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Celebrating the class of 2020 means celebrating impact — these everyday heroes volunteered, fundraised and spoke out for causes they care about, participating in WE Schools service learning in their classrooms, taking action through after-school WE Clubs, or working independently on passion projects. Many stepped up to tackle issues resulting from COVID-19. To honour the impact of the class of 2020, these nine stories highlight some of the youth who made a difference this year across Canada. Find out how they gave back, what they learned, and how doing good changed their own lives for the better.
Assumptions started stacking up against Isabella MacKay before she was even born, and she’s spent her life knocking them down. First, she suffered a stroke in utero, and then was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Doctors thought she’d never walk, maybe never even talk. Today she wears a brace when she runs track or water skis and is a student journalist with bylines in an Ottawa newspaper.
At 13, when Isabella felt constrained by the blanket assumption that all teenagers are self-centred, she became an inaugural member of the WE Club at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Many assumed that the club, all of whose members have been diagnosed with a physical or developmental disability, would focus on issues of ableism. Instead, they’ve mined their experiences and discovered an empathy that’s branched out to cover countless causes.
“Society has an idea of who can help and who needs help,” says the Grade 12 student from St. Francis Xavier Catholic Secondary School. “My whole life I’ve wanted to prove people wrong.”
Since the group launched in 2015, they secured a grant from the federal government to renovate a local Ottawa theatre, ensuring that the space is more inclusive. They lobbied Ottawa mayor Jim Watson and secured private sponsorships to replace the logos in accessible hospital parking spots with a more dynamic symbol from a disability rights organization. And they’re currently fundraising for the 10 Oaks Project, a summer camp and safe space for young people in the LGBTQ community.
When the current restriction on public gatherings hampered fundraising efforts, the group moved ahead with online movie nights and trivia events.
Isabella has plans to overcome one more assumption. People with disabilities are underrepresented among medical professionals. She’s heading to the University of Ottawa to study biomedical science in the fall, with plans to become a doctor. She wants to channel her insight into care for others, she explains.
First, though, she has to finish high school in a year markedly different from any other. “Adaptability is the most important quality. It’s something you can only learn through experience,” she reflects. “I’ve learned that physically with cerebral palsy, but all of this has taught me to be adaptable emotionally. And I know that will be a great asset in life.”
Content produced by WE. The Globe and Mail was not involved in its creation.