Hope Club Interview

A Tour d’Horizon of our school’s HOPE Club

This quick overview of the HOPE Club has been brought to you by one of its co-presidents. Though this club holds a special place in my heart, I’ve tried to keep the bias to a minimum ;).

What do we do?

HOPE Club organises events in our school to raise awareness, money, or donations for a cause or charity.

HOPE stands for Helping Other People Everywhere. Their mission statement is as follows:

“To educate, advocate, and motivate students in the LDHSS community about the importance of being global citizens. To realise that if the power of one person can indeed make a difference in the life of another, that the power of a group of like-minded people is a force.”

Want to join the club?

HOPE Club meets every Thursday after school in room 301, and students are welcome to join at any time! There’s a club Instagram (@hopeclubldh) and a club email (hopeclub.ldh@gmail.com); which you can email if you have any direct questions, and to whose email list you will be added to if you decide to become a member.

On the general proceedings of the club:

Q: How do you decide on charities or causes to donate to/raise awareness?

A: For charities, we usually choose those we are familiar with. When organising a smaller event whose fundraising would naturally be smaller, we choose local charities, and for larger-scale events, we tend to pick national or international causes.

When choosing a cause, we look for anything going on in the world right now. So it could be natural disasters or any other current event that affects people. For example, the last Multicultural Show proceeds went to the Barrhaven Food Cupboard and the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund.

Q: How do you choose what to do as events?

A: We tend to look at what the club has done in past years, as the feeling of nostalgia is there and logistical issues have already been solved. Again, the Multicultural Show/Night is a big favourite, and the Halloween raffle that the club's doing this year has been seen in the past. Of course, members always come up with new, creative ideas that we then vote on.

Some insight from our members and execs:

“I joined this club after seeing the hard work and dedication that the members put into it! They were always trying their best to make our school and the world a better place!

This club is really important to me because it is an outlet through which I get opportunities to get involved in helping people. Helping others is very important, and through this club you work with others that feel the same.

I have learned a lot in this club, through both experiences and the help of other students. Two skills that I was really able to refine through this club are my leadership and organisational skills. Before joining this club I didn't really understand the importance of joining clubs, but HOPE Club very quickly helped me realise what I was missing out on. Through HOPE Club I got to meet amazing people, and got to actually feel like I was making a difference! Joining a club, whether that be HOPE Club or another, will help you enjoy your school life a lot more!”

-Hema, grade 10

“I like this club because it’s a club where everyone participates and you constantly get and share ideas with one another.”

-Ishani, grade 10

“I joined this club last year because I thought it would be a fun opportunity for me and my friends to help others while having fun.”

-Fae, grade 10

I hope this clarified any questions you might have had about the club, and that you might be interested in joining! Again, you can email hopeclub.ldh@gmail.com if you have any questions.