Young Achievers Award 2024: Meadows West School Students Recognized for Their Community Service

A group of dedicated students from Meadows West School was celebrated on September 23, 2024, at the Annual Harvest Manitoba Volunteer Awards. They received the Young Achievers Award recognizing their outstanding contributions to the community through their work at Harvest Manitoba. The Young Achievers Award is presented to youth who demonstrate leadership and compassion in their volunteer efforts. This year, the award went to Meadows West School.

It started with a conversation… a question, a wonder. “What can we do to make the world a better place?” This was one of the questions that Ms. Jack and her students reflected on in class. Being a Roots and Shoots school, these wonderings are something that our students are encouraged to reflect and act on. It was these conversations that sparked the initiative for Ms. Jack’s class to support Harvest Manitoba.

Last Spring, 2024, Ms. Jack’s Grade 4/5 class embarked on a student-initiated project integrating cross-curricular outcomes. “I felt very proud of myself for sharing my ideas and starting this project with our class,” said 10-year-old Ravneet, one of the award recipients. The project included a bake and craft sale, and proceeds were donated to Harvest Manitoba, a food bank that provides essential resources to families in need throughout the province. They collected $588.00 in donations and learned about the services and community impact of Harvest Manitoba when they went as a class to volunteer. 

Sienna, a 10-year-old student from Meadows West School, says, "The award is not just for us; it shows that our entire classroom, school and the school community worked together to achieve something for a community cause.”

Throughout the past year, Meadows West students engaged in a variety of tasks for the benefit of Harvest Manitoba. From participating as performers in CBC Manitoba’s “Make the Season Kind” in December 2023 to initiating the bake and craft sale to raise funds for Harvest Manitoba, and later, volunteering with sorting food donations and packing food items in June 2024. Their efforts not only supported the food bank’s operations but also raised awareness about hunger in the community among their community.

“Seeing kids take initiative and understand the importance of helping others is truly inspiring. These young people have shown that no effort is too small and that every act of kindness counts. They are setting an example for their generation and reminding us of the power of community service,” says Ms. Jack.

“It is important for the community to keep supporting Harvest Manitoba so that kids and families don’t go hungry,” says 10-year Regan. When asked how they would like to encourage others to do the same, Sehajpal says he encourages “everyone to give back, so that people can access what they need… people can help in their own little ways.”

The Young Achievers Awards recognizes these inspiring kids' accomplishments and encourages others to engage in their communities. With their enthusiasm and passion for helping others, these young volunteers are poised to make a lasting impact on Winnipeg and beyond.