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INSPIRED GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING 2015
“I learned that I can be the change I want to see in the world and that I have the potential to achieve great things.” Niamh Riggins St. Collumbkille’s Primary
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59,000 participants in Scotland
90,000 total participants across the commonwealth
INSPIRED
We call i others t 2014 Co
From 20 a poster the Com
O F F I C I A L AWA R D S M A G A Z I N E 2 0 1 5
58 participating nations & Territories
it inspire>aspire because it leads young people through a process of discovering more about themselves and about to help define their own aspirations. Every poster completed in this way is first-hand evidence of how the Glasgow ommonwealth Games have left a lasting legacy in young people.
013-2015 over 59,000 young people from Scotland and 90,000 in total from across the Commonwealth completed r. Inside the magazine we capture some of 2015’s most compelling content from inspirational young people across mmonwealth who have shown that they have been inspired and have the aspirations to lead a generation.
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Supporters The mission of the John Templeton Foundation is to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for discovery in areas engaging life’s biggest questions. These questions range from explorations into the laws of nature and the universe to questions on the nature of love, gratitude, forgiveness, and creativity. Our vision is derived from Sir John Templeton’s commitment to rigorous scientific research and related scholarship. The Foundation’s motto “How little we know, how eager to learn” exemplifies our support for open-minded enquiry and our hope for advancing human progress through ground breaking discoveries. www.templeton.org D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd is a private company based in Dundee. The company has significant interests in UK newspaper and magazine publishing. Amongst other publications it owns The Courier and Advertiser, The Aberdeen Press and Journal and The Sunday Post. It owns The Beano, The Dandy and Woman’s magazines My Weekly and The People’s Friend, Puzzler Media Ltd (one of the world’s largest publishers of Puzzle Magazines, Crosswords and Sudoku) and Parragon Publishing Ltd which publishes and sells some 90 million books each year worldwide. The company has interests in commercial television, online businesses, and is a major shareholder in Mothercare www.dcthomson.co.uk The Garfield Weston Foundation was established in 1958 by Willard Garfield Weston, a Canadian businessman who arrived in the UK with his family in 1932. He was the creator of Associated British Foods and the Foundation was endowed with the donation of family-owned company shares. As a result, the Foundation is today the ultimate controller of the company. The trustees today are all lineal descendants of the founder and they remain committed to continuing the ethos that has made the Foundation one of the largest and most respected charitable institutions in the country. It gives them as much pleasure to help a small local community as a major national organisation and they are prepared to consider applications covering a wide range of charitable activity. www.garfieldweston.org
Claire Enders founded Enders Analysis in 1997. Claire is one of the most experienced analysts and forecasters in UK and European media and telecoms. Her company, Enders Analysis, is one of the leading independent research companies in the UK and focuses on research, analysis and specialist expertise across the UK and European sectors. Some 150 financial, corporate and regulatory organisations subscribe to Enders Analysis’ independent research reports. www.endersanalysis.com The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is a unique and leading Centre for the examination of how character and virtues impact on individuals and society. It offers world class research on the importance of developing good character and virtues and the benefits they bring to individuals and society. A key conviction underlying the existence of the Centre is that the virtues that make up good character can be learnt and taught. The Jubilee Centre believe these have largely been neglected in schools and in the professions. It is also a key conviction that the more people exhibit good character and virtues, the healthier our society. As such, the Centre undertakes development projects seeking to promote the practical applications of its research evidence. www.jubileecentre.ac.uk McRobert Trust is the proud keeper of an historic legacy, one that informs everything they do. The Trust is both landlord and charity, and they discharge both these duties within a modern context but with the philosophy of their benefactor, Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert, at the heart of nearly every decision they make. Her legacy lives on through their continuing connection with the military, with the countryside and farming, and in their commitment to charitable work, in particular their assistance to young people to help them achieve their potential no matter what disadvantages they may face. www.themacroberttrust.org.uk
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Contents 6 6 8 10 12 63 78 80
Foreword Welcome Inspire > Aspire Judge’s Comments Scottish Schools International Schools Teacher Feedback Endorsements
12 12 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 18 18 18 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 22 23 23 24 24 24 25 25 25 25 26 26 26 27 28 28 29 29 29 30 30 31 32
Abbey Primary School Albyn School Ardnamurchan High School Auchinleck Academy Auchmuty High School Baldragon Academy Balerno High School Balfron High School Ballachulish Primary School Balmalloch Primary School Banff Academy Bannerman High School Belshill Academy Boclair Academy Braes High School Broadlands Primary School Broughton High School Carmichael Primary School Castlehill Primary School Cleveden Secondary School Clydeview Academy Coupar Angus Primary School Cumnock Academy Douglas Ewart High School Dunbeg Primary School Echline Primary School Echt Primary School Elgin High School Elie Primary School Fair Isle Primary School Feltham Community College Fernielea School Fortrose Academy Foveran Primary School Gairloch High School George Heriots School Gilbert Inglefield Academy Girvan Primary School Glasgow Gaelic School Good Shepherd Centre Gracemount High School Grangemouth High School Grantown Grammar Grove Academy Gryffe High School Hawick High School Hillhead High School Holy Family RC Primary School Hyndland Secondary School Inchmarlo Prep School Inverurie Academy
33 33 34 34 34 34 35 36 36 36 37 37 37 38 39 39 40 40 41 41 41 42 42 43 43 44 44 44 45 45 46 47
Islay High School Kemnay Academy Kilsyth Academy Kingsford Primary School Kinross High School Kirkcudbright Academy Knightswood Secondary School Knowepark Primary School Knox Academy Langholm Academy Lockerbie Academy Middleton Park Mt Vernon Primary School Oldmachar Academy Paget High School Pencoed Comprehesive Pittenweem Primary School Perth Academy Perth Grammar School Perth High School Portlethen Academy Portree High School Queen Anne High School Radyr Comprehensive Raglan V.C. Primary Renfrew High School Rosneath Primary School Ross High School Rosshall Academy Roundwood Park School Shawlands Primary School South West FifeYouth Association
48 48 49 49 50 50 51 52 52 52 52 53 53 54 55 55 55 56 56 56 56 57 58 59 59 59 60 60 61 62 62 62
St Aidan’s High School St Andrews R.C High School St Clare’s Primary School St Colm’s High School St Columbkille’s Primary School St Dominic’s Belfast St Fillan’s Primary School St George’s Primary School St George’s School for Girls St John’s R.C High School St Joseph’s Penarth St Mary’s Grammar School St Mungo’s High School St Muns Primary School St Peters Primary School St Pius X College Stonelaw High School Strathallan School Sullivan Upper Prep School Tarbert Academy The Glasgow Academy The Gordon Schools The Tiffin Girls’ School Tirdenauw Primary School Turriff Academy Ullapool High School Victoria College Waid Academy Wallace Prep Wester Hailes Education Centre Westpark School Williamston Primary School
63 Peregian Springs State School 63 St Benedict’s Catholic College 64 Chittagong Cantonment Public College 64 Dr Khastagir School 65 Northside Primary School 66 GBHS Santchou 66 St Joachim Catholic School 66 Nadogo Central College 67 Sigatoka Andrha Sangam College 67 Sangam SKM College 67 Dunois High School 68 Modern Public School 68 Satya Barthi Adash School 68 Satya Elementary School 68 Rosslyn Academy 69 Nyarach Primary School 69 St Ignatius College 69 Nigeria Living Values 70 CARE Pakistan 70 Zwelibanzi High School 71 St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls 71 Sanghamittha School 72 Kurunduwatte Royal College 73 School of Art and Design 73 School of St Jude 75 Moulton Hall Methodist Primary School 75 Sakamala Secondary School 76 Chengelo School
Edited by DAVID LORIMER Content Managed by SARAH VIRGO, ALEX GREGG, JASON PENMAN & JULIE THOMPSON Designed by ELLIE PEARSON, LIAM HOWARD & DON WATSON Published by CAREER STUDIO Printed in the UK by THE MAGAZINE COMPANY The Inspire-Aspire Values Poster Awards is a programme of Character Education Scotland Ltd registered charity number SCO40962. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily the views of Character Education Scotland or its trustees. Picture Acknowledgements: Cover Page p4 + p28 + p60 Emma Watson (Georges Biard, www.washingtonpost.com), Cover Page + p4 + p20 Malala Yousafzai (Press Association, Russell Watkins/Department for International Development), Cover Page Usian Bolt (Press Association), Cover Page Commonwealth Baton (Wiki Fair Use), p13 Stephen Sutton (www.lichfieldlive.co.uk/2014/05/14/ stephen-suttons-brother-i-was-blessed-to-grow-up-with-him), p14 Martin Luther King (Wikimedia Commons Photos), p16 Ronaldinho (Wikimedia Commons), p19 Roal Dahl (Library of Congress, www.peterharringtonbooks.com/stock_41204.asp, www.gtps.k12.nj.us/ technology/litcircles5th/witches.WWW), p23 Nikola Tesla (Unknown), p24 Lopez Lomong (Paul Merca), p26 Bob Marley (https://secure. flickr.com/photos/dubpics/5619960763/), p31 + p65 Mahatma Gandhi (Unknown), p32 David Beckham (Brian MInkoff-London Pixels), p35 +p40 Nelson Mandela (Unknown, Paul Weinberg, Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Press Association), p37 Angelina Jolie (Philipp Von Ostau), p38 Walt Disney (NASA, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division), p42 Talia Joy Castellano (www.behindthetalent.com/r-i-p-talia-castellano-photosvideo), p45 Stephen Hawking (Press Association , Finemann, NASA), p47 Laverne Cox (Dominick D), p49 Russell Brand (D B Young), p51 Barack Obama (Press Association), p52 Gerard Way (Stuart Sevastos), p54 Dr. Seuss (Al Ravenna, World Telegram staff photographer), p56 J.K Rowling (Daniel Ogren), p58 Kelly Gallagher & Charlotte Evans (Raystorm), p61 Robert the Bruce (Edmund Bleigh), p63 Princess Diana (Gegodeju), p65 Kailash Satyarthi (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Global Campaign for Education, Jeblad), p68 Abraham Lincoln (Alexander Gardner), p71 Muhammad Ali (Press Association), p73 Oprah Winfrey (Alan Light), p74 Michael Jackson (Zoran Veselinovic, CBS Television, Drew H. Cohen derivative work: Gaston S/Kpo! 09), p77 Anne Frank (Paolo Manzo (2013-01-30)).
This magazine has been produced for charitable purposes. Any proceeds from the sale of this publication will go towards the continued funding of the values poster programme administered by Character Education Scotland. Character Education Scotland, Career Studio, Granary Business Centre, Coal Road, Cupar Fife KY15 5YQ Email: admin@character-scotland.org.uk Tel: 01334 844900 TAKE PART in 2016 www.inspire-aspire.org.uk © 2015 Character Education Scotland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Foreword The 2014 Commonwealth Games came with a promise that the event would leave a lasting legacy in Glasgow and in Scotland. Whilst the Games themselves exceeded our expectations and will live long in the memory, it is the legacy that will remain an important focus for years to come. The Inspire>Aspire programme is one of many important projects which is contributing to that legacy. The young people who feature in this magazine are a great example of the thousands of young people in Scotland and in other Commonwealth Nations who were inspired by the culture, spirit and values of the Glasgow Games to develop their aspirations, reflect on their character and engage with their potential. The legacy of the Games can be seen first-hand across the City of Glasgow and there are many measures by which to study the wider impact. However, it is heartening to see that the impact goes much deeper than the measurable. It has provided inspiration to young people around the Commonwealth as they make their mark as aspiring global citizens. Robert Smith Rt Hon Lord Smith of Kelvin, KT Chair, Organising Committee of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games
welcome Welcome to our 2015 inspire-aspire Magazine based on our Commonwealth Games project of Global Citizens in the Making, which we have been running for the last three years. During this period we have reached over 90,000 young people in nearly 60 Commonwealth territories – it has been quite a journey, in the course of which we have learned a great deal about the inspirations and aspirations of young people around the world. Their vision is of a world of equality and fairness in which everyone is respected and no one is judged on superficial appearances. Individually, as you will read below, they are inspired to be themselves, dream big, speak up, fight for what is right, never give up,
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and leave the world a better place: a powerful message for adult readers! The content has been extracted from student posters and consists of quotations and fictional characters chosen by the students along with their reflections on inspirational figures and their visions for a better world. The exercise helps them to deepen their self-knowledge and self-awareness, as well as challenging them to define their vision for a better world and their aspirations for the future. We held our 2015 award ceremony in June at our conference on Character, Culture and
Values at Glasgow University, with over 400 pupils, parents and teachers attending. Olympic curler, scratch golfer and piper Eve Muirhead inspired us with her dedication and competitive spirit. The continuing impact of the project is expressed in some sample feedback:
Nightingale, Elisabeth Garrett Anderson (the first woman to qualify as a doctor in the UK), and Marie Curie (the first woman scientist to win two Nobel Prizes). Less well known but equally inspiring is the story of the geologist Mary Anning in the 19th century.
