The Opportunity of International Day of the Girl

Posted on October 18, 2012 by admin

One of the fundamental principles at LCC is equality: equality in terms of opportunity for all students, and of course, especially between girls and boys. We want each student to have an equal voice and capacity to discover and develop personal potential.

Unfortunately, gender equality is not practiced around the world. So much so, that on October 11^th, the United Nations launched the very first International Day of the Girl. It was an effort to recognize that gender divisions do exist, but in a positive way celebrate, discuss and advance girls and their potential. On this inaugural occasion, there was a particular emphasis on the need for basic universal education, which in some cultures is often denied to girls.

It was notable that around the same time as the first International Day of the Girl, a dreadful event occurred in Pakistan that highlighted the need for such a global campaign: the shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai. She’s a Pakistani teenager – a student who has openly advocated on an Internet blog for the rights of girls to be educated in Pakistan and other countries. Shockingly, she was viciously shot in broad daylight last week as she returned home from school. The shooter was a member of the radical Taliban extremist group seeking to stop Malala and other like-minded girls from going to school and speaking out. The shooting has caused global outrage and reminds us that there is much work to be done.

Beyond this abominable reality, consider a few of the issues faced by girls in our world:

Annually millions of girls are required to leave school after only a few years and forced to move into a lifetime of domestic chores with no more education made available to them.

It is estimated that today some 70 million girls under the age of 18 – and as young as 8 or 9 – have been forced into marriages where they have little say about anything, and these girls are often victims of domestic violence. Statistics show that 25,000 girls become child-brides every single day. One in nine girls between 10 and 14 years old has been forced into marriage. Child-brides are often bought, sold and discarded at the whims of men.

Often, girls and women in many developing countries have limited access to work and a fair wage, not to mention little or no legal rights to inherit property or wealth.

Issues affecting girls are not an exclusive matter of developing countries. Studies show that in United States more than a half of all rapes of females happen before age 18. One in five high school girls in the USA has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.

On this front the voices of Canadian girls and boys really matter. They can be advocates and should consider ways to speak out to increase global awareness. It is possible to better girls’ lives, allow them to reach their full potential and raise the level of development and engagement in the most challenged communities in the world.

Melinda and Bill Gates are co-chairs of the Gates Foundation, which funds health and anti-poverty projects in developing countries. On the occasion of the inaugural International Day of the Girl, Melinda Gates tweeted “A girl’s potential is explosive – the sky isn’t even the limit – so pass it on.”

Please do so. – Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Round Square: A Rich Mosaic of Culture

Posted on October 17, 2012 by admin

It is rare to have the opportunity to sit in a room alongside people from five different continents, and to, over the course of an hour, have eight conversations with people from eight different countries. The conference, hosted at Herlufsholm Skole in Denmark, acted as a binding force between people from every corner of the globe: people traveled from near (England and Germany) and far (Armenia, Kenya, India, Australia, South Africa, and Canada). A beautiful blend of accents and languages could be heard echoing through the school’s halls at any given moment. We were fortunate enough to have delegates from all Round Square regions at the conference, so we knew that we had a culturally enriching experience in store for us. Personally, my participation in the conference was so incredibly different from anything that I had ever experienced. Although I have been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit in my lifetime, I had never had the opportunity to interact with so many people of my age from so many diverse places at once. I was fascinated by the rich cultures and ideas that each group of delegates brought to the conference. I loved hearing stories about their day-to-day lives. It was evident that although we all came from such different backgrounds and experiences, we were all the same in so many ways.

Several days into the conference, each group had the opportunity to display their culture in a much-anticipated cultural evening, which would prove to be a highlight of everybody’s trip. The event showcased diverse cultural features from each country, including a traditional Danish dance, a British poem recitation, an Indian yoga demonstration, a lesson on Australian slang, and many more. We were taken on a journey across the globe in just two hours. We, along with the students from Toronto, presented a reenactment of Canadian history. This particular moment in the conference truly captured one of Round Square’s central “IDEALS:” internationalism. The national pride that each group displayed, as well as international pride and appreciation for the enthusiasm of our fellow delegates, was palpable. The most incredible aspect of the evening was the lasting impression that it seemed to have on all of the participants; it sparked curiosity and desire to learn more about each culture that we were exposed to. The evening seemed to accomplish the fundamental objective of the conference: to “encounter, engage, and enjoy” the rich mosaic of culture that we were fortunate enough to immerse ourselves in for a week. — Allie Mayers ’13

