Seeds of Compassion Event in Seattle

Who: 10,000 youth at Seeds of Compassion Event in Seattle
Age: Youth
What: Seeds of Compassion Event in Seattle

This week's installment is the first ever article specifically written for BIY. Our friends at the Global Youth Leadership Institute (www.gyli.org) attended the Seeds of Compassion Event in Seattle and came back with this overview of the conference. GYLI's mission is "to nurture collaborative leadership for global communities and to assist schools in their missions to inspire socially responsible young people." If you get a chance, check it out.

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Seeds of Compassion Event in Seattle

Seattle, WA —

What do you get when put 10,000 youth and teachers in the same room with His Holiness the Dalai Lama? Answer: The Seeds of Compassion. This unique event has brought together educators, health care professionals, artists, and activists to address a wide range of issues that in cities and in countries have become urgent. Why would a teacher take a day off of school to bring students to this event? Answer: “I think that this is a chance for students to hear from someone from a very different cultural background, who has a very political agenda, but a very peaceful agenda,” said Ethan Delevan, a technology teacher at Seattle Country Day School. I asked his students why they were there and got a range of answers. Sixth grader Richard Trey said, “Because my school set it up.” But his friend Phillip Grube said, “I would have come anyway, because I know that the Dalai Lama is all about peace. I think that is a very powerful message.” Seattle Country Day, a K-8 independent school in suburban Seattle, has many chances for students to get off campus, such as their “Winterim” program in which students go skiing and participate in a number of other experiential activities.

It is not only independent schools that see the need for students to connect beyond the classroom. Michelle Gangi and David Melby, both 12th graders at Bellevue Public High School, are part of a 2nd level leadership class that is focused on community service and action in the community. They attended the Seeds of Compassion event with a professional journalist and were student bloggers for the event. Melby said the class offers “a chance for me to be involved, but also to get others involved, because we have to recruit other students to take part in the community service, so we affect our school and the community in both directions.” Gangi agreed, “The level one class was great to learn about leadership and discuss it, but this level two class is great because we get to put it into action.” Learn more about the seeds of compassion event and its new models for education, business and government at www.seedsofcompassion.org