Iffah Rehman Portlethen Academy, Scotland:
Other inspirational figures highlight the effect of recent films, as is the case with Stephen Hawking and Alan Turing. The pupils admire not only their brilliance but also their tenacity and, in the case of Turing, they are taken aback by the prejudice shown towards him as a gay man. Pupils continue to be inspired by the integrity and example of Gandhi and by Martin Luther King, as in the powerful MLK quotes cited below:
“I have learned so much about myself in this project. I didn’t realise that I had a lot to say to myself. I am happy that I learned things about myself without even knowing it. It’s helped me know my weaknesses and strengths and I have goals in mind for the future now. It’s pretty weird to be honest, because you wouldn’t think you could learn anything about yourself but you can.”
Sima Estebi Roundwood Park School, England: “By taking part in this project I have learnt more about myself as a person and what I want to do in the future. The project has tested me in all aspects: my hopes, who I am and my art skills. It has helped me reflect on who I am and explore different aspects of me. I am proud of my work.”
Nora Isidori Minja St Jude, Tanzania: “The project made me realise there is more to stories than we know. It made me realise how we can easily reach to others, and what we may discover we lack in our lives. The project has given me a chance to evaluate and challenge my future. As a young girl I can achieve a lot before I age and regret why I haven’t put my potential to full use.”
For the second year – and after she won the Nobel Peace Prize last year - Malala Yousafzai was a leading inspirational figure as a champion of girls’ education. Emma Watson was singled out not only for her part as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter but also for her position as a UN Global Ambassador for women’s causes with her powerful speech in New York, which is well worth watching. Other female pioneers cited included Florence
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” “The time is always right to do what is right”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”
We are enormously grateful for the opportunity of bringing this project to schools through the generosity of our sponsors, especially the John Templeton Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation, who have expressed their continuing confidence in the programme through their generous support. Our Olympic and Paralympic Programme was selected for special presentation to the Templeton Trustees. I am also most grateful for the support and dedication of my colleagues Ronnie and Kath Davidson, Julie Thompson, Alex Gregg, Sarah Virgo and Jason Penman; and a special thanks to Don Watson, Liam Howard and Ellie Pearson for their design skills in this magazine.
David Lorimer Founder
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Our Commonwealth journey……….
What have we achieved?
The past 3 years have been an incredible journey for us here at inspire>aspire; our mission was to seize the opportunity of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and to use it to ‘inspire a generation’ and we have succeeded in reaching 90,000 young people throughout the Commonwealth.
Looking back, our education programme has been a real game changer for games legacy and global citizenship education:
The Team
“inspire>aspire: Global Citizens in the Making is a ‘game changer’ for bringing about change in young people’s minds; helping them discover new values from the Commonwealth and giving them the opportunity to share their thoughts, character and values. Involving young people in this programme gives them the opportunity to lead the change in our world.” Clement Awanfe Ngueto Global Compassion, Cameroon
Background
This has required a range of skills and a lot of our work has been executed by our talented young team, aged between 19 and 26. Giving young people the opportunities to succeed is at the heart of our ethos, we know that Young People are creative, ambitious and inventive and we have been simultaneously pioneering Scotland’s first Enterprise Apprenticeship Scheme which has helped us to become the first organisation in Scotland to achieve Investors in Young People Status.
‘inspire>aspire’ is a personal development programme for young people aged 10-18; it has been running in Scotland for the past 7 years and we now have participation in 58 different Commonwealth nations and territories.
The Activity
Schools and other organisations apply to take part and we post their resources to them; pupils use our unique poster template and supporting pupil and teacher resources
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to complete our process of self-discovery and inspiration, which concludes with them making informed personal statements about their own future ambitions. The final questions ask young people about their vision for a better world and what they will personally do to bring this vision to life. We encourage pupils to turn this into a pledge starting with the Step Up To Serve hashtag #iwill; inviting them to tell the world about their vision and plan to make a difference (www.iwill.org. uk). Our aim is that by participating in the programme, young people become part of a network of active, connected global citizens.
The Future We have learned a lot during the last few years and we feel both excited and inspired about our future and about continuing to find new ways to support educational professionals in their pursuit to develop responsible, caring, successful and engaged global citizens. The programme only works because of the inspiring and dedicated professionals who deliver our programme so we will let them conclude:
Kate Tannock, Albyn School: “We have been involved in the inspire>aspire programme for many years – I feel that the programme enables young people an opportunity to look at themselves in terms of developing their qualities and identifying them too. It encourages pupils to consider aims and ambitions for the future and plan how they might bring about change to build a better community / world.”
Joseph Casey, Good Shepherd Centre: We ask all of our participating schools and other organisations to send in their 5 most inspirational pieces of work, an external panel of judges (see their feedback on the next page) select some of the young characters who inspire them the most and we celebrate these positive young role models at our annual event or through individual school events. This work becomes part of an on-line showcase of young people’s beliefs, values and goals from throughout the Commonwealth and we encourage pupils to read one another’s work to help them learn about the world through the eyes of their global peers.
“inspire>aspire has become a huge part of our school curriculum. It is an invaluable educational tool. It encourages pupils to reflect on their own skills and qualities and every pupils that has completed the project has gained in self-confidence through being encouraged to think more about their future and the impact they can have on the world.”
Mrs Ailsa Barr, Mount Vernon Primary School: “I found this programme to be very worthwhile. As Primary 7 teachers we do a lot of work on changes and the future in preparation for secondary schools, this took the children on a very valuable journey in thinking about what they want for their future both in careers and their personal life. I would really like to work on this again. The children really enjoyed the process and found it very good at focusing their thoughts on the future even though they are very young. It also helped them to look carefully at themselves and their behaviour and what they can do to help themselves.”
Julie Thompson inspire>aspire Programme Manager
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How the young people in this magazine were selected
Lynne Robertson
We ask all of our participating schools and other organisations to send in their five most inspirational pieces of work and an external panel of judges carefully choose which posters they find the most inspiring. Below you can find out what this year’s judges had to say about their experience:
It was an inspiring afternoon. So interesting to see what concerns and influences young people; also to see how young people learn so much about themselves.
Education Scotland
Neil McLennan
Aberdeen Council and Chair, RSE Young Academy “I have just spent a remarkable day reading the insightful, informative and inspirational student posters, which was a real privilege and truly rejuvenating. The world and the future are in safe hands with so many aspiring to do well for themselves, but, far more importantly, for others. They themselves can help others by sharing their #aspirationaladvice. We the judges have learned so much today from them. “
Emma Scott Diana Award
Judges’ Comments 2015 Catherine Stihler MEP
Rector, University of St Andrews “I wasn’t sure what to expect and what I have experienced today is inspiring and enlightening. To learn from young people about their experiences and how they see the world helps me understand better the challenges that young people face today. It is good to have time to reflect on who inspires you and why. I think this exercise should be conducted with politicians. Perhaps we would make better decisions! ”
David Elston
Trustee, Character Scotland “The outputs reflect a very optimistic view of how a lot of young people today are looking at the issues they face, and the world faces. They reflect independent thought and a lot of profound selfanalysis. They are, therefore, inspiring, encouraging and, in some cases, moving – they give us hope. “
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“After assessing posters from a variety of Commonwealth countries, the positive impact of this exercise on these young people is clear. I love the element of peer review at the end. Getting young people to think about character and virtues in this way is extremely valuable and identifying role models is a key practice. Very well put together!”
Taiyeba Hussain Free the Children
“Having seen the outcome of taking part and the insights of young people throughout the posters, it is clear that they enjoyed exploring their own characters in direct comparison to those they read about day to day. It is not something students can engage in every day so it was great to see – from all over the world! Thank you for inviting me!”
Natalie Cramp
London Mayor’s Office “An inspiring morning which reminds you how lucky you are, how humble you should be and the power of young people’s dreams. Young people clearly learn a lot about themselves through the process of reflecting on their strengths, development
areas and inspirations. I particularly liked the peer review. Those who really explained their reasons for choosing individuals or quotes were very successful and a pleasure to read.”
Fatima Anwar CARE Pakistan
“Inspiring for the judges as much as the participants! Thank you for involving us. “
Prof Brenda Gourley
former Vice-Chancellor, Open University “It is a privilege to read about the trials and aspirations of young people from different parts of the world. It is very important to get young people to engage in this exercise. I would like to it be a part of the curriculum in all schools. “
goal setting, understanding of themselves and perspective of where they fit into the world globally will undoubtedly transform their lives and communities. It is a most powerful and inspiring programme for pupils, teachers and families.”
Charlie Knight Ripple Africa
“I was amazed at the standard of some of the work. I think a lot of children gave this much thought and it was a real insight into their thinking. I found it fascinating to read and I hope it helped the children become more self-aware. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, and I look forward to taking posters out to Malawi.”
Ludmila Vavrova British Council
“This was a very enjoyable morning. It was great to read the students’ posters, many of which were of high quality. The scheme clearly has a positive impact on the students’ understanding of their personal qualities and intercultural awareness. “
“I was absolutely amazed by the originality, creativity and diversity of posters, some of which should be considered works of art. I think this project should be compulsory for every pupil as it is developing the real values and critical thinking that are crucial in the contemporary world. It was a very inspirational afternoon indeed. Pupils presented some very deep thoughts and helped me realise how important selfreflection is for their future lives.”
Baroness Howe
Dr Rania Marandos
Ryan Dunn
British Council
Idlicote CBE
“Just reading the thought processes that the InspireAspire has inspired from the children and schools that have participated is an experience in itself. The self-evaluation by the children of their own personalities and hopes for the future is also in itself a wholly worthwhile process. In a world where we all need to engage the younger generation in facing the challenges ahead, Inspire-Aspire needs to grow and expand internationally even more than it has in the last few years.”
Dr Chika Robertson
Deputy Director, Step Up To Serve “It was such a privilege to spend the afternoon judging the Inspire-Aspire posters. There were such inspirational reflections from young people across the UK, who had clearly learned a lot about themselves and others through creating their posters. There was a common theme throughout, with young people expressing their desire to help others and make the world a better place. It would be fantastic to find out if the posters then spur young people into action across their communities. Thank you for me the opportunity to take part!”
Music Mind-Spirit Trust “This is one of the most life affirming activities I have ever had the pleasure (and honour) of doing as I know that every young person who has had the opportunity to participate in this programme will have benefited considerably. The subsequent
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UK Winners Anoushka Harvey Abbey Primary School “Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this walked on Earth in flesh and blood.” Albert Einstein on Gandhi Gandhi is famous for being the leader of the Indian independence movement and for his philosophy of non-violence. He studied law in London then spent some time in South Africa before returning to India in 1915, where he transformed the Indian National Congress with his programme of peaceful noncooperation. He had a big impact on other great leaders like Martin Luther King. I would like to be like Gandhi and I wish more people in the world were like him so there would be less fighting and suffering.
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Bahar Ganjvar Albyn School “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Albert Schweitzer
Ludwig van Beethoven inspires me because of his amazing resilience and hard work. His courage to be different from every other composer is extremely admirable and I aspire to be as good a pianist as he was one day. Beethoven went through really tough times as a child and he certainly didn’t have it easy in adulthood either! For example, at the age of 21, Beethoven’s hearing began to deteriorate and eventually he became completely deaf. However, this didn’t stop him from continuing to compose music! He kept going out despite many financial, family and health problems. Beethoven succeeded in the end and without him music wouldn’t be what it is today!
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have learnt a lot of things while completing this project. I have started to realise what I want to achieve in the future and what kind of human being I want to be. For the first time, I thought about important things like world peace and racism in a way that made me really passionate about them. I think that this project has made me a better person in general and has made me realise my qualities and flaws. ”
Niamh Maclellan
Paige McWilliam
Ardnamurchan High School
Auchinleck Academy
“I’m not afraid of dying, I’m afraid of not cramming as much into my life as I should have done.” Stephen Sutton My inspirational figure would be Stephen Sutton, the blogger who raised millions of pounds for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity. He raised over £4.96 million, which came from 340,000 donors, more than four times his target. Stephen was diagnosed with stage 3B colorectal cancer when he was 15 and two years later, doctors said it was incurable after it spread to his lungs and liver. When Stephen first started fundraising, his initial target was £10,000. He got lots of support so the target was raised to £100,000 then to £500,000, then to £1,000,000 and in May 2014 it was raised to £4,000,000. He also launched a campaign, #thumbsupforStephen asking people to share selfies of themselves promoting the campaign. He even helped break the world record for ‘most people making heart-shaped hand gestures.’ Sadly, Stephen died on the 14th May 2014 aged 19.
Stephen Sutton
“Tell me I can’t and I’ll show you I can.”
I am inspired by Chloe Bruce because she is amazing at her kickboxing and is really flexible I would like to become like her when I am older.
Lauren Innes Auchmuty High School “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I’m Possible’.” Audrey Hepburn One Direction are my inspirational figures. They were named the most charitable celebrities in 2013. They do charity work in Africa together and individually and have donated £200,000 from tour profits to cancer charity.
Aidan McCallum Auchmuty High School “Don’t give up and know that there is always someone out there who believes in you and who loves you just the way you are.” Nick Vujicic My inspirational figure is Nick Vujicic. He is an amazing man who will never give up, no matter what the circumstances are. Nicholas James ‘Nick’ Vujicic was born on 4th December 1982 with a rare disorder called tetra-amelia syndrome. This disorder leaves you with no limbs, which made his life very difficult but what makes Nick so inspirational is the way he got round things. Nothing ever held Nick back in life but he did struggle through depression and loneliness. He started questioning the purpose of life or even if he had a purpose. I love that he stopped looking at his disabilities and started looking at his abilities. Nick now gives motivational speeches, not just about his life but he helps people with their life problems. Nick has made me think more of myself and my opinion is more important.
