Students 'explore' their community

Last fall 50 students from eight communities spent several days together to experience each other's communities, talk about stereotypes and diversity and learn what it is like to go to Auburn Drive High School and Cole Harbour High School.

And last week they gathered to watch a film of the experience, produced by Jenna Murphy, a local filmmaker and graduate of Cole Harbour High, called Global Tour: Exploring the Hearts of the Community.

Grade 9 student Julian Henderson from Graham Creighton Junior High said he learned a lot about diversity, different cultures and what it will be like to go to Auburn Drive High School in the fall.

"It helped get rid of the fear of the unknown about high school," he said. "I was worried about fitting in and all the work, but not anymore."

The Global Tour took the teens out of their schools and into the communities that feed into both Cole Harbour High and Auburn Drive High.

Day one was spent in Eastern Passage. Day two the teens visited the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm, Lawrencetown Beach, Mineville, the East Preston Recreation Centre , the Lake Echo Fellowship Baptist Church and the Black Cultural Centre in Cherry Brook. Day three included a tour of North Preston, group discussions about stereotypes and a wrap up evaluation of the three days.

Fifteen senior high school students,including Nick Kaiser, received special facilitator training and went along on the tour to help out with the junior high teens.

"I know how I felt when I was in junior high," he said. "And a program like this is a great way to connect communities and help with diversity."

Chardennai Cormier from Cherry Brook said the Global Tour has helped her in many ways.

"You are always hearing stereotypes about different communities and I learned you can't judge people," she said. "You have to learn respect."

The Global Tour included a walking tour of North Preston, throwing rocks with their hopes and fears written on them into the surf at Lawrencetown Beach, attending a First Nations Circle, chats with Dr. Bishop from the Black Cultural Centre and other community leaders.

The many partners of the project including the Southeastern Community Health Board, Cole Harbour Boys and Girls Club, Community Justice Society, RCPM, Cole Harbour Public Library, Preston and Area Family Resource Centre, Tallahasse Recreation Centre, Lake Echo Fellowship Baptist Church and Heartwood hope to run the Tour again next year.

Grade nine student June Mills from EPEC said her favourite part of the tour was getting to meet kids from other communities and share her hopes and fears with them.

"I don't feel nervous about going into high school anymore," she said. "And the interesting thing is that even though we all go to different junior highs we all like to do the same things, like have fun and play games. We are all the same."

joanneoostveen@accesswave.ca