CHILDREN CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

CHILDREN CAN CHANGE THE WORLD 
by Caitlin Smith. 17/11/15
Yesterday I attended the Young ChangeMakers Award. I learned a lot from those children and the stories. I understand now why I have to be grateful for everything that I have no matter how small it is. 
I am grateful for my health. I pray for the sick children to get better soon.
I am grateful for my ability to read since I was 2. I hope those who can't read will persevere and get the help they need.
I am grateful for getting the chance to go to 'school'- homeschooling is still school. I hope the Bajau Laut children will get to do so too sooner.
I am grateful for the many books that I have to read and for my very own box library. I am grateful that I can read at anytime and in comfort and I hope to follow the example of Kariton Klasrum and share my books with those who have non.
I am grateful for all the family holidays my parents have taken me on.
I am grateful for all my needs and wants being fulfilled by my family.I hope there will be an end to child labor.
I am grateful that I know and understand the Rights of The Child.Everyone should be treated equally whatever their race, religion, nationality or ability is.
Treat everyone the way you want to be treated. That's the Golden Rule.

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3 Young Changemakers that Deserve to be celebrated.

The Hardworker :
Eleven year-old Anilov Fabien Tingang from Baram, Sarawak risks a two hour journey to go to school in his torn shoes and old school uniform just so he can get an education and excel in life. Whenever school is not in session, Anilov spends his free time working – be it lifting bags of cement, wood or fertilizer as well as catching fish and prawns to earn some income to support his schooling so he does not burden his family.

The English Teacher :
Chan Hui Kie is a 14 year old student in a rural Band 5 school in Kedah which had over 200 illiterate students. Together with several Form Two schoolmates, Hui Kie started a literacy mentor-mentee initiative to teach her Form One friends how to read. Patiently and lovingly, they encouraged their mentees to read; and have successfully helped these students go from illiteracy up to 7 years in reading growth!

The Cikgu Kecil (Little Teacher) :
Born in Pulai Omadal, Semporna, Sabah, 15 year-old Mohd Khairul Bin Atim spends his free time making sure that the Bajau Laut children in his village are able to read and write even though they are unable to enroll in school because they lack a birth certificate. Mohd Khairul who is better known as Mastal Arikik (Cikgu Kecil), envisions a literate Bajau Laut community to preserve his village's marine ecosystem.

WORLD SMILE DAY BY Caitlin Smith

World Smile Day was on 2nd October 2015. World Smile Day (WSD) is a day we do an act of kindness for random stranger(s) without expecting anything in return. WSD was invented by Mr. Harvey Ball who designed the smiley face in 1966 and the first World Smile Day was celebrated in 1999. Since then WSD is celebrated on the first Friday in the month of October. 
This was my very first community project and as Ambassador for World Smile Day I made it as an experiment as well as experience. My mom helped me research of all the ways that someone can do an act of kindness that would not cost them any money and I came up with a list of 12 acts. 
1. Let a pedestrian cross the street - smile and wave.
2.Let another car merge in front of you.
3.Smile and say Hello to the security guard.
4.Hold the door open for someone.
5.Pick up trash at the park.
6. Donate blood.
7.Compliment someone randomly on the street.
8.Tell a joke,make someone laugh -is my favorite.
9.Give directions to someone that's lost.
10. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
11.SMILE at random people on the street.
12. Say 'Bless you' when someone sneezes.
Next my mom and I discussed what I could do to make people know about WSD. We decided to make little cards, drew smiley faces for each one, wrote jokes on some of them, some we wrote 'Here's a Big Smile just for you and the rest had World Smile Day Oct 2 2015 and its motto 'Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.'
Next I purchased 72 packets of Oreo cookies with money from my Do Good coin box. Some of my mom's friends contributed another 300 packets of Oreo's. Next my dad spoke to Bangsar Village management to seek permission for me to use a small corner in their premise for my project. They obliged to our request. 
Thursday the day before was a very busy day for me. With the help of my mom we drew various sizes of smiley faces, made up posters and took a long time taping the cards to each packets of Oreo's.
Friday 2 October World Smile Day had arrived. I was both excited and nervous. We arrived at Bangsar Village and my mom and dad got busy putting up the poster for me and arranging the table. The time frame for my project was 10am-1pm. 
Soon I was already to get started. I armed myself with a hand held WSD Ambassador poster and packets of Oreo's. My mom stayed in the background keeping an eye on me while my dad had to rush off to work. I went to work approaching random strangers as they walked into the mall. The reaction of these people were priceless. A lot of them were wary of me, some thought I was seeking donations, others were baffled as to why I was doing this. A lot of people quickened their pace when they see me approaching, some buried their face into their phones or pretended to speak on the phone. I had a few people shoo me away like I was an irritating fly. Many of the people were pleasant and curious and asked me lots of questions to which I was glad to answer and explain.Almost all of them said no one has ever given or done something nice for them. 
My mom explained to me that a lot of times people do good for the wrong reasons for example they donate money when it's attached to a raffle ticket and she also helped keep my spirits up whenever I came across someone who wasn't very pleasant. 
From this experiment I learnt to continue being kind and polite even when others weren't. It taught me courage to do what I believed is right and that happiness comes from the fuzzy feeling inside when I did something nice for another without expecting anything in return. Being kind to others does not always mean donating money to the poor, the homeless, or charity homes. Being kind also means a SMILE to anyone you may meet and it does not cost you money.
I am grateful for my family for the guidance and love they give me.
My name is Caitlin Smith. I am 7 and 1/2 years old. My motto is SMILE for its the purest form of giving.

Windy Bindi the Clueless Dog

Windy Bindy is a dog who lives in Clueland. Windy Bindi is a clueless dog. Windy Bindi's best friend is Docus the rabbit. One day Windy Bindi received an invitation to a party from Docus. Windy Bindi found it difficult to read because the note was in a muddle and hard to read and left Windy Bindi clueless. The next day Windy Bindi's neighbour Poppy popped in to ask if Windy Bindi was getting ready for the party. Windy Bindi said "no clue". Poppy dragged Windi Bindi outside. The party was outside in the garden. Everyone shouted "Happy Birthday Windy Bindi". Docus had organized a party for Windy Bindi as she did not it was her birthday. The End.