The Impact of HOPE

Posted by Kelly Lewis Share Your Voice

The beauty of my week has centered around this word we love...IMPACT. For me what IMPACT really boils down to is two things:
- Who I Be
- What I Do
...the being and doing of leadership! And I just experienced how IMPACTFUL young people are when we take the time to see them for who they really are...through all of the labels and layers, believe in their potential, and stand courageously and compassionately in who we are when they meet us with attitude, judgement, or disrespect.

The following example of IMPACT blew my mind and I had to share it with you:
On April 25th, a class of Moody Middle School 8th graders, will initiate Moody's first ever "Leadership Legacy Project". The cause that challenged this groups's collective values was local hunger. HOPE, which stands for Help One Person Eat, is a week long initiative this 8th grade class will lead while engaging their entire school to be part of their leadership legacy. A big piece of the Bounce service learning process involves developing care and compassion for those we serve, in this case, those who experience hunger on a daily basis. With this goal in mind, these young leaders were challenged to skip lunch on March 17th and come to their Bounce class hungry. During that time they engaged in perspective-taking activities (as well as lots of snacks) that promoted appreciation for those they will be serving.