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Rebecca Ogilvie Baldrag on Academy
“Live the life you love, love the life you live.” Bob Marley
My inspiration is Martin Luther King Jr. He stood for what is right and what his race deserves. MLK (1929-1968) was an amazing inspiration in his generation and ours. He was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He Stood up for what he believed in, anti-racism and bullying, he didn’t believe in violence or war, only peace. I want to be the kind of person that is valued by many, someone that a person knows they can talk to about anything and who they can trust with a secret. I want to be remembered as someone that stood for what they believed in, like MLK JR, because that’s the type of person that I am inspired by, so I would love to be an inspiration, just like my idols.
Annie Bowes Balerno High School “Confused? At a loss for what to do? Wow, sounds like you’re human, good luck.” Welcome to Night Vale (podcast). I like this quote because it makes me laugh. It makes you remember not to stress yourself out over nothing – we’re human. It’s okay to be confused and not make good decisions all the time.
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Martin Luther King My favourite story is a book by Patrick Ness, called ‘More than This.’ The book is about a teenage boy who commits suicide, but, inexplicably, wakes up again. One of the things that I really love about this book is the way that the author explores how you feel when you are at your worst. We learn through flashbacks what happened to the main character to make him commit suicide, and we also realise that there was so much more that he had to live for, that there was, as the title of the book says, “more than this” in his life. At the time he commits suicide he feels as though he has nothing left, but the book tells the reader that there is always more than this, that there is always more than you can see when you are at your worst. I think this is a powerful message for teenagers everywhere. I don’t think I have ever been suicidal, but I have – I think everyone has - felt like there is nothing left. I think that when I remember that book, I remember that there is always, always more than this.
Sophia Brown Balfron High School “Live in the present, remember the past and fear not the future, for it does not exist and never shall, there is only now.” Christopher Paolini
Master Don is my Kuk Sool Won teacher. He is the most inspirational person I know. I have recently had my grading, which would usually be terrifying, but he made it just like a fun class. He is also great with making everyone, even the five-year olds, really like him just by mucking about with the kids and being friendly to everyone. Master Don is an amazing inspiration. He knows so much about everything and always seems to love whatever he’s doing no matter what. He has time for everyone. If I’m anything like him when I’m older, or even now, I think that I’d be pretty happy.
Hope Middleton Ballachulish Primary School “You gotta fall before you fly.” Kellin Quinn I think Marina Joice is inspirational because her YouTube videos inspire me to make YouTube videos and she gives all the advice you will ever need. I like that she inspires you to have your own style and be unique in your own way. I also like her style tips and she shows you ways to keep your hair nice and healthy. Marina inspires you to go out and just have a good time with all of your friends.
Dylan Grant Balmalloch Primary School “Success is not an accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, sacrifice, study and most of all love.” Pele Pele is an inspirational figure because he grew up in the slums of Brazil and became one of the greatest footballers of all time. He had nothing but he didn’t give up. He has also done lots of charity work, raising millions for Great Ormond Street Hospital, FC Harlem and many more organisations. When Pele was a child he was very poor and developed a love for football by kicking a rolled up sock stuffed with rags around
the streets of Bauru Brazil. He grew up to win three world cups and be named footballer of the century in 1999. He is also a global ambassador for football because he is very famous and lots of people know who he is.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have gained a deeper understanding of who I am as a person and that I need to be a bit more patient but I feel I have become a more optimistic, open minded person over the course of this project. I have also learned more about whom I want to be and the impact I want to make on the world. We also recently had a non-uniform day and my pound went to help someone in Syria who is in need.”
Caleb Wisemen Banff Academy “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” Abraham Lincoln My inspirational figure is Stephen Hawking. I find him inspiring because even though he is bound to a computer, he can still do all these superb things, like discovering that black holes emit radiation, and even writing all kinds of books. I admire how he has 12 honorary degrees. That’s pretty impressive! I’m not sure it would be easy to even get one! This shows that he’s extremely hard working. I would like to live up to Stephen Hawking’s amazingly awesome smarts.
Daniel Drumm Bannerman High School ““Life is a challenge” he once told me. “Those who rise to a challenge truly know what it means to live.”” Darren Shan I want to be an art teacher. I want more people to understand famous artists’ work like Claude Monet – Sunrise. If I was a lot better at English I would want to become an author. I would like a world where everyone enjoys art and understands it. I want to support campaigns like poverty campaigns or hunger
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
(Daniel Drumm continued...) campaigns or military campaigns. I will teach people about art and help them understand it. I will donate money when I can to help these campaigns.
Yasmin Mohammed Bellshill Academy
“Be absolutely fearless of what people will say or think about you.” Ashton Irwin I am writing about Ashton Irwin from 5 Seconds of Summer. The reason Ashton inspires me so much is because he is an important role-model to so many people. When he was only a child his father left him, his mum and his two siblings. He was and still is a father figure to his two younger siblings. Then when Ashton was 16 he was going through some tough times and he was very insecure and felt worthless, this drove him to self-harm. When Ashton formed the band at the age of 17 their fan base grew and this helped him as he had more people for support. He managed to stop self-harming with help from his family, friends and fans. Ashton is now an inspiration to fans around the world - he has helped them through hard times and has given them hope that it can get better, you just need support and have to tell someone. Ronaldinho
Fridaus Adeyemi Boclair Academy “Live a life you will remember.” Avicci My inspirational figure is Ronaldinho because I want to be a football player and Ronaldinho is one of the greatest of all time. One of the main reasons why he inspires me is because he started from the bottom in a little village in Brazil and he was optimistic and committed to his dream. Ronaldinho inspired me to play football more and practise more but most of all he inspired me to start learning skills because he is, in my opinion, the most skilful player of all time. The best thing about Ronaldinho is that he might not be a famous politician or scientist/doctor but he always played with a smile, his skill and talent makes people happy and makes people love football.
Niamh Waddell Braes High School
“I don’t want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!” Anne Frank A person I find very inspiring, is a little girl by the name of Anne Frank. Anne Frank was a little
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My vision for a better world is that there will be no more fighting or unkindness, I will help everyone have a big smile on their face so everyone can get along.
Rhona Garden Broughton High School “Be strong, because things will get better. It may be stormy now, but it never rains forever.”
girl who had to go into hiding during the holocaust events of World War Two. She is most well known for her now very famous diary which was published by her father, Otto Frank, a holocaust survivor. I find Anne Frank’s story extremely inspiring, as even though her world was crumbling around her, she still kept dreaming, she stayed optimistic and stayed strong. That’s what I love about her. What Otto Frank did for her was beautiful, and I really hope Anne appreciates that, wherever she may be. I wish I could be like her and stay optimistic in difficult situations.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I definitely have learned that I have more good qualities than what I thought I had, and how I can, if I try, to make a change in both my future and the world’s future. I’ve realised that you don’t need to be ‘perfect’ to be your own perfect person; as long as you are happy with who you are and who’s in your life that is all that matters.”
Amy GriffIths Broadlands Primary School “Life is a gift.” I look up to my Auntie because she is extremely kind to horses and kindly adopted a baby boy and gave him the care he needs.
My inspirational figure is the illustrator Axel Scheffler, because I love to read in the draw. Although I enjoy books that are just words, I really like books that are illustrated. My favourite illustrators are Francois Place (The War Horse), Michael Foreman (Kaspar, Prince of Cats), Korky Paul (Winnie the Witch), Christian Birmingham (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), and Pauline Baynes (The Narnia series). I have chosen Axel Scheffler because he illustrated many of my favourite childhood books, for instance ‘The Gruffalo’, which I loved my Dadreading to me when I was three. My absolute favourites would have to be ‘Room on the Broom’ and ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’. His illustrations really bring the personalities of the characters to life, in July they made a film based on these drawings.
Ross Henderson Carmichael Primary School “Be yourself because an original is worth more than a copy.” Stuart Hogg made his debut for Scotland National Rugby Union Team for the 2012 Six Nations. Stuart has influenced a lot of kids to take interest in the sport and has also promoted the sport. Because of Stuart and other people like him, it has introduced (Ross Henderson continued...) rugby into clubs and school. I think Stuart Hogg is an inspiring person because no matter how much they are losing he always tries his best and encourages them.
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Callum Lindsay
Aimée Martin
Castlehill Primary Scho ol
Cleveden Secondary Scho ol
“Falling down is how we grow, staying down is how we die.” Brian Vaszily
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” Muhammad Ali
Chris Fusaro inspires me not only because he is a professional rugby player but because he has demonstrated that when you believe, anything is possible. Chris played for a club in Cupar called the Howe of Fife. I would like to be kind, funny, positive, healthy and nice like Chris. He has shown humour by making us all laugh, and he also let me and my Dad go and talk to him about rugby. He has shown a positive attitude because when he hurt his ankle he still stayed positive! He is healthy because he is big and strong. He is nice because he respects his family. He also signed my Howe strip and he now plays for Scotland.
The person who inspires me most is Scott Brash. He is an equestrian and competes worldwide as a show jumper. He is from Scotland and is based in Peebles at his own breeding service. He is 28 years old and is number 1 in the world. Scott inspires me to be a more confident rider and relax but to keep control. This doesn’t just mean for riding, to me this can mean every day challenges. Scott has showed me I can be any age and achieve any goal. I know if I believe in myself the way Scott has I can do anything I need to or want to. Scott has inspired me to keep up my passion, that nothing can stop me and I am strong. At most times it pays to be tough. The world belongs to the strong.
James Duncan Castlehill Primary School “How the mighty have fallen.” The Great British Bake Off My vision for a better world is that there are no conflicts and no climate change issues. This is my vision because many people get killed in conflict across the world every day, but there’s no point because we’re all the same. The reason I chose climate change is because not only will it wipe out the polar animals, the water levels will rise and could wipe out all life. As a child I could write a letter to the UN and ask them why they can’t stop this. For climate change you could fundraise for Greenpeace or hand out leaflets to raise awareness. As an adult I could do the same as a child for conflict but for climate change I could adopt an animal or join an organisation.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have achieved a higher level of creativity by taking part in the Inspire Aspire project. I have learned more about my inspirational figure. I put a lot of thought into my future to include as well. I don’t think it could be improved in any way at all. The only person who can make it stand out is whoever it is doing the project.”
Emily Wood Clydeview Academy “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you don’t stop thinking about yesterday all the time.” Charles F Kettering My inspirational figure is Kristina Webb. She is an inspiration to millions of people worldwide including me, for her artwork.
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A quality she upholds is creativity. She is able to produce hundreds of spectacular drawings and crafts. Kristina also has an awareness of issues such as bullying, body image, gay rights and suicide. She is able to illustrate these problems through her art. I find Kristina inspiring because she is able to come up with so many unique and creative ideas which display important messages behind them about the struggles of society. I would love to be able to become as talented an artist as she is. I would also love to inspire people to draw and make people aware of certain issues as she has demonstrated.
Joshua Hopkins Clydeview Academy “To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak.” Martha Graham Lukas MacFarlane is a well known and wildly respected dancer and choreographer in the UK. He owns his own dance studio in the Pineapple studios. He is originally from Canada, Lukas has
Roald Dahl
worked with such artists like Ronan Keating, Taylor Swift and Celine. Lukas was crowned the UK and Ireland’s Best Dance act, winning Sky’s popular reality television show, “Got to Dance.” He has inspired many dancers and even had his own dance group called ‘Untitled’ on “Got to Dance”. He also funds treatment for a child with a serious illness. The boy’s mum said when the boy saw Lukas dance in the hospital it made him smile. It shows Lukas is an inspirational figure to all people.
Andrew Mands Coupar Angus Primary School “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?“ Dr Seuss “The time is always right to do what is right.” Martin Luther King My inspirational figure is Roald Dahl, who is known for his stories and for being a fighter pilot in the war. He was very positive and ambitious and always wanted to be a writer. He was extremely dedicated because he kept on writing books until he died. He was hardworking and patient and as a Norwegian he had to learn English as a child. His books have all taught me lessons, for example the Big Friendly Giant taught me that you should not judge a person by what they look like. Roald Dahl encourages me to use my imagination and believe that anything is possible.
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Jodie Farrow Cumnock Academy “Your love makes me strong. Your hate makes me unstoppable.” Cristiano Ronaldo Tirunesh Dibaba inspires me because when she was small, she didn’t have ambitions to become an athlete, but when she decided to become an athlete many people thought she wouldn’t get far. She became the youngest athlete to ever win an individual gold medal at the World Championships. When I’m older I want a job to work with kids. I would really love to be an inspiration to younger people. I would help them grow up and help them to achieve their goals. Also I would teach them about human rights and to treat everyone the same no matter what gender, race, size or what they believe in.
Abby Gray Douglas Ewart High School “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.” Captain Jack Sparrow My inspirational figure is Malala Yousafzai. I think she is absolutely amazing. She stood up for girl’s education and human rights after she was shot. Malala started off as a BBC blogger who anonymously wrote about her life in Swat, in Pakistan. When her school was shut down when she was 17 studying for exams Malala continued her studies at home. Eventually though her school opened up again and she passed all her exams. Then Malala was shot by the Taliban when she stood up for education. She started to question things when her school first got shut down. She openly protested against it and the Taliban were worried she would do something major. So they decided to get her killed by an assassin. Malala was on a bus and a man came on and shot her in the head. Now, two years later, Malala is fully recovered, has an autobiography and is the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. I think she is really inspirational and she gave $50,000 to 65 schools in Gaza.
