Fraser Heights Secondary volunteer program inspires student philanthropy and charity

Fraser Heights Secondary's Summer Social Justice and Volunteering/Activism program gives Grade 8 to 12 students opportunities to do community outreach and offers a glimpse into the curriculum of the school's Social Justice 12 course. This year, students assisted with games and activities with Smarties Daycare, visited seniors at the Fleetwood Villa Centre and collected donations for the Surrey Food Bank, Lookout Housing & Health Society and the Surrey Women's Centre.

The spirit of giving is in the halls of Fraser Heights Secondary as a longstanding summer volunteer program continues to inspire students to give back to local communities.

This year, the school’s Summer Social Justice and Volunteering/Activism program saw 28 students donate their time, energy and resources to support several causes, from kids to seniors and local shelters to food relief. The two-and-a-half-week program originally began pre-COVID as a preview of the school’s Social Justice 12 course, offering students of all grades a glimpse into social justice curriculum, and has since evolved to also provide a platform for students to engage in philanthropy with others.

“There’s this thirst for some students who want to do more of the voluntary parts and connect with people,” said teacher Ami Kambo, who founded the program. “When I asked them on the first day what brings them here, most of them said they really wanted to get some hands-on volunteer experience but also wanted to learn about issues in our community, especially outside of Fraser Heights.

“In the summer, we have more opportunities to do more of the community outreach, and these kids were interested in making a difference.”

During the school year, the Social Justice 12 course teaches students about human rights and such global issues as genocide, homelessness, poverty, gender rights and stereotypes, SOGI and LGBTQ rights, and race relations. Students also have the opportunity to visit care homes and hear from guest speakers, such as police officers, sharing their experiences with social justice.

Despite the summer program not being for credit, Kambo said there was a lot of enthusiasm from students when it was announced, with spots quickly filling up. Over the course of 40 hours, the students:

• filled 20 boxes with donations for the Surrey Food Bank in a schoolwide food drive;
• gathered donations for the Lookout Housing & Health Society and the Surrey Women’s Centre;
• played games, activities and sports with 60 to 70 kids from Smarties Daycare; and
• visited seniors at the Fleetwood Villa Centre to served food in their annual Strawberry Social.

“These students were able to accomplish more hands-on volunteering in 40 hours then sometimes we are able to manage all semester including the curriculum with my classes,” said Kambo. “The students interviewed the seniors and got to hear their life story in terms of different injustices that they've lived through and different freedoms that they've lived to also see come to fruition.

“A lot of the students also said they’d like to gain connections with community organizations so that once this program’s done, maybe they can continue going on their own.”

Kambo said the work of summer students continues to inspire her year after year, noting how incredible it is to see students volunteer their free time in the summer to help others.

“This was just evidence that there are kids out there who just want to do good in our community,” she said. “I feel like this program empowers them to see their impact as young people in how many food donations they could collect, how much clothing and toiletries they could bring in, and how many smiles they brought to these little kids.

“They really just walked in with an open mind and giving heart, and it’s so heartwarming to see.”