2015-2016 The Changemaker - Back to School Mini Issue

ChangemakerThe

How Student Organizations are

Making a Change at ASD

BACK TO SCHOOL MINI

ISSUE:

A St udent Publ i cat i on of The Ameri can School of DubaiAcadem ic | Leadership | Service

Editor in Chief: Clara Harter

Content Editor : Chr is Yum

Copy Editor : Carolyn W hit lock

Copy Editor : Sowon Yoon

Layout Editor : Cheyenne Belt

Layout Editor : Chr is Gyra

Editors

Student Organizations Leadership:

- Student Government Associat ion

- Student Tech Crew - Internat ional Student

Associat ion - Library Advisory Council- Body and Mind- Club G.E.M- Student Leadership

Development Program - Play It Up- Students Against

Destruct ive Decisions

Academic:

- Cinematography in Mot ion

- Nat ional Honor Society (NHS)

- Mu Alpha Theta- Thespian Society- Business Club- Science Club- Wor ld Languages Club

Service:

- Global Issues Network - UNICEF- SEENAH- Save the Children- Room to Read- Litt le W ings- PAWS- Kids for W ish Kids- Educat ing Gir ls Globally - End 7- GAIA- Seeds of Change

Letter From The Editor

The Changemaker MissionHere at ASD, we have almost thir t y fantast ic student organizat ions represent ing the diverse passions of our internat ional student body. Alone, each of these organizat ions has the abilit y to accomplish great things but through connect ing as a community, they have the collect ive strength to create meaningful change. This magazine is sponsored by The Global Issues Network, a f irm believer in the power of collaborat ion, as a means to educate and unite the ASD community around the fantast ic issues and init iat ives our student organizat ions support . We hope that The Changemaker provides an avenue for organizat ions to elevate their act ivit ies through community awareness and connect ion so that together we can create powerful change.

Hello students, welcome back! Before you stretches the long road of another school year. It is up to you to decide what journey you want to take: you can choose to make it f lat and dull, steep and overw helming, or twist ing and excit ing.

I remember f irst embarking on the journey of high school, and constant ly hear ing "get involved!", "join a club!", "engage in the community!" But I never took this advice ser iously, worrying I'd have no fr iends in the club, it would be aw kward and bor ing, or people would think I was uncool.

But you know w hat is cool? Passionate people. Find what you love and put your heart into it . Cliché notwithstanding, the moment I star ted to enjoy high school was the moment I star ted to get involved. It was the moment I star ted making fr iends in other grades, began lett ing go of insecur it ies, and finally felt at home at ASD.

So as you embark on your journey this year, I challenge you to change lanes, make unexpected turns, and take the scenic route. Let this mini issue of The Changemaker be your roadmap, provid ing you with all the informat ion you need to make the most of your tr ip. Later issues will provide more depth with interviews, ar t icles, and features of organizat ions' accomplishments and expert ise. From movies to math equat ions, government to gardening, and advocacy to animal r ights, there truly is an organizat ion for everyone.

So this year, make your journey a great one; be a goal-creator, be a r isk-taker, be a Changemaker.

Dr ive safely,

Clara Harter

Sponsor ed By

AcademicFlex Meet ing Day: Day 4 & Day 12

Mission Statement : We want to spread the knowledge about var ious wor ld languages throughout the community. We also want to aid the students to communicate in var ious languages to contr ibute in a rapid ly changing wor ld.

Descr ipt ion: Bonjour, Hola, and ???? ??! If you are an avid wor ld language fan, this club is for you. The Wor ld Languages Club not only promotes the learning of wor ld languages in the community, but also allows it s members to sign up to tutor fellow students in high school and middle school. If you are interested, then feel free to join at any t ime!

Fun Fact : Mandar in is spoken by 873 million nat ives wor ldwide, w hile English is only spoken by 50 8 million nat ives wor ld wide. Time to star t learning!

World Languages Club

Thespian SocietyMission Statement : Act well your par t ; there all the honor lies.