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PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have learned quite a lot about myself actually. As I said, I don’t know what I want to do, but this has actually given me an idea.”
Alik Aleynik Dunbeg Primary School “If you have a dream, give it a chance to happen.” Richard M DeVos My inspirational figure is Sir Isaac Newton. He was born in 1643 and later went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became even more of an intelligent and enterprising person. Isaac Newton was an ambitious, hard working person. He wrote many scientific books and was purposeful as he discovered the law of gravity and designed a reflecting telescope which helped him prove his theory of light and colour. His discoveries have helped people all over the world and will continue to do so. The reason I think he discovered all these things is because of his natural curiosity. Isaac Newton would have also had to have been a patient person because it would have taken a long time to do the calculations and experiments until he got his desired result where his intelligence, patience and curiosity helped him. These are all qualities I find to make him a good inspirational person.
Noah Hwang Dunbeg Primary School “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” David Brinkley I find William Tyndale inspiring because he was an unselfish and a very brave man who was purposeful and persistent. He was an English scholar who became well known for his translation of the bible into English.
He left England to go to Germany in order to continue translating the Bible into English, despite the opposition of King Henry VIII. Because of this he was burned at the stake. His last words were, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.” What inspires me most about William Tyndale is he believed in and wanted everyone to know the scriptures, even a poor boy ploughing the fields, and worked hard to meet his goal, no matter what difficulties he faced. William risked his life for what he thought was right, inspired other people to carry on his work after his death and his goal of an English Bible was achieved.
Abbie Thompson Echline Primary School “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Sir Winston Churchill This quote inspires me not to give up if you fail and to keep trying, even if it is tough. As I’m a person who doesn’t like to give up, this quote is very important to me personally. My inspirational figure is Lynne Beattie, who is a professional volleyball player and competed in the GB 2012 Olympics. She teaches me in Edinburgh and I find her inspiring because she told me this: “I was just like you with my school, then a club and I went to the Olympics in 2012.” So that made me think if I keep trying I could be like her one day if I try hard enough. I would also like to help teach other people volleyball and to love being a sporty person so it would be even better to go to a country where they don’t yet play volleyball. I would like to help them become a successful volleyball player one day. I would also like to try and persuade people that right now we are all humans and need to treat people like this.
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Owen Walker Echt Primary School “Money is not a motivating factor. Money doesn’t thrill me or make me play better because there are benefits to being wealthy. I am just happy with a ball at my feet. My motivation comes from playing the game I love. If I wasn’t paid to be a professional footballer I would willingly play for nothing.” Lionel Messi Lionel Messi is my inspiration because he is one of the best players in the world. When he was a baby he was so small he had to have special medicine to make him grow, and that is why I look up to him because despite his size he persevered and achieved his dream.
Rebecca Watt Elgin High School “Do whatever you have to do to be happy.” Dan Howell I find Dan Howell inspirational in many different ways which are hard to describe. He’s someone who doesn’t spend their 15 minutes of fame advertising sales, he uses it to try genuinely to make the world a better place and I wish there were more people like Dan. Howell started his YouTube channel
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‘Danisnotonfire’ way back in 2009 with his first video entitled ‘HELLO INTERNET.’ Over the years Dan has struggled with ordinary things such as stress and fear for his future. One day out of the blue Dan experienced his first ever ‘existential crisis’. This is when a person questions the meaning of purpose and value in the world. Howell struggled with this and has been tracked down for being ‘breakable’ however his strong army of fans are there for Dan supporting him in everything he does. Dan is a very relatable person and this could play a part in his mountain of subscribers. Dan has helped out charities such as UNICEF in the past and recently on his part time role at BBC Radio 1, he organised an online bullying chat with fellow YouTubers to discuss bullying and hate online entitled ‘BBC Radio 1 Internet Takeover Special.’ I hope Dan is significantly proud of himself and what he has achieved at such a young age.
Tom Pendry Elie Primary School “However bad life may seem, while there is life, there is hope!” Stephen Hawking Stephen William Hawking was born on the 8th January 1942 in Oxford, England. From early on he showed great intelligence because
at age 22 he joined Cambridge University where he met Jane Wilde. While on a science exhibition, Stephen became particularly interested in black holes. Gradually, he became affected by Motor Neuron Disease which weakens the muscles.
Nikola Tesla
I chose Stephen Hawking because of what he has done in the field of science. He has inspired me to take up physics and to dream big instead of small. He has been working for decades on one thing. He has suffered through the deterioration of his body, but he stayed strong all the way. For me, he is a hero!
Martyna Lewandowska Fair Isle Primary School “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Sir Winston Churchill My inspirational figure is Marie SktodowskaCurie, who was a Polish physicist and chemist. She studied at the University of Paris and was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, both for physics and chemistry. She is the only Polish person I look up to because of her amazing work in changing the world. She changed the world’s views on physics and chemistry as well as on the capability of women. They realised that she wasn’t someone to laugh at, that she was capable of things I couldn’t even imagine. I don’t want racism because I have had that experience and it’s a really horrible feeling. I don’t want people to feel the same way I did. To stop this, I will go to schools around the world and give speeches on how racism affects everyone.
Nikola Tesla may have been one of the greatest inventors of his (or any) time! His ingenious ideas could have even helped to create major inventions we use and perhaps helped us take on more step towards the terrific goal of unlimited cheap energy. One of his most notable inventions is called Tesla Coils. You may have seen them being used in scientific experiments inducing power/electricity or you may have just seen them in games where you electrocute tiny stickmen. Tesla coils are an electrical resonant transformer circuit used to create/ produce electricity. Other notable inventions which Tesla created or helped in creating include lasers, (the first) neon lights/fluorescent bulbs, x-rays and wireless connections (radios, remote controls etc.)
PUPIL FEEDBACK “During the time I participated in this project, I have learned many qualities about myself that I
Angelo-Kylle Smith Feltham Community College
never even thought of! It also helped me focus on what I can do to help this words / find out about people who helped this world”
“A unicorn is somebody who knows they’re magical and isn’t afraid to show it.”
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Lopez Lomong
Adia Zawadi Elda-Michaels
Donald Pirie
Fernielea School
Foveran Primary School
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to courage.” Anaus Nin
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky
My inspirational figure is Shakira because she is a committed person and she helps children get their education.
Lopez Lomong is a South-Sudanese born American Track and Field athlete. Lomong was a victim of the Second Sudanese Civil War. Being a Catholic, he was abducted at the age of 6 while attending a Catholic Mass. He was presumed dead by his family and nearly died in captivity, but 3 other people from his village helped him escape. They ran for three days until they crossed the Kenyan border to a refugee camp near Nairobi. Lomong adopted his nickname ‘Lopez’ during his 10 year stay at the refugee camp until catholic charities moved him to the USA. After watching Michael Johnson at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Lopez was inspired to become a runner. Since then, Lopez has done many great things such as being the flag bearer for USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.
I want to be a famous quote writer and a cheerful person because both of these acts will help me campaign and help children get their education, just like Shakira.
Iona Henderson Fortrose Academy “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.” Albus Dumbledore My favourite character is Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. I also like Hermoine Granger, Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior as they are all strong female characters fighting for what they believe in. Malala Yousafzai is an incredible person and an inspiration to everyone. The world needs more people like Malala.
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Lopez Lomong inspires me to keep going and never give up. He shows me that no matter where you come from you can still achieve great things. Even if he didn’t become a runner he would still inspire me to get through things a child shouldn’t have to experience. I can’t begin to imagine what life would have been like for a six year old Lopez. It is hard to
gauge what determination he must have had to keep running when most people would have given up as well as his will to live during his stay at the refugee camp. He is truly an inspirational person and I hope to develop his values/qualities as I grow up.
Amy Tattersall Gairloch High School “Never give up. There is no such thing as an ending. Just a new beginning.” “Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.” Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education and is the youngest person ever to have won the Nobel Peace Prize. She said that “they thought the bullet with silence us. But they failed… Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.” Malala inspires me because she is such a strong and determined woman. She has had the confidence to stand up for what she believes in against all the odds in danger and the pure unfairness and discrimination of being a woman. She inspires me to stand up for what I believe in and have the confidence and courage to speak up for the things I feel strongly about.
Callum Murison
ALS ice bucket challenge in August 2014. He is truly inspirational and aspirational. Stephen Hawking, as a brilliant academic and physicist, in his prominence and bravery by remaining in the public eye, has helped raise general awareness of this destructive illness and by doing so has given everyone hope that one day there will be a cure.
Tia Halliwell Gilbert Inglefield Academy “Be beautiful if you can, wise if you want to… but be respected – that is essential.” Anna Gould Martin Luther King believed in equal rights. He made a whole speech about this dream that one day everyone would walk as one. This is part of that speech: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it’s creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”
Jennifer McIlwraith Girvan Primary School “There will be sleeping enough in the grave”. Benjamin Franklin
“Look beyond yourself, grasp life with everything you have and don’t be scared to ask questions!”
Alan Jeans inspires me because he treats animals well and he does not care if they smell bad or if they grow he just gets on with it and he is good with animals. The Alan Jeans Vets is at Wesley Road in Ayrshire.
My inspirational figure is Professor Stephen Hawking, because he represents somebody who never gives up. At the age of 21 he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and given a life expectancy of just two years - he has already outlived that by 50 years! However, never giving up, with an extraordinary mind and still contributing to society, he went up for a zero gravity flight in Vomit Comet in 2007 and also accepted the
Alan Jeans had to stick at it in school to train to be a vet. Every time the vets were shut my auntie would phone him and he would come and take care of my dog. I chose Alan Jeans because I’ve always wanted to be a vet and he is the best one I know and he showed that he was committed to being a vet. Alan Jeans worked really hard to get this job. You have to take the main subjects like science, biology and chemistry.
George Heriot’s School
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Nairne Kennedy Glasgow Gaelic School “There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.” Irena Sandler was a Polish nurse who served in the Polish underground in German occupied Warsaw during World War 2. She was head of the Polish Council to aid Jews, which was active between 1942-1945. Irena and two dozen others rescued and smuggled 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto and saved them all from the concentration camps. She provided them with false identities and Polish foster families. She was found out near the end of the war and tortured for information about the children which she never gave up. She was then sentenced to death but managed to evade this and lived to the end of the war. She kept information on the children’s parents, but sadly you could count on one hand how many made it back to their families.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I always knew what I wanted to do when I was older, but I think through doing Inspire>Aspire I’ve had to really think about how I am going to achieve this. I’ve also realised that throughout my life I’ve turned too many opportunities down because I was too scared to do them but now I think I might need to get over my fears and just do them.”
Jack Lumsden Good Shepherd Centre My inspiration is Bob Marley, a Jamaican reggae singer songwriter and musician who achieved international fame and acclaim. He forged the distinctive songwriting and vocal style that would later resonate with audiences worldwide. He started playing music at Stepney Primary and Junior High School. He was a pan-Africanist and believed in the unity of Africans worldwide. He often sang about them coming together and fighting oppression. He
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won many awards for his music and was inducted into the rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame. Being honest, I found this a difficult exercise. I chose Bob Marley because I like his music. However, on researching his life I realised he was an inspiring character and that he used his musical talents to try to make the world a better place. My vision of a better world is one without racism and prejudice. I don’t agree with any form of discrimination – at the end of the day we are all humans with feelings, and it’s unfair that we get treated on the basis of how we look and act.
Sarah Hutton Gracemount High School “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m Possible’!” Audrey Hepburn My vision for a better world, to kick us off, I think people should take a more altruistic approach in their relationships. We as people should look towards further improving our mindset into one that’s even more positive than it is now and open and tolerant to all sorts of ideas and people. After this, we should look towards creating a safe world free of conflict, discrimination, suffering and unjust treatment. I agree with Malala Yousafzai - who I’ve had the great opportunity to see and listen
Bob Marley
to and the equally great opportunity to have a question answered – I stand with her in the fight for female education and she is currently tackling the terrorist group, the Taliban that are getting in the way of her goals. I think that until you always feel safe no matter where you are or who you’re with then there is still work to be done.
Yolaine Cheng Gracemount High School “Make art not war.” B.A.P. is a Korean group standing for Best Absolute Perfect. They have six members, Bang Yongguk, Kim Himchan, Jung Daehyun, Yoo Youngjae, Moon Jongup and Choi Junhong. They are under a company called TS Entertainment and also have mascots for each member, called Matokis (‘toki’ means bunny in Korean.) They were formed in 2011 but made their official debut in 2012 with a song called Warrior. So far, they have 9 albums and 44 songs. B.A.P. inspire me because they are really successful even though they are not from a really famous or rich company. They don’t need to be from a famous company to achieve fame, and they just need to achieve their dream to be successful. They have fans from all around the world.
Georgia Forsyth Grangemouth High School “To all the girls who think they are fat because they’re not size 0, you’re beautiful, it’s society that is ugly.” Marilyn Monroe Malala Yousafzai was born in 1997 and experienced the Taliban banning girls from school in 2009. It was during this time that she began writing for the BBC, which led to her being shot in October 2012. I decided to pick her as my inspirational figure because, at such a young age, she stood up for her beliefs against one of the most feared terrorist groups. She didn’t let threats scare her away. She stood up for young girls everywhere. She showed courage, purpose and persistence for the right of girls to go to school. In 2014 she won the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi and became the youngest person in history to win the award.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I think writing everything down (good & bad) really helps to see what type of person you really are. I’ve learned not to be swayed by other people’s bad attitude and just to focus on me. I’m honestly not sure, I would say maybe ask about what kind of person you are!?”
