Faiths Act

Our first SolidariTea took place at Castlemore Public School In Brampton, Ontario, Canada on the evening of Wednesday, December 15^th. Families and teachers gathered in the foyer of our school beside two large “Giving Trees”. Underneath one tree were mounds of clothing and surrounding the other tree were boxes of food that our Castlemore families had donated for those less fortunate. Two grade seven students acted as our hosts for the evening by welcoming everyone and speaking about the eight Millennium Development Goals. They encouraged us to celebrate diversity and think about how we could all make a difference in the world. The audience was served chai, entertained with singing, the music of the Indian harmonium, Punjabi dancing and storytelling from various parts of the world.

All of those attending were given an opportunity to write down their thoughts on a large teacup. We were encouraged to continue our discussions about Canada’s role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Some of the ideas included;

• fund raising to end hunger and promote global education;
• helping people in need worldwide;
• educating our children about global issues and the importance of making a difference;
• eliminating illiteracy worldwide;
• continuing our conversations within our school, our community and globally.

Our evening was very powerful. Our SolidariTea Committee plans to continue these discussions within our school community that we hope to share at next year’s SolidariTea.

Natalie Schneider