Descr ipt ion: The Internat ional Thespian Society ( ITS) is the Educat ional Theatre Associat ion's student honorary organizat ion. ITS recognizes the achievements of high school theatre students.

Fun Fact : The Educat ional Theatre Associat ion has inducted more than 2 million Thespians into the Internat ional Thespian Society.

Business Club Mission Statement : Our mission is to educate people on star t ing up a business and to make members knowledgeable about the business wor ld by meet ing entrepreneurs and taking par t in compet it ions.

Descr ipt ion: Our goals for this year are to take par t in a compet it ion w here our members can actually create a product and sell it , so they can have a g limpse into the life of an entrepreneur.

Fun Fact : We met the founder of Aramex, Fadi Ghandour and Souq.com, Ronaldo Mouchawer last year.

Flex Meet ing Day : 6 and 14

Mission Statement : It shall be the mission of the ASD Science Club to strengthen the interest and skills of students such that they are better prepared for excellence in scient if ic higher educat ion, through collaborat ion with the school?s Science Department and it s teachers.

Descr ipt ion: Those passionate or hoping to learn more in the var ious f ields of science are invited to join the Science Club. The pilot year saw the creat ion of a tutor ing service, enr ichment through ar t icles and videos, and stargazing out ings. It is our goal this year to become a chapter of the Science Nat ional Honor Society.

Science ClubFlex Meet ing Day: 4 and 12

Mission Statement : To promote internat ional awareness and understanding amongst the students and greater community of ASD. To facilitate a school atmosphere in which people of all ethnicit ies are celebrated and valued. We believe in celebrat ing the diversit y of cultures and ethnicit ies represented by the students of ASD.

International Student Association

Flex Meet ing Day: Tuesdays (every two weeks)

Mission Statement : Our mission is to build a community of mathemat ics enthusiasts that consolidates and demonstrates the importance of mathemat ics in all aspects of life, and to address the demands and needs of the community by establishing meaningful and engaging mathemat ical exper iences.

Descr ipt ion: As a mathemat ics honor club, we work under 3 pillars: academics, service, and fun. Throughout the year, we engage in tutor ing sessions, par t icipate in and host math compet it ions, and promote mathemat ics within and outside of our school. Our b iggest events are Camp Math for middle school students and the JV Math Invitat ional compet it ion we host for other schools.

Fun Fact : Mu Alpha Theta (???) stands for ?M A T H? in English!

Acad

emic Mu Alpha Theta

Flex Meet ing Day: Applicat ions for new members begin in the Spr ing. Current members are automat ically signed up for Day 3 and 11 of the f lex rotat ion.

Mission Statement : This chapter shall be to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to st imulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership, and to encourage the development of character in students of the Amer ican School of Dubai.

Descr ipt ion: The goals of the NHS this year are to maintain and improve NHS tradit ions and br ing about new improvements and projects that will benefit the ASD and the larger community. In NHS, members are able to pursue their own service projects independent ly or in collaborat ion with other clubs at ASD while par t icipat ing in w hole-group projects as well.

Fun Fact : This year marks the year with one of the greatest number of NHS members in the Falcon Chapter.

National Honor Society

Flex Meet ing Day: 1 and 9

Mission Statement : We are a non-profit organizat ion specializing in development and promot ion of the studies of both videography and cinematography within the ASD community. We will also work to promote popular and histor ical f ilm culture and allow the ASD community to collaborate and create a f ilm or a documentary.

Descr ipt ion: If you have a strong passion for f ilm-making, you found the r ight place! CIM offers f ilm discussions with those w ho have the same interest as you, helps other club promote their events by creat ing advert isements and most important ly, collaborates on f ilms or documentar ies.

Fun Fact : We are the f irst and only club dedicated to f ilm-making!

Cinematography In Motion

Leadership

Flex Meet ing Day: 1, 5, 9, and 13

Mission Statement : The SGA, embodying the values of ASD members, seeks to promote a community of support , collaborat ion, and spir it by empower ing the student body.

