Last night after meet and greet our crews all got together to talk about the success of our painting for peace workshop that we hosted on the 14th of March. Our goal was to inspire our youth and families to embrace peace. To encourage unity, acceptance and love. Thank all council members who dedicated time and effort for this important event. It was a total success. Our special guest for the evening was Ms Karen Timm. She is an educator, a principal of a school, a creator, a speaker/ motivator, change-maker, and community leader. She is a part of The Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators (NINE)
We learned so much. From the importance of encouraging communication of all types in our world - mouth speak, use a communication board, sign language, text and much more. We also spoke of the importance of continued effort to raise awareness to support our community members.
Ms Karen also told us about the first international event that the NINE - Neurodivergent Infinity Network of Educators and they are hosting the 2022 Intersectional Infinity Summit. The summit offers a number of diverse international and local Autistic and otherwise Neurodivergent advocates, educators and all around excellent humans! Everyone is welcomed and invited to this free event running between March 27th - April 2nd!
Joshua brought us a good news story that warmed our hearts He highlighted the kindness and compassion in our human spirit.
Puneet showed us her bracelets of peace that she is making to encourage people to be kind to one another. Our artist for the evening was Aiden Lee who spoke about Peace building, strengthening and restoring our world. In truth he said, ‘War and violence has never provided a solution for conflict, instead it only brings pain, suffering, loss, destruction, and hatred. So why?’ Powerful words to conclude a beautiful evening.
Positive change begins when we take our ideas and put in the work!
“ It’s been almost two years and many of us were affected differently throughout the various stages of COVID - some struggling with isolation, social restrictions, online learning. Many of us experienced feelings of loneliness, stress and anxiety and an overall sense of uncertainty during this crucial stage of our development. Questions from each of our 9 member HYDAC panel added strength to the conversation and for those that participated last night, it was informative to listen to every person’s perspective. Refreshing to know that it was not just you who felt the way that you did. Who struggles with this pandemic. “Covid-19 has affected many families in communities globally, and it’s so uplifting to hear the power of youth as they speak with such hope and strength.” - Erica
How Long Does It Take to Make a Friend? Why do we make friends with some people and not others? Scientists studied how friendships develop. As a result, they discovered the key to how to make friends in different situations. It’s all about time. A new report published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships shows how much time people need in order to become friends. Study author Jeffrey Hall, a University of Kansas professor, surveyed 112 freshmen at the university. In addition, he asked them about people they had met since starting school two weeks before. Next, he followed up with the participants four and seven weeks later to see how their relationships had developed. As a result, he found that it takes * 50 hours of time together to move from acquaintance to casual friend * 90 hours to go from casual friend to friend * More than 200 hours before you can consider someone your close friend. -In conclusion the council came to a consensus that the longer you spend around community members, friends, dedicating time and effort into listening, participating, and sharing thoughts and feelings - the better your friendship will be. Next we had a special guest, Councillor Mike Cluett Halton Region / Town of Milton He brought light to youth and their importance in our world, saying that it is their contributions to our communities that makes a difference. It’s your drive to creating positive connection that brings about a sense of belonging - everyone has potential and deserves to belong in their community. Then he spoke about the importance of positive mental health. He reminded our youth that they matter. How they feel matters. That talking about feelings is positive and healthy. He also added that cities and towns in Halton had resources for youth. Milton and Georgetown and Oakville have a wonderful drop in youth centres as well as online opportunities. Our crew added their thoughts, spoke about the importance of coping mechanisms, resources that youth could access if needed. The importance of mental health drop in centres. They the came up with countless ways to bring that elusive (happy) into the daily schedule.
It was wonderful to see our Councillor Mike laughing and joking with the HYDAC crew, he was accepted as one of the team and by the end they asked him when he would return as he made them happy.”
For this meeting our topics included *Truth and reconciliation September 30th (orange shirt day ) *Discussion on what is impacting, youth and adults in their communities and what can we do to help? *Global pandemic as climate crisis looms on. The impact is being felt worldwide with extreme weather, floods, fires, droughts, and hurricanes etc. This is as always in the top of the list of concerns for the advisory council. Group one
Teigan - Aiden - Joshua - DJ Jay - Jeff FREE Mental wellness health centres - - prevention - treatment - rehabilitation centres Group two Sierra - Kevin - Sierra - Nibras Accessibility concerns for community in transportation - health services - all levels of education and fair employment
While major changes are only possible if countries and corporations alter their policies and actions, it’s important to remember that we as individuals can make a impact, whether through small actions, or larger initiatives.
