It is incredibly refreshing to experience beautiful and hard working Vancouverites in their prime. These people in their prime are those who dedicate countless hours to create an impact inside, as well as outside their community. There are hundred of these extraordinary people living in Vancouver that continue to set so many goals and accomplish such incredible things. Unfortunately, these people are not recognized as much as most believe they should be. Thankfully, the beauty of Vancity Buzz gives you just that!
Showcasing everyone and everything Vancouver, including the talented and inspiring Lindsay Goodridge.
Linsday Goodridge may seem like your usual high school teacher, but given the opportunity to sit down and chat with her, you would know in only a couple of minutes she is much more than that.
In September 2012, Lindsay took over a leadership class at the school she is currently teaching at. The class had been an extension of students council, which was responsible for running student events at the school.
The first leadership class that she had with her students, she asked them what they wanted to address at the school for the year. Almost unanimously, the students agreed on school spirit. Since Lindsay was secretly hoping that this class would escalate into something more, she was beyond excited, because she knew that the class was quickly heading in that direction.
Lindsay’s first assignment was called “Passion”. She assigned questions to her students such as, “What are you passionate about?”, “What is one thing in your life that you couldn’t live without?”, and “How could you bring this opportunity to someone who doesn’t have it?”. The answers from her students varied, and from their answers, a new assignment was created.
The students answers created topics, and these topics focused on how they could increase awareness through school events. The students began to make posters drawing attention to their causes, and talked about what sorts of issues there were in the world that would pertain to their topics. Through months of brainstorming and teamwork, the students organized (from start to finish, with only the help of “yes” from Lindsay) several events.
The students organized a food drive, (raising over $9000 worth of food for the food bank in 2 weeks, and prior to the food drive the students participated in a 24 hour famine), December Teens for Jeans (1600 pairs of jeans for Covenant House Vancouver were raised, making local news), Anti-Bullying Workshops (designed by students for students in elementary school), Pink Day (Flash mob celebration, “The Hunger Games”- a different game each day to highlight and raise awareness and money for hunger, shelter, clothing, water and disease), Hunger Awareness Week (Bagged lunches for kids on the Downtown East side who had no food program because of a professional day, as well as feeding the homeless on the DTES), Anti homophobia day (which also made local news), and a blood drive.
Do you want to know the most amazing peice to this story? This was all done in less than ONE school year. September to now.
Lindsay has actualized an opportunity for her students to do the work, and all she does is say yes. She continuously tells them that they can do it, helping them work through obstacles, and in the end, they manage to pull it off. Lindsay says, “…they walk a little taller, speak a little more confidently, and have priceless grins on their face when the project is finished. It’s the reason I go to work everyday.”
One of several plans for next year include working at an orphanage in Central America and supporting a group called Because I’m a Girl, which allows girls the opportunity to go to school.
If you think that Lindsay hasn’t created so much already, it does not come as a shock that she does even more.
Not only does Lindsay have a love for youth and passion to create change, she loves to capture moments. She is a teacher as well as an extremely talented photographer.
Lindsay started a project called, “Picture the District”, where the goal was to challenge herself as a self-critic and skeptic, and then to get her name in print as a “photographer”. For three months, Lindsay snapped pictures of different districts in Vancouver each week. Lindsay skillfully portrays the essence and beauty of Vancouver, through different angles, light and perspectives, allowing her audience to evoke in different responses. Even though this project started as something for just herself, it comes to no suprise that she is naturally spreading her inspirtion through not only her class, but through her photography.
After three months, her project is finished. She is showing her work this Friday, June 1st, at Vinci’s Caffee and Gallery (194 West 3rd Avenue). The show is from 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm, and tickets are $10.00 at the door.
If you’re interested in looking at Vancouver through Lindsay’s eyes and meeting her in person to share your stories or hear more about hers, join her this Friday, and dress to impress!