Summer was coming. It was getting to that time of the school year when the children could no longer concentrate on their lessons. Everyone was just too excited! In Mrs. Thomas’ Grade 6 class, there was non-stop chatter and giggling about big plans for two whole months of vacation.

Despite the enthusiasm, the teacher sensed a certain air of anxiety. These kids were now old enough to be aware of what was going on in the world. This year, it seemed, there was more negativity than usual about global and local turmoil. War and poverty were high on the list. Climate change and carbon footprints had become everyday terms. Tariffs and trade wars were changing relationships between friendly countries. “Why can’t things just go back to normal?

”Mrs. Thomas felt it was a good time to help the boys and girls understand the realities behind these pressures. But instead of focusing on the problems, she tried to shift her students’ thinking towards solutions. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” She asked them to become influencers for positive change. Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.

Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge. These are their stories:

A Capital IdeaBy Joshua, age 11

The team at the BrazilianWave.org portal (Canada) brings you exclusive content featuring stories and reports transformed into audio. At Wave, you can now read and listen!

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A production by BRZ GROUP INC. | CANADA
With the support of ONTARIO CREATES

The end of the school year was just around the corner for Mrs. Thomas and her Grade 6 class. Everyone was very excited! There was lots of chatter about summer holidays and being free from homework for two whole months!

Despite the enthusiasm, however, the teacher sensed anxiety. These kids were now old enough to be aware of what was going on in the world. It was hard to watch TV or social media without hearing doom and gloom. Whether it was about war or climate change, poverty or homelessness, the news was all too real. And all too close to home.

Mrs. Thomas decided to open up discussion about some of these troubling topics. But instead of just reinforcing the problems, she urged her students to think about solutions. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” She asked them to become influencers for good. Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.

Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge. These are their stories:

Saving the Planet, One Old Toaster at a TimeBy Sha’nique, age 12

The team at the BrazilianWave.org portal (Canada) brings you exclusive content featuring stories and reports transformed into audio. At Wave, you can now read and listen!

For more, follow the link: https://www.brazilianwave.org

A production by BRZ GROUP INC. | CANADA
With the support of ONTARIO CREATES

The school year was almost over for Mrs. Thomas and her Grade 6 class. It was a real challenge for the teacher to keep the classroom under control. The excitement about summer holidays was building every day.

Yet underneath the chatter, Mrs. Thomas was aware of a certain restlessness. These kids were now old enough to be aware of what was going on in the world. It was impossible to not be disturbed by global and local news. War. Climate change. Trade tariffs. Poverty. “Why is everybody so angry?

”The teacher decided to face some of these issues head on. But instead of focusing on the troubling topics, she encouraged her students to think about solutions. She asked them to become influencers for good. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.

Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge. These are their stories:

How Does Your Garden Grow? By Gretchen, age 10 

The team at the BrazilianWave.org portal (Canada) brings you exclusive content featuring stories and reports transformed into audio. At Wave, you can now read and listen!

For more, follow the link: https://www.brazilianwave.org

A production by BRZ GROUP INC. | CANADA
With the support of ONTARIO CREATES

It was getting close to the end of the school year for Mrs. Thomas and her Grade 6 class. Everyone was very excited! The classroom was filled with chatter about summer plans, parties, sports, and being free from school for two glorious months!

At the same time, though, amid all the enthusiasm, the teacher sensed anxiety. These kids were now old enough to be aware of what was going on in the world. And this year, in particular, there seemed to be an awful lot of news about trade wars causing trouble for Canada. Discussion of increased costs for everything we buy, possible shortages of things we need and looming unemployment… these were all cause for concern.

In light of all this, Mrs. Thomas decided to go off plan. She made her lesson instead about these real-world topics. Rather than focus on the problems, though, she led her students to think about solutions. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” She asked them to become influencers for good. Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.

Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge. These are their stories:

Made in Canada… ya think? By Oskar, 12 years old

The team at the BrazilianWave.org portal (Canada) brings you exclusive content featuring stories and reports transformed into audio. At Wave, you can now read and listen!