We are responsible as people living on this planet. Together we can do tremendous things for sustainability - protecting our environment and ecosystems.HYDAC council encourages each and every person to do their part in maintaining our beautiful planet. Topics of discussion: 1. Reduce/Recycle re-use What do you do with your old textbooks and novels that are not in use? Why not donate them to juniors, or kids in your neighborhood, or send them across to countries where children have little to no access to educational resources. What about using them for art? Give them a purpose. 2. Recycle More Often Recycling is a simple, yet effective way of conserving resources and reducing your individual carbon footprint. We discussed the importance of not throwing everything in the trash, separate your plastic, paper, and metal waste, and deposit it in a recycling bin. 3. Save Resources Although we spoke about many of our planet’s resources, water was the topic. Did you know that only 0.03% of the 70% of water available to us is freshwater? That’s why, saving water is so important for freshwater ecosystems. By doing simple things like taking shorter showers, avoiding small clothes washes, and turning your taps off while brushing, you can save gallons of water! 4. Buy Sustainable Products Plastic is one of the most significant contributors to soil and marine pollution, endangering both the land and marine life. Plastic isn’t biodegradable, and is often consumed by animals who mistake it as food. Think before you buy a product, be aware of its environmental impact and that you are responsible for its disposal after use. 5. Only Buy What You Need Do you buy too many products? Can you do without some of the things that you often buy? This was a topic that had a lot of discussion. Whether its groceries, clothes, accessories or home products, by purchasing only what you need, you reduce the amount of waste generated, and thus pollution.
Teri said that more than 6.2 million Canadians have some form of a disability, and the numbers are growing. People with disabilities still face social and physical barriers that stop them from being a part of their communities. While our world has made great strides towards creating an accessible and inclusive world, there’s still more work to be done. Rick Hansen Foundation has an accessibility certification program rates the meaningful accessibility of the built environment – the places where we live, work, learn and play. Our council members loved this and stories were shared of community buildings in communities still not up to accessibility standards. We need to keep asking the questions, writing letters, and talking to politicians. Accessibility is a human right. Rick Hansen foundation also has a free School Program resources and Ambassador presentations help teach youth and communities about access and inclusion One thing the council members all agreed upon was that they loved meeting Teri - she was funny, honest, kind and knowledgeable.
Being a difference maker in the lives of others, and also taking time to acknowledge those that have made a difference in our own lives is very important. We need to keep working TOGETHER - we can all make the world a better place.
Why learn something new? FUN! Why on earth learn something if it’s not fun? A sense of accomplishment and pride. Your brain chemistry changes. Your learning speed increases. Learning something new will make you happier. Podcasts
Part-Time Genius * Description - In each episode, these Part-Time Geniuses dive headfirst into a seemingly ridiculous topic, collecting memorable facts and uncovering secret histories in pursuit of genuine answers. * Website - https://www.parttimegenius.show/ Radiolab * Description - Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. * Website - http://www.radiolab.org/series/podcasts Stuff You Should Know * Description - How do landfills work? How do mosquitos work? Join Josh and Chuck as they explore the Stuff You Should Know about everything from genes to the Galapagos in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. * Website - https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts Suggested Apps - Elevate - luminosity are great and they are free to community. Advocating for Halton as a community https://www.halton.ca/The-Region/Advocating-for-a-Strong-Halton
Did you know?
Science has even shown numerous health benefits including an improved immune system, decreased stress levels, feelings of purpose and a sense of connectedness. Most research on the science behind why kindness makes us feel better has centered around oxytocin. Check out these sites for more information. As you guessed it the theme of this month’s HYDAC - RESPECT & KINDNESS! Ideas our crew had lots of ideas and stories to share. How to be positive when people are negative. How to survive. Letting go of past hurt. Making new friends. Walking away. Being kind is to open your eyes and be active when you see people, animals or plants in need. Taking time to listen, participate, participating in random acts of kindness and daily mindfulness. We can still be kind even on our bad days. Feelings are fragile and everyone has a story. Books, podcasts and videos - ms Lisa had a wonderful assortment of literature to support all the elements of kindness, empathy, acceptance, and respect. ‘The library has many options’, she said, encouraging our council to investigate. Kindness and respect to all animals. Our HYDAC crew love all animals big and small and the thought of anyone being unkind to an animal was not unacceptable. Kindness and the earth We all belong in this planet as it is home to every living being, including humans and talking about ways the council can continue making positive differences and encourage everyone to just stop and appreciate what’s around them. “Taking care of Earth is a 365 day a year job.” Says Aiden. “So let’s keep doing good.” |
HYDACRecaps of our monthly meetings at the OPL. Archives
January 2023
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