Over 30 students, their mentors package food for Ukrainian refugees
Students from Hamilton Heights High School and Middle School who are a part of the Teach One to Lead One (T1L1) mentoring program took the leadership skills they have learned in the classroom and put them to work Thursday.
At the International Disaster Emergency Service (IDES) in Noblesville, 32 students, along with 15 mentors and one teacher, mixed and packaged enough food to feed over 15,000 refugees from war-torn Ukraine.
T1L1 is a unique mentoring program that takes place in the classroom each week throughout the school year. It pairs community volunteers with teachers to lead students through 10 Universal Principles – key parts of leadership. The principles include respect, integrity, self-control, courage, humility, excellence, compassion, enthusiasm, teamwork, and honor. The students were able to put these principles to use when they went on a service project at IDES.
IDES provides relief to people who are hurting worldwide. That relief is often in the form of help to victims of war – refugees displaced by violence, oppression or natural disasters. IDES also serves malnourished people, villages living without clean water, medical care, clothing, and shelter, to name just a few of their services.
IDES GAP Director Jody England explained to the students that the food they were packaging would be sent to the refugees from Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has displaced millions of people, and they are flocking to neighboring countries. Those who arrive at a refugee center often have not eaten for days.
England explained how each bag of food would feed six people. The meals consisted of a mix of rice, soy, dried vegetables, and a supplement of 21 essential vitamins and minerals. They are easily mixed with water and provide nutrition. That seemed to be all the motivation the students needed as they went to work. The students were able to package enough meals to feed 15,264 people.
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Sara Colter serves as the Campus Organizer for T1L1 in central Indiana. She explained that the service project is a requirement of each mentoring classroom.
“It gives students the opportunity to do something for someone less fortunate than themselves,” Colter said. “It is a way for them to put the Universal Principles into action.”
Colter said that many students think of their situation and they may believe they are living in hard times. However, when they compare their life to someone who is living through a war, it puts their life in perspective. They respond with a passion to help.
Mica Worthman is a freshman at Hamilton Heights. “I like knowing we’re helping people in need,” she commented as she worked an inspection station on one of the four food lines.
Freshman Savannah Deetz also worked the inspection station and commented how much she has enjoyed interacting with the mentors each week in her SRT class. “I like how they include everyone,” she said. “It helps me to become a better person.”
Students who participate in T1L1 mentoring are taught to be leaders. IDES provided a very practical and necessary experience for them.
“No one was on the sidelines, standing around, waiting to be told to get to work,” said Joe Rudy, one of the mentor volunteers. “They were awake, alert, and having fun. They took hold of this project and didn’t quit until the job was done. These students are amazing!”
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Julie Davis is a mentor and one of the school board members at Hamilton Heights. She has been part of the T1L1 program over the past three years. She mentioned the attitude change in students as they worked together to package food.
“They are having fun,” Davis said as she looked over the four food lines abuzz with great conversation and laughter. “When they got on the bus this morning, I heard someone say, ‘Do we have to do this?’ Now look at them. They are really excited to be helping others.”
Lucia Garber is a teacher at the middle school, and she concurred. “This is a great program,” she said. “It teaches them great leadership principles that they will take with them long after they leave my class.”
Hamilton Heights was the first T1L1 mentoring program in Indiana. The program is currently working with eighth-grade students at the middle school and freshmen at the high school. For more information about the program, visit T1L1.org.
For more information on IDES, including how you can volunteer with them, visit ides.org.