They will create a better world.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Six students performing, several moving presentations

and hope for the future of the world.

‘Tis the season and as it draws to a close, so too does the calendar school year. Elementary, middle, high school and university students are moving into exams, end of semester classes and final presentations.

For students in MRU Professor Janet Hammet’s first year communication’s class, the end of the semester represented a chance to incorporate their semester long study of narrative, performance and mass communication tools to the benefit of the DI.

Photo by Scott Kingsmith -- comms 2500 MRU

There is something inspiring and reassuring about presenting to a group of University students. In this case, two different groups of first year communication students from MRU whose professor believes deeply in the need to engage her students in the cultural context and mores of our city by exposing them to a world most of them never dreamed of visiting — a homeless shelter, in particular, the DI.

When Janet approached me, as she does every year, to work with her students, she asked for ideas on theme/subject/etc. I suggested the topic of belonging. Belonging is an important aspect of the work we do. Belonging is important to the people we serve.

For Janet’s students, the question became, How does a homeless shelter create a sense of belonging for its clients? Where does belonging fit in our lives?

Two weeks ago, with the help of two clients from the art program at the DI, I presented to Janet’s two comms classes. We chatted, the clients shared some of their stories and I gave the students a tour of our facility. A week later, the groups made their presentations based on the directive — to use narrative, performance and mass communications to create a piece that encapsulates the notion of Belonging in the context of the shelter.

Wow.

Jordan Hamilton, DI Volunteer Coordinator and I sat in the back of a classroom at MRU and watched and listened and were awed and moved and touched by the sincerity, depth, and compassion of these young people who will be, one day, our future.

There was poetry, song, video, slides, photos. Ideas for volunteering. Ideas to engage. Ideas to connect both sides of the street.

The world is in good hands.

These students are making sure of it.

They truly are amazing — both the work they created and these young people who see so deeply into the heart of what our world needs now, not just in this season of joy, but now and always. In their hands, – compassion, empathy, understanding, tolerance, love and a shared sense of who we are together and what we can do together, when we see the beauty of our humanity in all its light and darkness will grow and spread and become the foundation of our world.

We are in good hands.

Below are two videos the students created. Let yourself be moved. Let yourself be inspired.

We can create joy to the world. We can have good will amongst men. The younger generation are making sure of it. It is happening.

MRU Meets the DI — Free Hugs – Video by students in Comms 2500 Dec 2010

We Are Homeless — Video by MRU Comms 2500 students: Faith D, Jenna W, Sarah F, Kim M, Tanis B.