Round Square: Conquering Fears

Posted on October 17, 2012 by admin

Our conference in Denmark was entitled, “Exploring Heights” and on the fifth day of the conference we woke up at 6:30 am as usual, to catch the bus to “Kragerup Gods,” Denmark’s first and only high ropes adventure course. Once we arrived we were split into two groups. Those in the first group were the first to start the high ropes course while the second group had to wait one hour so that there wouldn’t be too big of a line. Since I was in the second group, we crossed the street to what looked like an old barn from the outside. But to my surprise once the big barn doors opened we were shocked to see a human sized foosball table and an archery station. Easy enough to say we were well amused for that hour playing several soccer games with our arms harnessed on a long pole. While I was busy playing human sized foosball with some of the German students Maxwell had got a bull’s-eye in archery.

Once the hour had passed and it was our time to take on the high ropes course we were all excited. After everyone had been harnessed we were taken though a quick demo of how to safely go about the high ropes course. I had already done something similar to this in Tremblant so I considered myself ready to take it on. There were four different adventure courses, all with different levels of intensity, green, blue, dark blue and red. Green being the easiest we all had to start there. A German boy and I were the first to give it a go. At first it was pretty easy but once we were all the way up to dark blue I started to get nervous. The German boy I was with, Moritz, didn’t seem to mind the height. Once it was lunch break, Moritz and I manned the BBQ’s and made everyone’s burgers and sausages. The lunch break was well needed but we still had the red course to do!

Half way through one of the sections in the red course I hit a wall. At over 40 feet above ground, I felt I could no longer push myself to beat this course. But then I remembered something my dad always says, “mind over matter.” If it were the same course but only 10 ft. off the ground it would be a piece of cake. So I overcame my fears and finished as much as I could with the time I had.

In all it was a great day. Not only did I become good friends with Moritz, but I had also challenged myself and found a way to conquer my fears. I had literally “explored the heights.”– Charles Laframboise ’13

Round Square: Denmark Reflection

Posted on October 17, 2012 by admin

This year’s Round Square trip to Denmark was one of the most interesting and enjoyable trips I have been able to partake in. For seven days, four other LCC students and myself took part in many activities and stimulating discussion, but the part of the trip, which I personally found to be the most exciting, was the group excursion to Copenhagen. The day trip took place during the third day of the conference. After an hour bus ride to Copenhagen, my group was let off near the free state of Christiania, an independent and self-governing microstate in the heart of Copenhagen, similar to that of the Vatican in Rome. Its political situation, however, is surely the only similarity that Christiania shares with the Vatican City. Christiania became a free state in 1971 after its abandoned army barracks were taken over by some Copenhagen residents. Today, it serves as a home to almost 800 residents and is known for its direct and inclusive form of democratic government as well as for its alternative lifestyle.

For the next part of the trip, we walked to the Danish Parliament in the pouring rain. There we got a tour of the building and a little lesson on more conventional Danish democracy. For the last part of the trip, we went to a street called Stroget. This street is in fact the longest commercial-only walking street in the world. After having explored some of the shops with other conference members, everyone met for dinner where we and all of the other conference delgates also celebrated Charlie Laframboise’s birthday! Following the meal, we returned to the host school, 80 kilometres away in Naestved for a very good night’s rest after such an extraordinary but tiring day of adventure.– Max Wiltzer ’13

Round Square: Exploring Heights in Denmark

Posted on October 17, 2012 by admin

Visiting Denmark for the first time was a wonderful experience. A regional Round Square conference took place at Herlufsholm School in Naestved, 80 kilometres outside of Copenhagen. The elite boarding school was founded in the 16^th century, 1565. Herlufsholm is rich in culture, offers internationally recognized academic degrees and provides superb athletics since it has top of the line facilities. Their assembly room reminded me of the Chateau de Versailles in France. The ceilings have stunning artworks and the walls are filled with outstanding paintings. Even the moldings on the walls are sensational.

The theme of the conference was Exploring Heights: physically and mentally. To physically explore heights, we participated in a high ropes course that enabled us to reach our full potential even though most of us began this journey full of anxiety. To mentally explore heights, a guest speaker came to Herlufsholm to share a few personal experiences. He works as an elite soldier in the military in a dangerous sector, where he could die during most expeditions. He taught us that people live their life focusing on mistakes they’ve made in the past, but no one has the power to change the past. The most we can do is do our best to create the best possible future. His message was that focusing on the positive in life is the key to happiness. — Emily Smith ’13