By Sheldon Spackman

Westpark Middle School students to bring voice for the unheard

Dec 10, 2018 | 12:25 PM

Students at Westpark Middle School in Red Deer will be taking a vow of silence in solidarity on Tuesday with those in our world who go ‘unheard.’

We Are Silent aims to help students prove they can make a difference in the world and bring awareness to the world’s voiceless.

Kandis Langvand, Grade 8 leadership teacher at Westpark Middle School says the fundraising event is based off the we.org organization which allows students to collect donations for projects such as schools, water wells or education venues for women in areas overseas.

“We attended ‘We Day’ schools in Alberta in September or October and we took a group of 38 students from our leadership program in grade 7 and 8. The grade 8 students had really felt empowered by the messages that they received at that ‘We Day,’” she explains. “They have now taken on the We Are Silent campaign which is taking a vow of silence in solidarity with those who go unheard. They have chosen women’s rights, education and mental health to fundraise for in our school.”

Langvand says all donations received on December 11 will be sent to We Villages to be used in the three pillars of women’s rights, education rights and mental health.

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“Hopefully they can create a classroom for girls overseas or the other two pillars that they are fundraising for,” states Langvand. “When students come into our building Tuesday, they will be set up at a table and they have their three jars for the three causes that they’re raising funds for. Students come in and they make a donation of a minimum of a dollar and they receive a mask from the hospital that says ‘We Are Silent’ on it and by taking that mask, they are vowing to be silent for the entire day at school.”

Langvand says the student’s fundraising goal is $150.

“For every $50 raised, one child will be able to go to school in the area that they have selected to send it to,” she explains. “Just giving them tools and the ability to advocate for their basic rights that perhaps people here might take for granted. Students are building on skills that they worked on last year and so by taking more of a global step, they are bringing awareness to things that maybe they haven’t really experienced or seen too much of.”

Langvand says it’s the first time their students will hold a We Are Silent event and hopes they take away a sense of pride when it’s over.

“They’ve built this entire day from the ground up,” she explains. “They received some tips and tools from the We organization and from We Day, but they worked extremely hard on this for a couple of months putting this day together. I really hope they see something that they believe in and are fueled by that and that continues to inspire them moving on out of our building and into their further educational hats.”