Countries around the world have been holding candlelight vigils, memorials and special ceremonies to honour the late Nelson Mandela. As an educational activist, he paved the way for some 1.5 million children to attend school; he inspired and motivated an entire generation of new global citizens who will one day be world leaders.
Yesterday, Toronto commemorated Mandela in its own special way. More than 450 students from around the city joined speakers and performers to celebrate his life’s work and highlight their commitment to carrying on his educational legacy on the University of Toronto campus. Co-founder of Free The Children, Marc Kielburger, joined the crowd via Skype from the ground in South Africa where he has spent time personally mourning Mandela’s passing. Students in South Africa were able to share their hopes and concerns for the future of their country while Toronto students shared Mandela’s impact on their own lives.
Special guests included the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Platinum selling and JUNO Award-winning recording artist Shawn Desman, Canadian rapper and record producer Kardinal Offishall and Grammy and JUNO Award winner Nelly Furtado!
In September, Free The Children announced that this would be the Year of Education – a year-long initiative with the goal of building 200 new schools in developing communities overseas. In honour of Mandela, 100 of those will be built in Africa, specifically Kenya, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
You can help too! The Canadian-based “We Create Change” campaign, made possible by RBC, is dedicated to building schools in impoverished countries. Coins donated to the We Create Change campaign help provide bricks—the cornerstone of a new school that will open doors for hundreds of children and lay the foundation for thriving communities. Every $20 provides one brick; it takes 500 bricks builds a school. To learn more about how you can make a difference, check outtheir website.
(Photos credit Vito Amati and Michael Rajzman/Free The Children)