There are some events in life that really mark a person.
For example, when Grade 11 student Kiana Holman heard about the suicide of Amanda Todd, news that sped across the country for its shocking portrayal of a girl whose personal image was demeaned by bullying, she sat up and listened.
This year, Holman is taking a Social Justice course at Lake Cowichan Secondary School (LCSS), and as part of her course requirements, had to come up with an idea and get together an action plan.
“Everybody in the class has to do a project,” Holman's mother told the Gazette. “They had to come up with something that resonates with them, and set forth an action plan and see it through.”
Holman has been actively pursuing raising money for Youthspace.ca and NEED2.ca, two non-profit organizations based out of Victoria that provide resources to youth in suicide awareness and education, and mental and emotional health.
So far, she has two projects under wrap and has a guest speaker lined up to come to the school.
“I decided to do a bake sale,” said Holman, who set up a table at her school on Thursday, Dec. 20 and sold the baking she and her mother had done together. “I actually raised $100 just from the bake sale.”
Another project the young student has put into action involves the children at Lake Cowichan's Palsson Elementary school.
“I got a poster contest about bullying going at Palsson,” she explained, “and they're going to make a calendar out of them and sell them.
And lastly, she has invited a guest speaker from Need2's SAY ( Suicide Awareness for Youth).
I Holman was a little bit shy about talking about her projects, her mother — and rightfully so — was proud to talk about her daughter's personal investment for her course work."She told me that a lot of it came from hearing about Amanda Todd, who took her own life," Holman's mother confirmed. "And from being bullied herself in the past."