Descr ipt ion: The goal of this organizat ion is to g ive a voice to the student body and support our high school community. The SGA is planning a lot of things for this upcoming school year, new and old. These include, (but are not lim ited to) - Homecoming, Mr. ASD, UCC, Cupids, and many more excit ing events! We are all so excited and can?t wait to strengthen the community with you this year.

Fun Fact : The SGA invented UCC (Ult imate Class Compet it ion), which is a year ly ant icipated event and now a HS tradit ion.


Mission Statement : We promote our students to build and maintain healthy living habits through regular attendance to the weight room. The students will be able to carry on the discipline acquired here to better their futures outside of ASD.

Descr ipt ion: Need mot ivat ion? BAM focuses on improving the f itness of ASD students. All it takes to be a member is to come to our workouts regular ly dur ing FLEX blocks! If you want to take your passions fur ther, you can join one of our committees to help with our projects, or to be a personal trainer ! If you?re not a member, you can st ill come to us to seek assistance in putt ing together workouts. You can be trained and be helped to broaden your knowledge on what it takes to embrace a healthy lifestyle.


Mission Statement : The Library Advisory Council increases the use of library resources and gains input from the ASD community to recreate the library.

Descr ipt ion: The Library Advisory Council endeavours towards collect ing more input from the ASD community on innovat ive ways the Library can be decorated. W ith such a large focus on the Library?s use, this Council aspires to assist the library staff with mater ials and services. We also welcome Visit ing Authors to our enthusiast ic school.

Fun Fact : At the 20 14 NHS Lock-In and Tr ick-or-Treat Night , the Library Advisory Council shredded three books for the "Guess the Shredded Book" contest !

Student Government Association

Body and Mind

Library Advisory Council

Lead

ersh

ip

Students Against

Destructive Decisions

Club GEM

Student Tech Crew


Mission Statement : We empower g ir ls through the development of independent thinking, leadership, teamwork, acceptance, and mentorship skills by engagement in thought provoking conversat ion and real life leadership challenges.

Descr ipt ion: Club GEM is a g ir l?s empowerment and mentor ing group. We have undergone extensive training in group facilitat ion and lead workshops for middle school g ir ls on effect ive leadership skills. . We also par tner with the organizat ion Women for Women Internat ional, w hich supports women in war torn countr ies to become leaders through training and educat ion programs. The club hosts an annual Yogathon and Dance-A-Thon as a healthy means of fundraising.


Mission Statement : SADD?s mission is to empower young people to successfully confront the risks and pressures that challenge them in their daily lives.

Descr ipt ion: SADD is an organizat ion that was star ted in the US, and was mainly d irected towards DUI and alcohol. We took it upon ourselves to br ing this club to our school, and as the f irst SADD organizat ion outside Amer ica, we decided to implement some changes in the regulat ions. We decided to d irect our club towards many more issues our students are facing today (bullying,depression) and we will attempt to make a change and help as many high school students as we can.


Mission Statement : To be a dedicated organizat ion that explores technology in order to aid the ASD community and those outside of it .Descr ipt ion: STC has plans to help out with events such as the carnival, and to run events of it s own such as: the organizat ion of a Star Wars week in December, several Flex b lock ser ies about d ifferent areas of computers, as well as f inishing the setup of a 32 node cluster computer for the school to use.

Student Leadership Development Program


Mission Statement : ASD?s Student Leadership Development Club empowers high school leaders to make a d ifference by t ightening the ASD community, and beyond.

Descr ipt ion: SLDP is switching gears this year. New leadership opportunit ies have r isen within the club! We are par tner ing with an outside organizat ion to aid b lue collared workers, and Brains Up which aims to create a bond between the ES and HS by explor ing ar t icles together. We br ing top speakers from around the wor ld to inspire students and members with their knowledge and exper ience.


