Everyday Activists

This week on Speak Up for Change, contributors wrote about their favourite activists. Many times, activists are everyday people in ordinary communities! Have a look at the stories and videos below of several activists, from children to adults, featured on GetInvolved.ca.


10-yr-old lemonade stand titan for a cause dear to her heart


A small but mighty 10 year-old activist, AMANDA BELZOWSKI has raised over $100,000.00 for The Heart and Stroke Foundation. She has done it through an annual lemonade stands that has drawn the attention of celebrities like Donald Trump, Mike "Pinball" Clemmons and David Copperfield. She was motivated to raise money for the cause after it affected both her great-grandfather and grandmother. What began as a family lesson in giving back has turned into a highly successful annual fundraiser that raises tens of thousands of dollars. Next year, Amanda plans to pass on her fundraising torch to her little brother Joshua while she assumes the position of proud big sister, overseer and coach.







Public school activist turned environmental steward


A grade 11 student from British Columbia, QUINN RUNKLE is an environmental activist. She started Eco Kids in Grade 4 and was successfully able to ban gas-powered leaf blowers in her community. Afterwards, a trip to the Antarctic with world-renowned scientists and a United Nations environmental conference for kids showed Quinn that children all around the world were taking the problems of the environment just as seriously. Today, she travels the globe lecturing on the importance of environmental issues, writes letters to governments demanding change and represents a new generation of concerned and involved young citizens.

Author who challenges us to change the world

Innovator PAUL EDNEY is blurring the lines between education and social justice. Edney's book, How to Change the World for 10 Bucks challenges Canadians to make small changes in their lives and to measure the impact their change makes. We'll meet teachers and students at Toronto's Bishop Strachan School whose lives have been affected by the book, and discover the collective power of making change on step at a time.

Social entrepreneur committed to saving lives and the environment

RANJANA MITRA is actively working to stop the dumping of toxic e-waste from improperly discarded computers and other electronics. As an activist, she is working to stop the transportation of this toxic e-waste to workers in developing nations where they're exposed to harmful toxins as they mine valuable metals from millions of broken computer screens and cell phones. Her contribution to the problem - Share-IT, a not-for-profit that diverts computers from landfills by refurbishing and redistributing them to those in need in local communities. Ranjana's mission is to provide technology to low-income families and stop the exportation of e-waste to developing countries.