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Cameron Casaru Grantown Grammar School “You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Christopher Columbus My Dad inspires me a lot. My Dad used to be in the RAF Mountain Rescue team saving people for 10 years. He was also in the Marines too. My Dad was in a movie as well. Just as an extra. It’s not that important but I’ve always wanted to be in a movie. My Dad loves his cycling. He has been in many cycling events, Duathlons, Marathons and Triathlons. My Dad has met very important people including the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Philip, and Dick Cheney (46th Vice-President of USA and head of Ministry of Defence). I find my Dad very inspirational and I wish to be like him when I’m older.
Carmen Thomson Grove Academy “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Aristotle My inspirational figure is Emma Watson. She inspires me because not only is she a talented actress but she puts time and energy into
making the world a better place. Her first professional role was Hermione Granger in Harry Potter. She made such a good job that I feel she truly brought Hermione to life. In 2009 Emma participated in Clothing Tree, a fair trade brand – she said: “fashion is a great way to empower people and give them the skills. Rather than give cash to charity, you can help people by buying their clothes and supporting the things they take pride in.”She continued her education with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and has promoted education for girls as well as making speeches for women’s rights. I find Emma Watson inspirational because even though she is a successful actress she has pursued an education and stands up for what she believes in. She gives to charity and is a model of the kind of person I want to be. My vision for a better world is one where there is peace, equality and freedom. I dream of a world where everyone can live safe, secure and happy lives, a world where everyone can freely express themselves without fear of being judged or discriminated against.
Eve Grant Gryffe High School “Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” Alan Turing
Emma Watson
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Alan Turing was, until recently, an unsung war hero. Alan was a mathematician and scientist from Maida Vale, London. He helped the allies during the darkest days of World War Two. He was responsible for breaking one of history’s most difficult and complex puzzles ‘Enigma’. To attempt to break Enigma, Alan created a machine called the ‘bombe’, which was supposed to track all the German messages. This meant the code breakers could then type the messages into the enigma machine and it would decode and give the messages to the allies. It took Alan and his team four years before they broke Enigma in 1943. Historians estimate that because Enigma was broken it shortened the war by two years, saving approximately 14 million lives. In 1954 Alan Turing was arrested after being caught having a sexual relationship with a man from Manchester. Alan was sentenced to two years of chemical castration, which was medication that was supposed to stop the homosexual urge. Two years later, Alan killed himself, he was 41 years old. Alan Turing showed a consistent amount of perseverance when trying to break enigma. He didn’t give up even when nobody believed in him. I find Alan Turing inspiring because I admire his many talents. Alan Turing proved that if you work hard and believe in yourself some things that may seem impossible, are possible.
Callie Ross Hawick High School “All I know is this: nobody’s very big in the first place, and it looks to me like everybody spends their whole life tearing everybody else down.” One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Charles Darwin inspires me. He was an English naturalist and geologist. He contributed a lot to an evolution theory. One of Charles Darwin’s most significant and well-known voyages was the second voyage of ‘The Beagle’. His father never wanted him to go but after his brother-in-law persuaded his
father (and agreed to fund Charles) his father agreed. This voyage lasted almost 5 years. Charles Darwin used this opportunity to take notes of his observations and theoretical speculations. One thing that Charles Darwin did that I found inspiring was that he went against his own church and parents faith to learn and write about what he believed in. Another thing was that he was an average boy who lost his mum at a very young age but went to boarding school and got a good education rather than feeling sorry for himself and giving up. Thirdly, I think it was very good that although he tried quite a few things before he became a biologist (medicine) he kept going and managed to find work and be happy.
Ola Skowyra Hillhead High School “Even though we come from different places and speak different tongues, our hearts beat as one.” Albus Dumbledore My inspirational figure is Scarlett O’Hara. Although she wasn’t the best person in general nor an image of perfection, the qualities she possessed were extremely inspiring and her wit and charms were a thing everyone was secretly jealous of. Scarlett was very loyal to her family, home and friends. I love how she’s a forward thinker, she does not dwell on the past, yet she focuses on the future. She wasn’t afraid or ashamed to be herself. It is inspiring when you learn about the things she fought for, the people she cared for which made her a wonderful person. She did things a woman wouldn’t even think about doing in her era. I would like to be as determined, courageous and confident as she was. Although the turn of events in the end weren’t in her favour, it’s the fact that she wave them off with her hand and keep trying again and again to achieve the effect she had wanted originally.
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Claire Huang
Cameron Ross Howitt
Hillhead High School
Holy Family RC Primary School
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” Stephen King
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank
Resilient, inspiring, humble, motivating, affable, ambitious, determined, drive, persistent, dedicated – these are just some of the words I’d use to describe Stef Reid. Over the summer I got the chance to meet Paralympian, Stef Reid. She spoke at a conference and I – along with many others – were inspired by her story. When Stef was around sixteen, she lost her leg in a boating accident. Before this, she played rugby and was even considering going to boarding school in New Zealand to pursue a career in the sport. But playing rugby was very difficult for her after her accident. The rugby dream ended and she went on to study biochemistry at the Queen’s University in Canada and she completed her exams for medical school. One day at Queen’s Athletic Session, she said something just ‘clicked’. She had a sudden desire to know how fast she could still run, and so, her athletic career began. I personally don’t think Paralympian’s get enough credit for what they do. A belowthe-knee amputee like Stef Reid uses about 25% more oxygen than other athletes. Everything is so much harder for them, they face unbelievable challenges in everyday life because they are deprived of things that we take for granted. The reason I chose Stef Reid as my inspirational figure is because hearing her story first-hand truly motivated me to work harder and never give up on the things I love even when life gets difficult.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “This project really encouraged me to reflect on myself as a person. I feel like I now know more about myself, my dreams and aspirations. I think this reflection and self-evaluation has made me grow as a person and discover more about the things I want to do in the future.”
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Anne Frank is my inspirational figure. The family went into hiding in July 1942, and Anne received a diary for her 13th birthday. She started writing about her life, describing what was happening without being scared or worried. Her ideals and values meant that she wrote and kept quiet in these conditions for over three years. I admire the fact that she stayed brave through all the cruelty and scariness she must have experienced, writing her diary all the time.
Emma Clarke Hyndland Secondary School “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one simple step.” Lao Tsu “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt I love this quote because it reminds me that what people say can only affect me if I let it. Alan Turing was a British mathematician and pioneering computer scientist. He is known by many as the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. During World War II, Alan worked at Bletchley Park in the government code and cypher unit, during which time he created an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the German Enigma machine used to encipher and decipher coded messages. Winston Churchill said that Turing made the single biggest contribution to beating Nazi Germany. In 1952 Turing was prosecuted for committing homosexual acts, which at the time were illegal in the UK. He took oestrogen treatments instead of imprisonment, which made him very depressed. In 1954 he died of suspected suicide from cyanide poisoning.
Since his death, both the Prime Minister and the Queen have granted him an official apology. I first learned about Alan Turing in my computing class and was absolutely fascinated. I think he was incredible with such a brilliant brain. I also believe that he shows good qualities like determination, courage and creativity. Without him, who knows who would have won the war, and for that I am extremely grateful.
Marria Jobi Holy Family RC Primary School “Where there is love, there is life.” Mahatma Gandhi My inspirational figure is Mahatma Gandhi, who influenced Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and millions of others. Gandhi was very wise because he knew the difference between right and wrong. He was also very responsible for his actions. He was honest and sincere. He never gave up on gaining independence for India. He respected others and was devoted to God. He stood up for what he thought was right and never let anyone else’s opinions get in his way. Gandhi inspires me because he brought India independence without war, even though he was imprisoned many times. He had lots of perseverance. He always followed nonviolent methods of protest like fasts and marches. He lives in the hearts of many Indians and was respected by all. He always told people to do their work on their own without depending on others. He showed me that whenever I’m doing a task and I’m not good at it, I should always try again and again and never give up.
Jamie Beattie Inchmarlo Prep School “It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” Invictus My figure is David Beckham. His determination and positive attitude made him one of the
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(Jamie Beattie continued...) best footballers in the world. I really enjoyed watching him play football. He played 265 games for Manchester United and scored 61 goals. He appeared and scored in 3 World Cups. In total he played 115 games for England and captained the side a huge 59 times. When he was sent off against Argentina in the World Cup in 1998, he was called “a stupid boy” and even called “the most hated man in England” in the newspapers. He did not leave England and stayed with his club Manchester United. During his time as a footballer, and since he has retired, David Beckham has shown a caring and generous side. He has supported many charities and especially children. The charities he supports include UNICEF, Comic Relief and Red Cross. I admire David Beckham not only because he is an ordinary man who has worked hard and achieved great things on the sports field but also because he decided to put his fame to good use by helping others. That is the spirit of humanity that I admire and that inspires me.
Hope Christie Inverurie Academy “Every time someone tells me I can’t do something, I want to do it more.” Taylor Swift My inspirational figure is Emma Watson. In 2014 she was appointed as a UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador and helped launch the UN campaign HeForShe about gender equality and women’s rights. I look up to Emma for campaigning because she has made me realise there’s a change for the better cannot be made if I don’t get behind her and show my support. I thought to myself, if not me, who? If not now, when? I signed up and registered on the official website to receive regular email updates. I’m aware it is only a small step, but one in the right direction. Emma has empowered me to take action and translates my passion into action. I find myself talking more and more about gender
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David Beckham equality and women’s rights with my family and friends. It has become an issue I now feel exceedingly strongly about.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have learned that I am very passionate about gender equalities and women’s rights. I have also been made aware of my strengths and weaknesses. By taking part in this project I have achieved a poster I’m proud of. I have learned that it is okay to give yourself praise.”
Stuart Simond Inverurie Academy “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” Bob Marley I like this quote because I am quite a quiet and reserved person but it reminds you that inside you are really strong and when required you can let it show. I want to be the kind of person that anyone can come to for help and advice. If I keep going the way I am, I feel like I would be really kind towards everyone and willing to help anyone out. I would really like to try and avoid arguments which mean getting on with mainly everybody. I feel that if I was this kind of person then I would live a relatively easy and happy life.
I feel that there are issues all around the world, whether it be locally or internationally, they all need attention. Issues such as The Islamic State, immigrants losing their lives while leaving their war torn countries behind or even poverty that occurs on our doorstep without us turning a blind eye to it, I think that if issues like these were addressed aggressively, the world would probably be a better place.
He got shot while giving a huge speech about rights. There still are racists today laughing at coloured people – racism is real and people go to jail for it. The fact is, that what Martin Luther King fought for was equality – we are all human, we are all the same.
To help bring this vision to life I will do things like sign online petitions, donate to local charities that are helping aid any of the issues that I have mentioned above. Due to the fact that issues such as The Islamic State and other terrorist organisations operate abroad there isn’t really a lot that I can do from here except back the people that are trying to defeat them. I will do anything I can to try and help prevent poverty by doing things like donating to charity.
“I have learned a lot more about what I want with
Davina Batey Islay Hig h School
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Mae West Martin Luther King is a very important person because he fought long and hard about black rights. He wanted his children to have a different life to what he had; to be able to go to school with white children. Martin Luther King did a very important thing, he tried to change the world. He gave speeches.
PUPIL FEEDBACK the world, more about myself and what I want to do with my life. ”
Chloe Wilson Kemnay Academy “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but just as much to stand up to your friends.” Albus Dumbledore “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” My inspirational figure is Mikaela Shand. She is my Guide leader and has been associated with girl guiding for over 10 years. She gives up lots of her personal time to lead my Guide unit and always gives 100% in everything she does. She recognises our ideas and makes them possible. I have been part of many trips and activities that she has arranged for us. She is
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(Chloe Wilson continued...) always on the lookout for something new to experience, and because of this I have been to many places I wouldn’t have dreamed of, for example London and Ireland, and in 2016 she has organised a trip to Paris. I’m grateful I have experienced so many new things because of Mikaela.
Eilidh McDowall Kilsyth Academy “Curious people ask questions, determined find answers!” Pippa Funnell is one of the best three day event riders in the world. She was the first woman to ever win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. She did so by winning the 4 star events Badminton, Kentucky and Burghley. Pippa left school age 16 and based herself with Ruth McMullin, forming one of the sport’s most renowned training partnerships. At first Pippa had trouble establishing herself as a senior eventer, but now she is the backbone of the British team. Pippa inspires me because she is such a talented lady, she has won countless awards and events. Pippa has my dream life and I hope one day to be as good and committed as she is. The whole of the equestrian world knows who she is because she started off as a normal person and now she admired world-wide for her courage, skill and her beautiful string of top class horses!
Anna Lipka Kingsford Primary School “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Roald Dahl “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela did things against the law just to change the world, and went to prison for 27 years. I want to be a successful comedian. I wish everyone to laugh at at least one thing that I’ve
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created and make people smile at least once. I hope that if people are sad, they just think of me and then I cheer them up, even if it is just one thing they remember about me. I just want to make everyone happy.
