“ I loved watching my fellow peers be interested in what the group and I are so passionate about, and it was even nicer to see all of the donations that were made after the presentation.”ĭonations just from students leaving the assembly reached about $500. “The assembly planning process was everyone throwing out their best ideas without fear of judgment,” said Shadle Park junior Lydia Shepherd. “In the case of Shadle, which was really unique, all Action Team students led the entire assembly,” Sloan said. Generation Alive staff, such as Sloan, tend to help lead the events, although that’s not always the case. These launch-assemblies vary usually elementary schools focus on simpler ideas, such as what it means to be compassionate, while older audiences dive deeper into food insecurity and its prominence within the community. Second, the team will begin meeting on a weekly (or more) basis for roughly two months as they plan out a school-wide assembly to introduce Generation Alive and the purpose to fellow students. “I think all of us Action Team members joined because we feel a sense of duty to take a role in this because we can get our whole student body involved and feel that even a small act of kindness can have a big effect on somebody’s life,” said Shadle Park senior Nazanin Walizada. There’s a process to Generation Alive’s work at local schools dubbed the “Action Team Program.”įirst, those at Generation Alive work with school staff to establish a team of around 15 to 20 students looking to give, make an extra commitment and lead with empathy. That includes at Shadle Park High School, where Sloan recently guided charity efforts. What once began as a single program reaching 200 kids has grown to more than 40 programs reaching over 15,000 kids annually.ĬEO JJ Vancil said the nonprofit aims to teach kids “ empathy and compassion, building leadership skills, enhancing academic learning, promoting community engagement and strengthening social connections.”Īnd to lead the youth toward those goals are people like Sloan, who helps secure businesses or churches to sponsor the program at local schools. The nonprofit originally was founded in 2006 by Major League Baseball pitcher Jeremy Affeldt, who spent a portion of his youth in Spokane, when he found deeper meaning in connecting with his community and empowering youth. “We’re about activating young people to serve, and we do this to build a life-long commitment to seeing needs in the community and doing so through a lens of compassion.” “We talk about the name of the organization, Generation Alive, all the time because we believe that helping others and living beyond yourself is real life,” said Chris Sloan, the organization’s community engagement director. A local nonprofit dedicated to food security is teaching students about much more than meals.
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