone. Moments like this are momentous for transforming people and creating a legacy of change. 

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Personally, I was fortunate enough to attend both trips. I had traveled quite extensively, including Latin America; however, to see students' reactions, some of whom had never flown before, was amazing. One role playing scenario we partook in was attending a market and purchasing enough food with the $4.00- $8.00 we received to feed our family for a week. There were so many realizations that the students had when we reflected on the activity afterwards. They recognized how fortunate they are and how we take the availability of food for granted.

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Through my involvement with the WE service trips, I also recognized that some of my past practices while traveling were not creating the lasting change that my wife and I had intended. For example, on a trip to Sri Lanka, we brought stationary to give to kids in order to ensure they were properly equipped for school. Unfortunately, I feel that although our hearts were in the right place, we were inadvertently promoting begging. Soon a swarm of children surrounded our van, yelling and demanding the pencils and notepads we had brought. Handouts like this are disallowed on a ME to WE service trip.

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Due to her efforts and those of the students, John Taylor has been recognized for its charitable donations. The WE Bake for Change Award is given to a school that raises a significant amount of funds for WE Villages through bake sales. As such, the school was awarded $5000 to realize their philanthropic goals. Similarly, the student council received the $8000 Young Idealist Award. For her tireless effort, Mel received the Global Champion Award at WE Day in 2017. 

 

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The top 2 pictures are from the 2016 trip to Nicaragua. The bottom 2 are from the 2018 trip to Ecuador. 

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