Misha Donnan-Thompson Kinross High School “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a feminist with very strong beliefs. Here is a quote from one of her books: “We spend too much time teaching girls to worry about what boys think of them. But the reverse is not the case. We don’t teach boys to care about being likeable. We spend too much time telling girls that they cannot be angry or aggressive or tough, which is bad enough, but then we turn around and either praise or excuse men for the same reasons.” This inspires me as I have the same views. There is another saying that the higher you go, the fewer women there are. I find this so true as there are limited female politicians, although many more than they used to be. Girls spend too much time trying to impress boys, and practically live for this reason. Chimamanda makes me believe that change must come, yes, things are better but there needs to be more awareness of gender issues. Together, men and women can make the world a fairer and more equal society, and change will come.
Emily Hinchcliff Kirkcudbright Academy “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got up again.” My inspirational figure is Nelson Mandela. He had a large family including 17 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He is a very inspirational man
Nelson Mandela
and many people look up to him. He wanted black and white people to be equal and for everyone to be the same, because it shouldn’t matter if you are black or white – you are not different. That’s why he inspires me, all the times he thought he couldn’t do it and when he fell down he got up and tried again. Now the world is a better place thanks to Nelson Mandela.
Nicole Hill Knightswood Secondary School “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas A Edison Marie Curie is an inspiration because of how much she achieved. I would like to be like her because of how inspirational and a fantastic role model Marie is. She has achieved success by being committed, resilient and hard working. My vision for a better world is for more
people to donate to charities. I would also want for more people to go over to suffering countries like Somalia and take over health care, educated teachers, food and water purification tablets. Because I am still a bit young to do any of the above, I would love to help organise those types of things. I would help with sponsor charities by being the organiser of the events. My favourite charity is ‘Save The Children’.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I think I have learned about me. I think I have learned about what kind of person I am and what kind of person I want to be. I think I have discovered what kinds of things I want to do with my life and what changes I hope to one day make to the world.”
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Hannah Foreman Knowepark School “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” Helen Keller My vision for a better world is where there’s no violence or war and everyone gives their bit to the world. Also my wish is where there’s no pollution and everyone’s never wasting time, I would love to see the world smile. I would tell others about how I felt, and tell them about right and wrong, I would also do my best for the world knowing that it’s a step to making it happen.
Murron Bland Knox Academy “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” Confucius Nicholas James Vujicic was born December 4th, 1982 in Australia with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder that causes all four limbs to simply not be there. At the age of eight, Nick became depressed. In some of his inspirational speeches he mentioned that in those tough times the thoughts that were running round his head were of the future, a wife, a job – he thought noone would want him. His family were extremely
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helpful but at the young age of 10 Nick tried to commit suicide by drowning himself in the bath. After a couple of attempts he realised he did not want to leave his loved ones with the guilt and burden that would result from his suicide. Ten or so years later, Nick started talking to small groups, then bigger groups until he found himself in front of 300 students. He has inspired so many people – including me. His fears are now long forgotten as he has a wife and a child now. I picked Nick Vujicic because he is the most amazing public speaker – his words don’t go to your brain, they go to your heart. Nic truly inspires you. He has changed people’s lives and he will change so many more.
Jenny Samuels Langholm Academy “Happiness is a butterfly which when pursued is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” Nathaniel Hawthorne I have chosen Malala Yousafzai as my inspirational figure because she is a brave, confident and courageous girl. She lived in Pakistan where the violent, extremist group called the Taliban are based. On the afternoon of the 9th October, 2012 Malala boarded her bus in Pakistan. A gunman
asked for her by name, then pointed a gun at her and shot three times. One bullet hit the left side of her forehead, travelled through the length of her face, then went into her shoulder. This attempted murder should have killed Malala but she soldiered on. She was moved to Birmingham and was eventually back in good health. She helps me and other people believe that they can truly succeed in life. She makes me believe that if you really care about something, you pursue what you want and if you never give up then anything is possible. Malala makes me want to ‘fight’ for what I want, for what I believe in, to make the world a better place without war, no crime and to have happiness throughout this amazing world that we have.
Davina Howatson Lockerbi e Academy
“Hakuna Matata, it means no worries for the rest of your days.” Angela Jolie started out her career as a bad Hollywood girl but has quickly changed that by becoming not only an amazing actress and mother but also one of the most inspirational people today. In 2001 she became a UN goodwill ambassador for refugees, stating Angela Jolie
that she couldn’t ignore the needless suffering of millions. In 2013 she revealed her decision to have a double mastectomy, which is a very hard and troubling thing to do as a woman. Angelina shows her support for everyone who is exploring this. Her decision has caused many women to do this. Angelina Jolie is a hugely inspirational woman and deserves every single bit of recognition she gets. She has inspired me to fight for what is right and to keep battling on.
Aisha Magaji Middleton Park School “Treat people like you want to be treated.” “Think before you act.” I would like to be like Coco Chanel, real name Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel. Coco made trademark suits and little black dresses, launched her first perfume in the 1920s and is French. She created timeless designs which are still popular today. She was called ‘Coco’ because she used to perform in clubs in Vichy and Moulins and they called her that.
Abbie Mochrie Mount Vernon Primary School “Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde Harriett Manners (Geek Girl) is a book and character which inspires me because she has to overcome lots of challenges. She also shows people that anyone can do anything. The object of the book is to stop stereotypes which is very inspirational. Shakira is a Columbian singer/songwriter and has written and sung many songs. She has also started her own charity, ‘The Barefoot Foundation’. Shakira is inspirational because she has reached all her goals in life. She is also inspirational because she has put aside all her career to put together a charity.
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Cara Rodden
Anna Wilson
Mount Vernon Primary School
Oldmachar Academy
“Never let dyslexia stand in your way even if you know you have it and don’t let people stand in your way.” Kara Tointon
“Don’t look back; you’re not going that way.”
Kara Tointon is very inspirational to me because she suffers from the same problem I have which is dyslexia. Kara has to use certain things to help her with her dyslexia. I have to use these things as well like multiplication cards and time table cards. Kara gets a teacher to help her with her line on Eastenders as I get a teacher to help me with reading and sums in class. Kara has made me see that there are ways of overcoming dyslexia. I want to achieve in my life to be a teacher even though I know I have dyslexia, I still don’t let it stand in my way and my dream.
Walt Disney
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Walt Disney inspires me because he made children’s lives a dream come true and was such a lovely and creative person; he stuck with his dream and never gave up. I want people not to be judged for what you believe in or what you look like and what you wear, for people not to bully others for either their skin or their religion. I’ll try and help children be what they want to be and listen to what people have to say. I am going to help people when they can’t do something but want to.
Catherine Nash Paget High School “I haven’t failed I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work!” Thomas A. Edison My inspirational figure is Dame Maggie Smith. She inspired me because when she starred as Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter she kept going even though she got cancer. She inspired me to never give up and to believe in yourself. Now when I think I can’t do something I think about how lucky I am and I remember that lots of people are less fortunate than me and that I do have so much. Also when I feel like I should just give up and never try something ever again. I always try to try again and be patient to get to where I want to be. You have to start somewhere. Every day you get closer to your goal.
Gabrielle David Pencoed Comprehensive “I asked my father what there was to make doctoring more disgusting than nursing, which women were always doing, and which ladies had done publicly in the Crimea. He could not tell me.” Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was a pioneering physician and political campaigner and the first British woman to qualify as a doctor. During her childhood her father became a successful businessman allowing him to send his children to good schools. After school, she became convinced she should become a doctor. This was unheard of in 19th Century Britain and her applications to study at many medical schools were denied. She enrolled as a nursing student at Middlesex Hospital and attended classes intended for male doctors, but was stopped after being complained about by the men enrolled. As the Society of Apothecaries did not forbid women from taking their examinations, she passed their exams anyway and gained a certificate which enabled her to become a doctor. With her father’s support, in 1866 she opened a dispensary for
women in London and in 1870 became a visiting physician to the East London hospital. In 1872 she founded the New Hospital for Women in London, staffed entirely by women. Because of her persistence and hard work in 1876 an act was passed permitting women to enter the medical profession. In 1883 she was appointed Dean of the London School of Medicine for women. In 1908 she became Mayor of her own town, the first female mayor in England. I am inspired by Elizabeth Garrett Anderson because she paved the way for women in medicine. She didn’t give up after being turned away, as most would. She used intuitive thinking to find other ways into the career and didn’t let throwbacks deter her. She believed that women should have the same rights as men did. She always strove for better which ultimately led to her achieving the best she could.
Jasmine Greene Pencoed Comprehensive School “Things haven’t always been this bad; therefore, they won’t always be this bad.” Carrie Hope Fletcher At the age of 22, Carrie Hope Fletcher has achieved more than many people do in their entire lives. She has achieved her childhood dream to return to the West End to play Eponine in Les Miserables after playing little Eponine as a child. She is the only British actress to return and play both. Carrie’s YouTube channel ‘It’s way past my bed time’ has nearly 600,000 subscribers that call themselves ‘Hopefuls.’ Carrie has made me believe in myself that bit more and has helped me with my selfconfidence. Through Carrie I have met some of my best friends who have helped me through rough times and I don’t know where I would be without them. Carrie’s videos never fail to cheer me up and put a smile on my face. I have met Carrie 4 times and she is truthfully the nicest, most genuine person I’ve met.
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Roan McAusland Pittenweem Primary School “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King Jr Personally I think Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest people who ever walked this planet. When he grew up he knew things were sad and that this had to stop so he made the best of his scenario. He knew alone he could do nothing, that is why he got in a group. He went on marches and tried to stop the racism, murders and unfairness of apartheid. The most inspirational thing about Nelson Mandela for me is if something happened or he lost progress, he would never give up, he would keep trying and that has taught me a big lesson in life. It is crazy how Nelson Mandela changed the world today by thinking with his head, using no weapons at all. That is another reason why I find Nelson Mandela inspiring, it’s because he wasn’t violent and fought with his mind. He wasn’t trying to stop apartheid for himself, he was doing it for the next generation.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have definitely understood myself more because I found when I was doing an exercise like this it made me realise my real strengths and weaknesses more clearly. Usually I would never think about my strengths and weaknesses, it made it more clear who I actually am”
Oliver Roberts Perth Academy “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson We as humans have a responsibility to uphold the greatness of what we are as individuals, and as a united global people. In order to achieve
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the pinnacle of human success in all aspects of life, we must be prepared to do whatever is necessary, in good will and faith of course, but that doesn’t mean that we have to put up with the growing tide of dissidence. Leniency should be applied just as carefully as tolerance. But, one person can have as much influence in the hearts and minds of their peers as ten thousand could, they just have to find their voice.
opportunities and have access to good education and nourishment needed for a full life ahead. Also to reduce poverty and give the poor a better life to live within the world!
Everyone who has ever written in this section has probably come up with a way to make the world a better place, by staying happy, sticking by the ‘love thy neighbour’ code, donating to charity, and just being the best person they can be on a daily basis, and yes these simple acts of kindness and compassion do make everyday lives a little easier, but, I have thought of a question for all of them: ‘If you could send a message to the world, what would you say in one sentence?’ – My answer would simply be: ‘Dignum erit enim memoria vestra’ – That’s Latin for ‘Be worthy, Be remembered’.
Celaena Saroothien is a young assassin (from the ‘Throne of Glass’ series) with a secret very few know. When Celaena was younger she was free to use her magic as she liked. She had parents who loved her, a cousin who adored her and would do anything for her and a kingdom full of loyal people. Unfortunately her kingdom got attacked and her parents were killed. Celaena got sent to a house where they thought she would be safe, but in the first few weeks the house got attacked. Celaena was told to run. She got stuck in a lake with only her family heirloom as company. When she woke up she was in a huge mansion in the centre kingdom (where the person that killed her parents lives). In this mansion Celaena gets trained as an assassin. She is the best known assassin and everyone fears her but very few know who she is or what she looks like.
Haylie Todd Perth Grammar School “There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs!”
Someone who inspires me every week is my basketball coach Russel Kesson. He has been coaching me for a year and he has made basketball so much fun. He always encourages me to play my best and helps me to improve my game. He always motivates our team and we always play our best for him, out of all coaches I have had he is definitely the best. If I ever become a coach when I am older I hope I could be as good as him. My vision of a better world is in which people have trust in one another, have responsibilities for ourselves, where families are nourished. A world where all people are looking forward to a bright future and a great life full of
Jessica Thorburn Perth High School
“Live the life you love, love the life you live.” Bob Marley
Celaena inspires me because even though she has lost many and has lived through and seen tragic things she still doesn’t want to hurt anyone. And although many people hurt her she doesn’t want to hurt them back.
Iffah Rehman Portlethen Academy “Everyone is a genius but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing its stupid.” Albert Einstein My favourite fictional character has to be Olaf. Olaf is the adorable snowman from the
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(Iffah Rehman continued...) Disney movie, Frozen. Other than the fact that Olaf is so cute, some of the lines Olaf says are really sweet. One of the lines I remember is, “Some people are worth melting for.” This may sound stupid but in people language that line means some people are worth dying for. Olaf put other people in front of himself. So Disney made a really good job in making him so thoughtful. It’s a bit weird saying that a snowman is my inspirational character but Olaf is so caring. He’s really funny too!
Talia Joy Castellano
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have learned so much about myself in this project. I didn’t realise that I had a lot to say to myself. I am happy that I learned things about myself without even knowing it. It’s helped me know my weaknesses and strengths and I have goals in mind for the future now. It’s pretty weird to be honest, because you wouldn’t think you could learn anything about yourself but you can.”
