North Vancouver teen finds her passion through arts-based program and launches campaign to raise funds to bring water tank and pipeline to remote village in Nepal:

It is such an honor to be facilitating The Inside Out Project at Mountainside Secondary, North Vancouver, with my colleague Ian Powell.

Recall posts: 

INSIDE OUT: YOUTH EMPOWERMENT, PEER TO PEER INTERACTION AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

INSIDE OUT PROJECT: OWN YOUR JOURNEY, MOUNTAINSIDE PILOT PROJECT WEEK 5 OF 5

INSIDE OUT PROJECT MOUNTAINSIDE SECONDARY: OWN YOUR JOURNEY

Passion-based learning:

The heart of the Inside Out Project is to awaken the passion within the participants- to encourage the students to own their journey– and to support them as they project-plan and as they enter their futures.  

Can art change the world? Maybe… we should change the question: Can art change people’s lives? – JR

Caddy’s passion:

Caddy Pattison, a Mountainside student who has struggled with school avoidance and her own challenges, awakened to her passion during the Inside Out Project– to make a positive global impact and to create awareness about conditions children and youth experience around the world.

Caddy is specifically inspired to raise awareness about children who need to walk miles for water daily, impeding their ability to attend school.

Serendipitously, when Caddy told me her idea,  I knew of a local/global cause that fits the bill.

The cause:

I connected Caddy with my friend, Kamala Yonzon, of the KYTFOUNDATION.

The Kamala Yonzon Tahrayli Foundation is a Vancouver, B.C.-based non-profit established to bring flowing water to a remote Nepali village in the Kabre Palanchowk District; Healay Chaubas.

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Caddy’s mission:

Caddy’s mission is to help Kamala raise the $20,000 needed to build the tank and pipeline for her village. This will open the opportunity for children to attend school, for the building of a local hospital, to create employment etc.

My name is Caddy Pattison and I’m starting my year of empowerment and change by raising awareness for the remote Nepal village in the Kabre Palanchowk District; Healay Chaubas.

This community walks over an hour, several times a day, for a jug of water from the river. That means whenever they want to cook, clean, bathe, or simply get a drink they’re walking miles to do so. It is mostly the children and women of the community that are doing the walking and missing out on an education. With this campaign, I am looking to raise $20,000 for a water pipeline leading from the river to the village. There is also going to be a substantial walk in June to put ourselves in their shoes. Once the pipeline is started, it will create room for employment, education, and empowerment in the community.

Caddy’s action plan:

Caddy is now in process of achieving this goal.  She has met with Kamala, created a plan of action, a blog, a facebook page.

Caddy’s blog:

Caddy’s Facebook page:

Caddy has presented to the school district:

And has presented to the legislature in Victoria:

And Caddy attends school!

Caddy has struggled with school avoidance and lack of engagement.  Mountainside has provided her with the safe haven she needs to heal and develop to her full potential.  And her Walk for Water Nepal project is teaching her life skills and academic skills in a way that has true longevity and positive impact on both Caddy and the community.

So what’s next?

Several events have been planned to lead up to the main fundraising event on Indiegogo Life in May.

Pre-launch events such as:

• Awareness and activty day with Braemar Elementary School

• A North Vancouver walk event

• An instagram hashtag selfie campaign

• A re-creation of the length of the walk and the weight of the water the children in the village have to endure on a daily basis.

So why this one cause, this one girl?

Caddy illustrates the future of education– passion-based learning.  To truly engage students we must engage their passion and we must share our own.  Profound life skills are organically learned.  The student and teacher, the school and the community at large are profoundly and positively impacted.

When instruction is driven not just by data but by the passions of the students behind the data there is no child left behind scratching their head wondering what they’re going to do with their lives. – Lisa Nielsen

So what can you do to help? 

Caddy’s cause needs $.  That is indeed the goal- for Caddy to present Kamala with a cheque for $20,000 by June 2015.  On one hand, that is alot of $.  But is it?  Not in this internet age.

• So start saving your pennies for the May campaign.

• Stay tuned here for the events mentioned above.

• If you are in the media, interview Caddy.

• If you are on social media: Share Caddy’s story.  Share Kamala’s story.

• If you are inspired by this story, find your own passion.  Share it with us!

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Much love and stay tuned!!!

– Katarina