For more, follow the link: https://www.brazilianwave.org

A production by BRZ GROUP INC. | CANADA
With the support of ONTARIO CREATES

It was getting close to the end of the school year for Mrs. Thomas and her Grade 6 class. Everyone was very excited! Each day seemed to drag on forever while the boys and girls chattered about their summer plans. Two whole months of freedom loomed large!

But the teacher sensed some uneasiness, even underneath all the enthusiasm. These kids were now old enough to be aware of what was going on in the world. And it seemed the bad news  getting closer and closer to home. There was worry at the grocery store about the cost of food. There was worry about shortages in our hospitals. There was worry about poverty, about homelessness, about unemployment.

Mrs. Thomas decided it was time to talk about some of these troubling topics. But rather than focus on problems, she led her students to think about solutions. She introduced the idea of becoming influencers for good. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.

Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge.

These are their stories: Loving the Golden YearsBy Maria, age 10 

The team at the BrazilianWave.org portal (Canada) brings you exclusive content featuring stories and reports transformed into audio. At Wave, you can now read and listen!

For more, follow the link: https://www.brazilianwave.org

A production by BRZ GROUP INC. | CANADA
With the support of ONTARIO CREATES

It was getting close to the end of the school year for Mrs. Thomas and her Grade 6 class. Everyone was very excited! Summer vacation was getting closer with each passing moment. Two whole months of freedom , here we come!

At the same time, underneath all the enthusiasm, the teacher sensed worry. These kids were growing up quickly. They were aware of the wide variety of problems in the world, from climate change to brutal wars. From crime and homelessness to poverty and hunger. There seems to be no end in sight. “How long will it be until my family needs to line up at the Food Bank?

”Mrs. Thomas decided to veer off her lesson plan. Instead, she started discussing some of these troubling topics. But rather than focus on problems, she led her students to think about solutions. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” She asked them to become influencers for good. Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.

Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge.

These are their stories: Becoming a Transformer

The team at the BrazilianWave.org portal (Canada) brings you exclusive content featuring stories and reports transformed into audio. At Wave, you can now read and listen!

For more, follow the link: https://www.brazilianwave.org

A production by BRZ GROUP INC. | CANADA
With the support of ONTARIO CREATES

It was getting close to the end of the school year for Mrs. Thomas and her Grade 6 class. Everyone was very excited! There was lots of chatter about two whole months of freedom! Vacations! Sleeping in and hanging out with friends!

But underneath all the enthusiasm, the teacher sensed a certain uneasiness. These boys and girls were now old enough to be aware of what was going on in the world. It seemed these days that there was no escaping the bad news – from natural disasters to man-made conflict. They may not understand economics but they sure felt the tension of financial insecurity within their community and, for some, within their own homes.

Mrs. Thomas decided to veer off her lesson plan. Instead, she started discussing these troubling topics. But rather than focus on problems, she led her students to think about solutions. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” She asked them to become influencers for good. Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.

Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge.

These are their stories: Catching Cabin Fever… and Loving It!

The team at the BrazilianWave.org portal (Canada) brings you exclusive content featuring stories and reports transformed into audio. At Wave, you can now read and listen!

For more, follow the link: https://www.brazilianwave.org

A production by BRZ GROUP INC. | CANADA
With the support of ONTARIO CREATES

It was getting close to the end of the school year for Mrs. Thomas and her Grade 6 class. Everyone was very excited! There was lots of chatter about summer plans and being free to do whatever they wanted for two whole months! However, underneath all the enthusiasm, the teacher sensed anxiety. These kids were now old enough to be aware of what was going on in the world. And this year, the news seemed to be hitting close to home here in Canada. War… Wild fires… Anger… Trash talk… Trade tariffs with the USA. “Will Daddy lose his job?”

Mrs. Thomas decided to veer off her lesson plan. Instead, she started discussing these troubling topics. But rather than focus on problems, she led her students to think about solutions. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” She asked them to become influencers for good. Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.

Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge. These are their stories: How I Spent My Summer Stay-cation

The team at the BrazilianWave.org portal (Canada) brings you exclusive content featuring stories and reports transformed into audio. At Wave, you can now read and listen!

For more, follow the link: https://www.brazilianwave.org

A production by BRZ GROUP INC. | CANADA
With the support of ONTARIO CREATES