Rachel MacKinnon Portree High School “Just keep swimming.” Finding Nemo Talia Joy Castellano inspires me because throughout her battle with cancer she has continued to stay happy, positive and hopeful. Talia was most known for being a famous make-up artist and beauty guru and also for doing YouTube videos. Talia has been featured on numerous national television shows. Talia was diagnosed with neuroblastoma which is a rare childhood cancer at the age of seven. After 3 relapses and a diagnosis of the secondary cancer pre-lukemia, Talia continued to fight 2 forms of aggressive cancers. She continued treatments knowing there was no cure but hoped to slow down the progression to prolong her life. Sadly after 6 and a half years on July 16, 2013 at 11:22am Talia Joy Castellano lost her battle to childhood cancer. Talia continues to attract followers who view her YouTube videos and now has more than 1,000,000 subscribers. Talia’s best known quotation and motto is “makeup is my wig” and “just keep swimming”.
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Talia continues to inspire people to live their lives to the fullest and to love themselves as they are. Talia wanted to leave her footprints and handprints on this world so she will never be forgotten.
Jody Beveridge Queen Anne High School “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan My vision for a better world would have to be no poverty, hunger, war, murderers, and no lifethreatening diseases and illnesses. Most of my charity work abroad would be helping hunger and poverty and trying to clean up war sites. I want to take time out of my personal life to help those less fortunate. I want to help people with cancer come to terms with what they have been diagnosed with and help them through bad times. My gran died of cancer and I know how bad it feels when they are gone, so I want to help their family members through the tough times because it is comforting when the person telling you “I know how you feel” really does.
Elicia Prince Radyr Comprehensive School “Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.” Kevyn Aucoin My inspiration is my Great Grandma, Lorna Edwards, whose purpose was needed vastly. I think she helped a lot of people throughout her time. Lorna Edwards was born April 24th 1920. When the men (who were workers in factories, farms and retail) went away to war, the women had to take over their jobs. In 1920s, women were branded as ‘housewives’ and ‘mothers’, which implies an offensive message, as they thought women weren’t good enough to earn the vote, and were only there to marry and have a child while keeping a household clean. My Grandma was one of many to make bombs while the men were away. I think this is an inspirational cause as it is really stated something for those times. Women were looked down on as second class-citizens, but when the men couldn’t obtain their jobs, my Grandma helped those who were needed.
Without the women during WWII our country would not have been so successful. I think this is a very inspirational awareness, man or woman, as any person who is willing to help serve for their country and get involved in the war is one great person.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I can definitely say that I have learnt a vast amount more about myself whilst taking part and that in comparison to the people around me. We all want different things for this world. We also all have different visions for our futures and later lives and everybody has different personality goals to work on.“
Seren Strong-Wright Raglan V.C. Primary “Never say goodbye, because saying goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” Peter Pan My inspirational figure is not Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King, mine is Taulupe Faletau. He is a Welsh international rugby player that was born in Tonga. He inspires me even more because when he moved from Tonga at a young age he fit in very
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(Seren Strong-Wright continued...) well and went on to play for the Newport Gwent Dragons and Wales. Faletau is also loyal to Wales, many high class Welsh players are moving clubs and going to France but Taulupe stays loyal to the Newport Gwent Dragons and Wales. I also admire him for his kindness. Last year I went to see the Dragons vs. Blues and at the end of the match he had to be forced off the pitch because he spent so long talking to fans. Another example is I have seen many photos of him giving his cousin hugs after playing him - if he won or lost there was no difference.
Christy Campbell Renfrew High School “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller The fictional character I have chosen is Katniss Everdeen from ‘The Hunger Games’. I chose her because she is brave, fearless and strong and always puts others before herself. For example, when her little sister is picked to take part in the annual Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers in her place, putting her own life in jeopardy. This inspires me to be brave, strong and always overcome my fears in life.
I want to be the kind of person who makes everyone around them happy. I want to be generous, caring, loyal and be kind to everyone I meet. I will do this by helping others in need and being loyal to all my friends and family. I want to achieve happiness and good health as these are the most important things in life. As well as these, I would also like to have a successful career and family life.
Simranjeet Kaur Hothi Renfrew High School “I value courage beyond anything else.” J.K. Rowling J. K. Rowling is an inspirational person for me because she wrote my favourite books, the
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Harry Potter series, but she is also a generally fantastic person, Rowling motivates me to be the best that I can be despite the odds. All I have to do is be determined, put my head down and just go for it. If more people were like Rowling who spends time doing what she loves the most, it would make the world a better place for all. I intend to do just that. Rowling didn’t always have a happy life. She had depression and the loss of her mother. Her mother never got to hear about the amazing woman her daughter grew up to be. She originally wrote the books to pay off her rent and to care for Jessica but soon became a worldwide phenomenon after London’s Bloomsbury published her first book in 1997. She is now the 13th wealthiest woman in Britain. She supports 4 charities and co-founded the Children’s High Level group. So many children’s and adult’s lives have been changed because of J.K. Rowling’s work. She has won 15 awards and one of them is the Quill Award for Book of the Year.
Ellie Capon Rosneath Primary School “Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age and dreams are forever.” Walt Disney Ed Sheeran – He started performing out in the streets. Then soon enough he was a popstar. He’s just so inspirational, I have no words! He’s laidback, he lets the words come to him. Unlike most of the other popstars he writes basically all his own songs to his own beat. He’s someone I look up to, he’s not even bothered if he looks nice. It’s great! Since I was a little kid I’ve loved Winnie the Pooh. Out of all of them my favourite character would be Eeyore.
Ronan Frazer Ross High School “I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is.” Forrest Gump
I want to be a kind, peaceful person that people want to be around. I want to help others when they need it most and be able to have a big circle of friends. I want to have a good job with a good pay. I would like to be able to so start a family and have a nice life so I can enjoy every day of it. I want to be liked by a lot of people and to be thought of as a nice person. My vision for a better world is if two people or two countries don’t agree with something they don’t have to start a war over it. Everybody’s views are different so you aren’t going to agree on everything. I will try to live peacefully and help others live peacefully. I will also raise my children to be peaceful and kind.
Robyn Kennedy Rosshall Academy “Perseverance is falling down 19 times and standing up 20.” H.G Wells In a better world I would like to see world peace and an end to hunger. But as well as that I would like to feel safe and happy, safe and happy so that there is an end to self-harm and suicide. So people will appreciate and look on the bright side of life, as well as this an end to bullying, so that people are safe and happy and they don’t feel scared around people around them, especially in places like schools where you need to spend 4 years at the least so you should feel comfortable and even if you don’t like school, happy.
Sima Estebi Roundwood Park School “Quiet people have the loudest minds.” Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking was born on 8th January 1942 in Oxford. Whilst he was at university his clumsiness developed, leading to falls and other minor accidents. Even though his health was gradually deteriorating Stephen continued to study. In the 1970s Stephen became a professor of mathematics at Oxford University. I think that he is an inspiration because of how far he has come regardless of his illness. He showed determination and perseverance by never giving up even when he felt he had nothing to live for; courage even when his situation was very critical and he knew it was likely he would die; equality and diversity by proving to the world no matter who you are or your situation you can make something of your life; friendship by inspiring and motivating everyone who crossed his path and making an effort to please people by turning up at various conferences and public events no matter how down he was; excellence by proving his theory and continuing to study at one of the world’s highly regarded universities and even teach; and peace by protesting against the Vietnam war and campaigning for nuclear disarmament.
Stephen Hawking
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PUPIL FEEDBACK “By taking part in this project I have learnt more about myself as a person and what I want to do in the future. The project has tested me in all aspects: my hopes, who I am and my art skills. It has helped me reflect on who I am and explore different aspects of me. I am proud of my work.”
Delphi Jones Roundwood Park School “La vie en rose” Edith Piaf Coco Chanel was a fashion designer born into poverty in France. Chanel was one of the first designers not to use corsets, lace and frills in her designs, making them more comfortable and giving them a menswear aesthetic. This revolutionised women’s fashion as were it not for her women might still be wearing uncomfortable clothing just for the sake of looking good. Chanel has become one of the most influential female figures in history, standing for gender equality and feminisim. She showed bravery when creating her new and different designs, as hundreds of people could have viewed them as inappropriate for females; however, she was loyal to her beliefs and persisted in her ambitions, making her character very courageous and strong, particularly in a time when females were seen as the lower gender. Her beliefs in equality and diversity made her who she is and she might not have been so successful were it not for her powerful character.
Lily Salter Roundwood Park School “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light.” Kristina Webb is a 19 year old artist who was born in New Zealand. She is my inspiration for many reasons. Firstly, her amazing artwork
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fascinates me and is my goals in art. Not only is it so creative but the messages behind it are also very important and I think they can inspire everyone. There are also many quotes in her art that inspire me and make me think for example; “A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step,” and “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” I love these as they can motivate me. There are other thoughtful quotes: “Imagine a mirror that could reveal your personality, would you dare look?” or “Reflections in this mirror may be distorted by society’s idea of beauty.” These really make you reflect and think about yourself. My final reason is Kristina herself. She has 1.7 million followers on her art account but is nice to every single one. She replies to comments, reposts art and has a positive vibe. Her dream is to inspire and she has done that. I would like to be someone who is happy and helpful. I want to be someone people can trust and rely on when they are in need because I think it is important to help others and make sure they can come to you.
Sifana Shahzad Shawlands Primary School “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run the walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King
The person that inspires me the most is Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking is intelligent, resilient, dedicated and driven. He is a man that has overcome every obstacle in life despite having an illness. He never gave up no matter what life threw at him. Stephen Hawking inspires me simply because of all the incredible things he has achieved and all of the amazing things he has proven to the world today. The thing that I admire most about Stephen Hawking is that he has a strong desire to keep going no matter what happens to him. I admire the fact that he gives the impression that you don’t have to be completely normal to achieve extraordinary things in your life. I want to be able to have the passion that he had for what I will be doing when I am older, and I want to keep going no matter what comes my way. I think the reason that Stephen Hawking is successful today is because he made a commitment to what he wanted to do and stuck to it and kept going, ignoring his illness. Stephen Hawking has inspired me and millions of others out there.
Emily Kelly South West Fife Youth Association “You’ve got a dream…you’ve gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period.” The Pursuit of Happiness
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox is the first openly trans woman to be nominated for an Emmy (for her role as transgendered inmate ‘Sofia’ in ‘Orange is the New Black’). She teaches transgendered children (and adults) not to be scared of who they are, or change themselves. Laverne fights for the freedom of expression through gender and is an example of our diverse, evolving earth and culture. She helps us to understand the importance of gender identity and trans lives. We learn from her, how gender identity lives first and foremost in our hearts and minds.
Emma Edwards South West Fife Youth Association My favourite inspirational figure is Emma Watson. Not only is she an amazing actress from some of my favourite films but she has become the UN Women Ambassador and did a speech for the gender equality campaign, HeforShe, in front of many important people at the UN. Emma Watson was someone I watch in movies growing up, but now she’s become more than Hermione Granger, she’s an ambassador and advocate of such an important problem that I feel very strongly about and she’s doing a fantastic job.
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(Emma Edwards continued...) I’ve learned a lot from Emma Watson, and I would say I have quite a broad understanding and knowledge about gender equality, especially for a 13 year old. Emma Watson has taken on such an important role and is using her platform as an advantage instead of taking her platform for granted. She is somebody I look up to and is doing something that I would want to do if I were in her position.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I think this project has taught me, or opened my eyes about myself. I’ve learned about my positive qualities as well as what I need to work on and how I will do that. The project made me think about people I look up to and why. I’ve also realised where I want to be in a few years’ time, what person I want to be and how I will get there.”
single person on Earth can be happy just by thinking about their life. It also tells me that we must live a life that we will never forget. This boy can die any minute and he has a very heartbreaking moment in his life but he was still happy, he had lived a life that he will never forget. This story is emotional and it teaches me how to live a happy life. This story mainly tells me that even if we are really poor, really ill or really upset we should be happy that God gave us a chance to live. I think of this story when I don’t get something I want, then my mind will say to forget it and thank God for everything else he has given me.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have learned how to share my feelings with others. I think I became more honest and less embarrassed. This
Aislinn Watters
project was a big test for me, asking me what I can do. It reminded me my aims for life.”
St. Aidan’s High School “And God shall wipe away all their tears away from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4 Scott Key, my pastor, is my inspirational figure. He promotes peace, he lives by the word of the Lord, he supports equality, he ministered to me when I thought I had lost it all, he came to a new continent to minister to complete strangers. He is the single bravest, strongest person I have ever met. He is my hero.
Kesiya Elsa Mathew St Andrews RC High School “Don’t cry of what you’ve lost, but be proud of what you’ve gained.” My favourite story is from a book called “Ways to live forever”. This book is about a boy who is disabled and writes a diary about his life. I like this story because it tells me that every
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Bethany Kinnaird St Andrews RC High School “Those with the softest hearts, have the hardest shells.” Richard Evans When Russell Brand was 7 years old he was sexually abused by his tutor, when he was 8 years old his mother contracted uterine cancer and a year later, breast cancer. At 14, Brand suffered from Bulimia Nervosa. He left home when he was 16 because he wasn’t getting along with his mother’s partner. It was then that Brand started using illegal drugs such as Cannabis, Amphetamines, LSD and Ecstasy. Even though drugs are wrong and they can eventually kill you, it is understandable why Brand used them. The 16 years that he had been alive, he had been through so much that nobody should go through. Brand was looking for something to make him stop feeling and he found it at the bottom of a bottle but he gladly came to his senses in 2002 and managed to get clean. It has
been 13 years since Russell Brand used drugs and I think that is a massive achievement because when you have been addicted to something for twelve years, it’s going to be hard to stop using it.
