Yorkdale students learn about water access

The kids at Yorkdale Central School have it easy. If they want water, there are plenty of convenient taps from which they can get it. Not every kid has the same level of convenience, and the school’s first We Walk for Water event was a way to show kids how people in other parts of the world live, parts that don’t have easy access to potable water.

Kids at the school participated in several activities related to water, learning about issues around the world, learning how to make a water filter and, as the activity that gave the event its name, walking around the school’s track with a water bottle so they can learn what it’s like for people who have to travel to get their water. Former Yorkdale student Maisy Wheeler spoke about her experiences in Kenya on a water walk. Danna Henderson spoke about First Nations water issues.

Kendra Helfrich, teacher at Yorkdale, says that the inspiration for the event came from the school’s We Act group. The school has been covering other world issues in the past, such as food security, and they wanted to do a water walk to learn about the issues surrounding access to water. 

Helfrich is proud to see how the We Act group has inspired students at the school, including Wheeler’s trip to Africa after she was an active member in the group.

“That’s the premise of the organization, to live from me to we. Instead of doing things for yourself, do things for your community, local or global community. Seeing that really get extended to seeing a 14 year old student go half-way around the world to give of her summer vacation and her time and her energy to give to other people, it’s inspiring to me to keep doing this. It’s inspiring for the students to hear that story and to see that, you know what, I can do that too, and it’s cool to do that. There’s not a student in there who doesn’t want to hop on a plane and go to Africa.”

She sees the students of Yorkdale as a refutation that the idea that modern students don’t want to get active and involve in world affairs. With the school’s help, she sees Yorkdale students making a positive change in both the local community and the global one.

“We can’t sit back and complain that our teenagers are apathetic, that they don’t volunteer anymore, or they don’t understand their world if we don’t give them the opportunity to learn about the world. I’m a firm believer that we don’t give our kids enough credit, these kids want to help, they want to do positive things in our community, they just don’t know how.”