On the surface the numbers were impressive: two teams on the road full time, speaking to 300 schools each year, 10 years of experience at it, hundreds of positive testimonials. And then there was the show.
The 'show' was professional and powerful, a combination of live music, skits, video, slides, speakers, laughter and poignancy, all of which tackled the need for young people to begin to think about the greater world outside, so that they could become active parts of the solution. It was very different from, and much more than, a single motivational speaker working a crowd.
Just under 200 students and staff from Lashburn and Maidstone high schools listened carefully Nov. 7 as the young people from Live Different identified and discussed three very different sets of problems.
The first were the problems that face the world today -hunger, illiteracy, disease, inadequate and poorly distributed resources, lack of sanitation, lack of clean drinking water and poverty.
The second set problems discussed the cultural diseases endemic in our society -materialism, apathy and pride - that can stifle the development of an individual's recognition of the need to help and care for others.
The final set were those problems many young people deal with on a daily basis: overcoming the hurdles that life places in their way -poor decisions, peer pressure and families that are often dysfunctional or beset with issues that can seem insurmountable.
They discussed the problems because without the knowledge of the issues a young person can't begin the process of resolving where they stand in relation to them.
Then they offered a glimpse into the solutions - a way to think, a way to begin to act, and a means to begin to address both. They spoke about recovering from the mistakes we all make, and they delivered a message that said clearly the world needs people to care and make the choice to change the way they live their lives, and to begin to work to bring about social justice.
They spoke about a school that offers leadership development classes, a social justice course and personal growth experiences both within Canada and the developing world. They spoke about volunteer programs overseas and here at home.
And behind the school and the experiences was a deeper and more profound mission.
"We want to activate a movement rather than just facilitate programs," said Johnny Henderson, road manager for one of the touring shows.
"Live Different is a movement that is all about connecting with schools to help them reach students where they are at, in a style they can relate to, in order to inspire them to care and to act, because a changed heart can change the world."
Because a changed heart can change the world - a gift for our students, a gift for the world.
Live Different is a movement hosted by Absolute Leadership Development, a registered charity. For more information look at both the new website http://livedifferent.com, and at the existing one, http://absolute.org, as Livedifferent.com just launched in September, and is still in the process of site building.