Mission Statement : We encourage strong relat ionships between high school and elementary school students while creat ing leadership opportunit ies for our high school students. We also encourage the student body to be more act ive and be role models for elementary school kids.

Descr ipt ion: Play It Up is a sports mentor ing club designed to provide opportunit ies for elementary aged kids to try new sports or enhance their skills in a safe, support ive environment . Responsib le high school kids will provide posit ive role models and encouragement for young falcon athletes after school, foster ing a posit ive use of t ime.

Fun Fact : You can earn service hours by par t icipat ing in Play It Up!

Play It Up

Leadership


Mission Statement : We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical condit ions to enr ich the human exper ience with hope, strength and joy.

Descr ipt ion: The HS Chapter of Kids For W ish Kids was founded last year and was able to successfully accomplish their goal. The greatest focus for the organizat ion is to raise the necessary funds for grant ing a wish. Some of the events from last year included: Kids For Pie, Kids For Santa, Walk For A W ish, and the Kids For Kash Kube.

Fun Fact : Make-A-W ish® grants a wish, on average, every 37 minutes.

Kids For Wish Kids

Global Issues NetworkFlex Meet ing Day: 2 and 10

Mission Statement : To empower young people to collaborate locally, regionally, and globally in order to create sustainable solut ions for g lobal issues.

Descr ipt ion: GIN works on a model of issue-based fundraising to spread meaningful awareness about g lobal issues, raise the most funds possib le, and ensure that the money goes to the place where it will have the maximum possib le impact . This year we will cont inue to spread awareness on the global refugee cr isis and support Sonbola, an NGO funding the educat ion of Syr ian refugees. We will also focus on collaborat ion by planning the leadership retreat , publishing The Changemaker, host ing Wor ld Peace Day, and present ing at conferences in Abu Dhabi and Luxembourg.

Shocking Fact :

If refugees formed a country it s populat ion would be greater than that of Spain, Argent ina, or Canada!

Serv

ice

Flex Meet ing Day: 9

Mission Statement : We aspire to create a safe and healthy learning environment for g ir ls living in countr ies where they are depr ived of a proper educat ion, to hopefully g ive them more opportunit ies, support , and enhancement in opt imizing their future.

Descr ipt ion: Educat ing Gir ls Globally focuses on the educat ion of young gir ls while addressing health issues that could have a ser ious impact on their success. Many young gir ls in India suffer from diseases because they cannot get the supplies, care, and treatment


Mission Statement : As a chapter of the Litt le W ings Foundat ion, we str ive to educate the ASD community and inspire young students to take par t in var ious act ivit ies that will ult imately make a d ifference in the lives of those w ho suffer from physical injur ies and deformit ies in war-torn countr ies.

Descr ipt ion: We absolutely can?t wait to star t this year off with a bang. We have so many great ideas planned and lots of volunteer opportunit ies for our members. We may also organize a couple visit s to the Litt le W ings clinic.

Fun Fact : One of Dr. Sinclair 's pat ients, Judith, was featured on a local newspaper for her bravery and courage!

Educating Girls Globally

Little Wings

they need in order to be healthy. W ith their concerns focused on this problem, they often lack the t ime and commitment needed to stay in school and obtain their educat ion. E.G.G, a non-profit organizat ion, is being introduced to ASD for the f irst t ime this year. Our mission is to raise awareness throughout the ASD community and to hopefully improve the circumstances of these amazing young gir ls.

Shocking Fact : In India, young gir ls average less than 4 years of schooling in their lifet ime.

Flex Meet ing Day: 5

Mission Statement : The mission of Save the Children is to create equal opportunit ies for children across the wor ld who face hardships that are detr imental to their well being.

Descr ipt ion: W hen was the last t ime you heard about the situat ion in Nepal following the Apr il ear thquake? This year, ASD?s Save the Children club want to take advantage of the organizat ion?s presence in Nepal to help the children displaced by the ear thquake. This help will go towards the children's? educat ion, nutr it ion, and general well-being. We are excited for the new year!

