Injuries and socio-economics - no laughing matter

Well, today is April Fool's Day and I am sure that if I had more time on my hands I would be trying to think about a good prank or two that I could play on my husband and kids. Instead though I've been trying to think about how I can take a group of city kids that I mentor to the "next level" and let me assure you this is no laughing matter.  

As a Canadian I am really proud of the country that I am from but I am also very aware of the growing inequities that separate us.   Statistics show us that the most vulnerable workers are immigrants and those that are young, and as I visit high schools and elementary schools throughout the nation I can attest to this being true.

Five years ago I started working with a specific group of students from varying backgrounds in Toronto.  Most of them are from lower income neighbourhoods and some of them have had horrific lives.  I am astounded by their resiliency and their resolve, but I recognize that having good intentions won't be enough to keep them safe at their job. What they need is knowledge. 

On Friday, Bryan Demarchi, Director of Corporate Human Resources,  from Goodyear Canada Inc. took an hour of his time (and some money for really good pizza) to mentor 7 of these kids.  This was probably one of the best hours that many of these students have had in a long time and many of them opened up in a way that I had never seen. 

In my opinion this is the kind of action that true champions will engage in.  Becoming a conduit of knowledge is both a great way to be an engaged citizen and to help drive our economy – because many of the students that we help get to the “next level” will be the future leaders of our country. 

So today, I want to challenge you to think about how you could become a conduit of knowledge because people getting hurt due to their socio-economic level is no laughing matter!