Hannah Alper may just be 13 years old and in Grade 7, but she's already been doing her best to change the world for four years.
The Richmond Hill resident is an activist who began blogging at age nine to share her growing knowledge and concern for the environment.
Her passions include eco-friendly living, fair trade, the World Wildlife Federation and the fight against child labour. The young teen was the guest speaker at the Roots & Shoots Conference at Science North on May 12.
The 15th annual conference, inspired by the work of environmentalist Jane Goodall, brings together students and teachers to expose them to ideas that can improve the quality of life for all living things in their communities.
“One of my mottos is that little things can add up to a big difference,” said Hannah. “You can start small with kindness or anything you're passionate about, and that adds up to make a big difference.”
In speaking at Roots & Shoots, that's just what Hannah wanted to persuade Sudbury youth to do — make a difference in whatever way they can.
Hannah is a Free the Children ambassador, and thanks to her involvement in the cause, she's going on an adventure. She's heading to Kenya next month to check out the development work Free the Children has done there.
Free the Children is an international charity and youth empowerment movement founded in 1995 by human rights advocate Craig Kielburger, when he was just 12 years old himself.
The organization focuses on young people, with programs in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. for service learning and active citizenship, and international development projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America focused on children and education.
Kielburger is one of Hannah's role models. “I'm so honoured to know him,” she said. “He's an amazing person.”
You can check out Hannah's blog here.