Shocking Fact : In 20 15 8,617 people were killed in Nepal

Save The Children

Service

Room to ReadFlex Meet ing Day: 1 and 9

Mission Statement : Room to Read aims to support educat ion for children and women in third wor ld countr ies by promot ing literacy and gender equalit y.

Descr ipt ion: This year we want to focus on the issue of women's illiteracy in a specif ic country. In the past , we have been able to build 7 librar ies/schools in countr ies such as Bangladesh, India, Sr i Lanka, Cambodia, etc. This year, we want to focus on one country and contr ibute as much as we can. Locally, we mentor students at an underpr ivileged school in Deira, called the Litt le Flower English School. We hope you will join us on our mission of promot ing educat ion, gender equalit y, and literacy for the greater good of the wor ld.

Shocking Fact : 171 million people would be lif ted out of poverty if every child had an educat ion.

Flex Meet ing Day: Day 7 and Day 15

Mission Statement : Our goal is to br ing relief and aid to children facing hardship around the globe with our emphasis shift ing from region to region on a year ly basis. We str ive to shed light on the pressing humanitar ian cr ises that UNICEF current ly handles for the ASD community.

Descr ipt ion: This year, UNICEF is really excited to be support ing a camp somew here in the wor ld that our group members will decide on. We host events like our annual auct ion, the Change for Change init iat ive, collect ing Chr istmas gift s for children at the camp, and of course, our famous milkshake sales. We?re really excited to expand the club and do more than we ever have. Last year we raised over 11,0 0 0 dhs for Syr ia and we?re aiming even higher this t ime!

Fun Fact : For the f irst t ime ever this year, we?re hoping to travel and personally d istr ibute the Chr istmas presents at whichever country?s UNICEF camp we decide to support this year !


Mission Statement : Protect Animals W ithout Shelter

Descr ipt ion: PAWS is the club for any and all animal lovers. We are an organizat ion dedicated to improving the lives of animals in the UAE. Through volunteer work and fundraising we help support the local animal shelters and rescues to the best of our abilit ies.

Fun Fact : In theory, a healthy female cat and it s offspr ing can produce up to 420 ,0 0 0 cats in six years or 192 kittens per day. A healthy female dog and it s offspr ing have a lower reproduct ion rate ? 67,0 0 0 dogs in six years or 30 puppies per day.

PAWS

Unicef

Serv

ice

ServiceFlex Meet ing Day: 6 and 14

Mission Statement : GAIA aims to increase the awareness of environmental issues within the ASD community, in order to inst ill an inherent care and responsib ilit y toward the wor ld in which we live. We hope this will allow individuals to recognize their role on this planet and their abilit y to have a posit ive environmental impact by reducing their carbon footpr int and making conscious lifestyle decisions.

Descr ipt ion: Last year, GAIA worked hard to f inally achieve our two main goals w hich were gett ing new water coolers and recycling b ins for the campus. This year, we want to lead by example. We have created two new focus groups, w hich are the food and necessit ies groups. W ith our three focus groups ( food, water, and necessit ies) we hope to cont inue raising awareness within the ASD community about the effects our act ions have on the environment .

Fun Fact : GAIA hopes to make ASD a br ing-your-ow n water bott le campus by 20 17!

Global Awareness Inner Awakening


Mission Statement : END7 is an internat ional advocacy campaign working to raise the awareness and funding necessary to control and elim inate the seven most common, neglected tropical d iseases by 20 20 .


Mission Statement : Seeds of Change mot ivates the ASD community to incorporate healthier and greener lifestyle choices by educat ing and inspir ing students through hands-on learning in it s self-sustaining, organic garden.


Mission Statement : SEENAH supports communit ies by connect ing reputable NGOs with organizat ions and individuals w ho want to make a d ifference.

Seeds of Change

End 7 SEENAH

Documents

2015-2016 The Changemaker - Back to School Mini Issue