A group of Hapnot Collegiate students is spreading the message of acceptance, generosity and compassion throughout their school and community.
Hapnot’s Equity and Social Justice/Gay Straight Alliance (ESJ/GSA) group is promoting fairness for all.
“Our group is about making a difference in society,” said group member Alain Bashir. “We just do things that are different and we kind of do something to make a difference.”
Hapnot teacher Daniel Dillon facilitates the group and shares his philosophy of societal cooperation.
“I studied international development in university and I have always believed in having people work together to help each other,” said Dillon.
Dillon originally started the GSA group at Hapnot last year in hopes of fostering communication and positive change.
The GSA had a large member base, but the numbers dropped over the school year. Meetings often drew only a handful of students.
“So this year we decided to expand it further and include the ESJ so that there was a larger group to make changes within the school community and also the community at large,” said Dillon, who also ran the ESJ.
Similarities
The meshing of the two groups worked well, as Dillon says there were many similarities between them.
“It was completely easy,” he said. “If you look at the ESJ and believing in equality for people, a lot of the issues that the students in the GSA were fighting for fit [with the ESJ].”
The two groups joined together for the start of the 2014-15 school year and attracted new faces.
Most of the participating students are in grades 9 and 10, giving the group the chance to grow and develop in the coming years.
The ESJ/GSA practises benevolence both within and outside of Hapnot.
After school on Wednesdays, the students bake and cook to benefit the Lord’s Bounty Food Bank.
They receive supplies from the food bank along with items they have purchased to cook soup and other items to donate back to clients in need.
Naomi Rempel joined the ESJ/GSA in hopes of becoming a part of something positive in the community.
After seeing how negative the news can be, Rempel thinks it’s important to do good work.
“We talked about a lot of different ideas and we came up with cooking after school,” she said. “I really like cooking but never really get to do that at home, so that was something that I wanted to do.”
Along with providing meals for the food bank, the group has also held a bake sale to benefit the Flin Flon, Creighton and Area SPCA.
Most recently the group established a Kindness Gram campaign in which Hapnot students received notes bearing positive messages about themselves.
Group member Jayde Clendenning says the grams were well received.
“It really does brighten your day,” said Clendenning. “The fact that we were able to give them to everyone in the school was nice.”
Clendenning received two notes herself and appreciated the messages.
“They made me happy,” she said.
For Clendenning, joining the group was about growing as a person.
“I’m trying to be a better person and I’ve found out that in order to be a better person, you have to be around people who want the same mindset,” she said. “The group really brings that positivity [out].”
Clendenning hopes that the ESJ/GSA continues to grow well beyond the hallways of the Hapnot.
“I just really want to expand into the community,” she said, hoping to generate more partnerships with organizations.
Shared experience
The group sits in a circle during its meetings, something Rachel Hyska has come to enjoy.
“I like that we share,” Hyska said. “It’s a safe space where you can share your opinion without being judged in any way. We’ve talked about [everything from] homophobia to current events, and we’re now talking about a composting bin for outside the school.”
Hyska says even though the discussion topics are often random, she likes that everyone is always included.
“It’s nice to be a part of something larger than you,” she said. “I just hope that we’re able to make a change in our community and that we’re able to make people happy.”
Rempel says she hopes the group grows in numbers to the point where community members play an active role.
“I hope that our group won’t just be a group at our school, but that it will grow so big that even…the citizens will come together and come to these meetings and work together on projects,” she said.
Conversation
One item of discussion for the ESJ/GSA is the idea of a gender-neutral washroom at Hapnot.
“One of the conversations that is surrounding Manitoba is in regards to transgender students and students in general who would like to feel safe in a washroom,” said Dillon. “The conversation has started about starting a gender-neutral washroom within the school. We haven’t solidified anything yet, but it’s in conversations.”
Along with the possibility of a gender-neutral washroom, the group has hopes for a community garden that would help those in need.
The garden is just an idea at the moment, but it’s one Rempel holds dear and hopes to be a part of some day – even if it is after she has graduated.
Another item on the ESJ/GSA’s wish list is a compost bin for outside the school.
“We’re talking about starting that for the spring,” said Dillon, noting the school is already equipped with recycling bins and a water-bottle-filling station.
Overall, Dillon is encouraged by the group’s efforts.
“We’re taking it out into the hallways,” he said. “We’re doing those actions and (the students) are seeing us do those community initiatives. By seeing us do those, I think people will start to make a change within our school community, even just by being nice to someone else.”
The students and teachers involved with the ESJ/GSA encourage new members to join.