Charlie Cameron St Clare’s Primary school “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” Martin Luther King Jr. Malala was born on July 12th 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. Her life has been ruined for her family by the Taliban. She spent a lot of her time the past six years standing up for education. What I find inspiring is when she got shot in the face by the Taliban at fifteen while standing up for girl’s education. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, making her the youngest winner ever. The world should now always remember Malala. The amazing quality she has is that she is brave enough, still as a child, to stand up for the whole of her country. I agree that all children must receive proper education, boys and girls.
Sara Lagan St Colm’s High School “Champions aren’t made in the gym. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them, a desire, a dream, a vision.” Muhammad Ali Mo Farah was born on 23rd March 1983 in Magodishu, Somalia. He hails from the Isaaq clan and his full name is Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah. He spent the early years of his childhood in Djibout with his twin brother. He later moved to Britain at the age of eight to join his father. Although his school days were not without trouble and difficulties, his athletic talent was spotted by a senior teacher, Alan Watkinson. Watkinson nurtured the young Farah and encouraged Farah during his burgeoning career. Watkinson remembers that when Farah first came to England he struggled because he spoke no English. Mo Farah is one of my biggest inspirations mainly because he came from being a young boy who only knew how to say, “Excuse me” and “Can I go to the toilet” to being the proud owner of 2 Olympic Gold Medals in 2012.
Russell Brand
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PUPIL FEEDBACK “Throughout this project I have learned that I’m not just like every other teenager and that I can make a difference to society today. I learnt that I have made people proud and I will continue to do that. I think that there should be a section to write down an inspirational story about yourself or something good you have done in life because I feel like everyone has a great story to share about themselves.”
Ella McKenna-Baxter St Colm’s High School “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Tim Notke My inspirational character is Marie Curie. She was born on the 7th November 1867 in Poland and later moved to France because women were not allowed to go to University in Poland. She is remembered for her discovery of radium and polonium, her discovery of X-rays and her huge contribution to the fight against cancer. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people will get cancer. Almost 70,000 people in NI are living with cancer. In 1903 Marie and her husband Pierre won the Nobel Prize for their contribution to science. She received another Nobel Prize in 1911 and was the first woman to do so. Marie Curie the charity is named in her honour. During the time of her research she began to feel sick and physically exhausted. This was due to radiation sickness because of her work and she died of leukaemia in 1934. She really inspires me because she helped to save so many lives and I hope that someday I will be able to help people and save lives.
Niamh Riggins St Collumbkille’s Primary school “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run the walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King
My vision for a better world is for everyone to ride bikes around and get to places rather than destroying the environment by using petrol in cars. Not only would this help the environment but it would also help the people living in it because it would make them all a lot healthier. I will start a campaign that makes people get fitter but it won’t just focus on cycling it will focus on all sports such as running and swimming. I will also hold events like races and tournaments. Eventually hopefully many people will be more interested in becoming healthy and choose to walk, run or cycle instead of driving.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I learned that I can be the change I want to see in the world and that I have the potential to achieve great things.”
Anna McCormick St Dominic’s Grammar school
PUPIL FEEDBACK “By taking part in the Inspire Aspire programme, I have learned a lot more about myself; I now have a clearer understanding of my own opinions and feelings which is something that I never considered before. Most importantly it has helped me focus on my goals for the future, to be the best possible person I can be. ”
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“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Barack Obama On November 4th 2008 Barack Obama was elected President making him the first black president of the United States. His victory made a powerful statement about how far the country
has come on the issue of race. He was a civil-rights lawyer and teacher before pursuing a political career. As a child Barack thought about his skin colour and why he was different. Barack studied at Harvard Law School, Occidental College, Columbia University and Punachou Academy all to learn about law and politics. In 2008 Barack was elected for president and for the first time his skin colour didn’t hold him back and he showed he was proud of who he really was! He is an inspirational figure for what he has done, he has always put others before himself.
Laila Babar St. Fillan’s Primary School “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” Maya Angelou Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, Macedonia on the 26th August 1910. Her religion was Roman Catholicism and she devoted all her life to serve humanity. She became a teacher at Loreto Convent School and served there for almost 20 years before becoming headmistress. She also founded the missionaries of the charity. I find Mother Teresa inspiring because she sacrificed her whole life in worshipping God, helping the less fortunate and serving humanity. I admire the fact that she could have been with her family but instead stayed away from them to help others in distress around the world.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I think I have learned more about inspirational people and more about the values and qualities that they have. I have achieved a poster that I am very proud of. I have also learned what being inspirational really means. This project has helped me to appreciate what we have, such as appreciating the food we have and the education we get.”
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
James Lau St George’s Primary “To express yourself needs a reason, but expressing yourself is the reason.” Ai Wei Wei
On the 3rd of April 2011, Ai was arrested at Beijing International Airport just before catching a flight to Hong Kong. Ai was accused of many different things including theft and abusing people but the real problem was that Ai had political beliefs. My father is Chinese and he is proud to be but realises that the Chinese government is not the best. Ai is one of many Chinese who didn’t agree with his government. For this reason he has been persecuted and is a prisoner in his own country. Despite this he continues to inspire through his art work and his quotes and artwork are exhibited all across the world. The most recent was an exhibition at Alcatraz prison on an island in San Francisco. The exhibit showed how others were prisoned wrongfully by their government. I like his creativity, courage and determination.
Helena Cassels St George’s School for Girls “Dreams don’t always have to exist when the suns down and your eyes are closed.” Alex Gaskarth Gerard Way
My inspirational figure is Gerard Way. To me he is inspirational not only through his music but through the way that his life panned out. He inspires me because all that it took for him to want to change his life was one moment in time. At this time he was a comic artist for Cartoon Network. The event that changed his life was the 9/11 attack but it shows how much one moment can change your life forever. Another inspirational thing about this man was that before My Chemical Romance came along he had never sung before in his life which tells me that your talents will manifest themselves when you most need them and to have faith in your decisions. He teaches me to be an individual no matter what others say, to be yourself and not to conform to society no matter the pressure that you are put under. Way tells us that being yourself is one of the most important things that you can be. He has overcome great adversary and for that I admire him greatly.
Abdul-Basit Raji St John’s RC High School “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” George Eliot My vision for a better world is a world with no war, no poor or rich, where everybody has a fair chance in life, where people are all equal, where the people in power are reliable, ambitious, hardworking and want a better life/ future for everybody. I will donate, sponsor students, and help build things, adopt, care and educate children. I will work to the best I can, run the fastest and longest I can, jump the highest I can. I will bring my visions to reality.
Alexandra Mary Ali St Joseph’s Penarth “If you can dream it you can do it.” Walt Disney Dork Diary’s is my favourite story because it is funny and creative and I love the character Nikki.
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I want to be the best I can be and my vision is a world where no one goes hungry and everyone gets to live in peace and there is no litter, I will send food to people who do not have food, pick up litter and to break up fights in any way I can.
Katie McErlean St. Mary ’s Grammar School “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.” Martin Luther King Jr. Florence Nightingale was born on the 12th May 1820 in Italy into a wealthy family who had a summer home in England. Florence was religious and felt God was calling her to become a nurse. At that time hospitals were dirty and doctors did operations without anaesthetic. Nurses were not respected or trained, but Florence was determined. In 1851 Florence went to Germany to a Christian nursing school. The work was tough. Florence and 38 nurses arrived in a filthy, overcrowded hospital in Turkey. There were not enough beds; men were lying on the floor, no proper toilets, blocked drains, smells and rats everywhere! At night she carried a lantern so the soldiers called her “The Lady with the
Lamp.” In 1860 the Nightingale Training School for Nursing opened in London. Hospitals were cleaner and her book of notes helped student nurses. Florence Nightingale is an inspiration to me. I admire her determination. She showed that no matter what you do in life and whatever the obstacles may be, you will succeed if you work hard. I admire her courage in taking 38 nurses and going into a war zone. She demonstrated that if you are willing to work hard, put in time and effort, preparation and training then the sky is your limit… You can go anywhere and achieve anything!
Zainab Bibi St Mungo’s High School “Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are.” My inspiring person is Jessica Ennis. She is inspirational for what she has achieved not the way she looks. She is an individual who puts in a lot of effort and trains a lot. She’s not just an athlete - anyone can throw things and run but it’s the fact she is determined to try her best at things and never gives up. Jessica also tries to beat her last score. She sets multiple personal bests in winning the gold medal and doesn’t let anyone get in the way of her success. That’s why she inspires me and makes me determined to learn and not let anybody to stop me from learning.
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Dr Seuss
Tom Edgar St Muns Primary school “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Dr Seuss John Logie Baird was one of the inventors of the television. Other people took on the task of constructing the TV, but Baird was the first to show TV pictures to the world. He was born in 1888. He was born before television or radio was even thought about. World War I began in 1914; he tried to join the army but was unfit so he worked in a factory. He invented a shaving razor made of glass, so that it wouldn’t rust. He sold extra warm socks for soldiers. He was told he wasn’t very well and needed more sunshine so he went to the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. He started a factory making jams and pickles. His office/workplace was blown up by a bomb so he thought that this was the end, until after the war the BBC asked him to produce a TV station for Britain and gave him a new office/ workplace.
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His invention just shows that you can do anything if you really try hard enough: he sailed through sleepless nights and the struggles of thinking and constructing his spectacular, amazing piece of engineering. He inspired me to become anything I want and do anything I want, he didn’t care what people said to him about his wacky idea because it really did pay off in the end!
Emma Cooper St Muns Primary school “Put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” Swami Sivananda I would like to be a doctor because I could help cure disease in life and help people who have been in an accident. I want to wipe out bullying because it’s not fair. Bullying is damaging and not necessary, both those who bully and those who are bullied need help. A better world for me would be for everything to be fair and where everyone gets the same.
I think everything should be fair because people brag a lot to people who don’t have a lot in life. We should learn to distribute wealth more and help improve the lives of others. I’m not sure the world will ever be completely fair. I could lead by example by treating people fairly and encouraging others to do the same.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I learned that you can do anything if you try. I learned to believe in myself more and don’t let people doubt you and don’t doubt yourself. I think you could improve by putting more sections in the project because I could have written so much more.”
Beth McLean St Peters Primary school “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” Dr Seuss My favourite fictional characters are the‘Cratchit’ family from Scrooge because even though they have hardly anything for Christmas dinner and they’re poor and cold, they make the most of it and are very thankful. They also pray for Scrooge and have a good time. I would really like it if everyone could join hands, make peace and be friends. I would really like everyone to be equal and to have equal rights. I would like our world to be a place where noone is scared or worried about anything. I want everyone to be kind to one another.
Hannah Quin St Pius X College “Do more of what makes you happy.” Alfie Deyes. My inspirational figure is my cousin Bridget. She died on Sunday 12th April 2015 from cancer. She is my inspiration because when
she was in pain she always had a smile on her face and she wasn’t afraid to die. 16 years ago she found out she had breast cancer. She was in remission for 12 years, then 3 years ago it came back. By this time it had moved into her stomach where there was no operation or treatment to cure her. Every day she got up thanking God that she was still here and thanking him for the wonderful life she lived. She was beside me for one of the most important days of my life. We would always have a laugh together. She is my brave little fighter, my lovely angel and my best friend. My vision for a better world is that one day they will find a cure for every cancer.
Katie Whiteside Stonelaw High School “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” Dr. Seuss My inspirational figure is Wangari Maathai. She was a Kenyan lady who founded the Green Belt movement in the 1970’s seeking to promote environmental conservation in Kenya and Africa. She was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. Wangari was patient, determined, caring, courageous, respectful and hard working. She inspires me because she teaches me that no matter what race, religion, background, or whether you’re rich or poor, you can still fight for what you believe is right. Look what you can do when you set your mind to it.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “As a young lady I have learned to respect myself and opinion as much as I do with others. I have also realised how many girls don’t get the same rights as me and I should feel lucky, but I can’t know the things people go through and I now want to help others.”
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Catriona Marden Strathallan School “A mind is like a parachute, it doesn’t work if it isn’t open.” Frank Zappa
I want to be a confident individual who contributes to society. I want to be able to stand up for my beliefs. I feel it’s good to believe in something but unless you act upon it nothing will change. I would like the world to be a place where people don’t get judged and categorised. Someone shouldn’t look at a person with their first thought being about what they look like, their religion, culture or wealth. Too many people don’t get to know others before they decide what they are like and how they should be treated. I think if people would accept differences and not prejudge, the world would be better. J.K. Rowling
at the time she was standing up for girls rights of going to school. The words ‘survivor, brave, courageous, exceptional, amazing and role model’ describe Malala perfectly. Not only is she close to my heart but I look up to her, I aspire to be like her, I hope that someday I can do a deed as great as hers. I want to still be myself in later life and not try to be someone that I’m not because I am Annie Heavern and my aim is to help others as well as much more I would love to do like: go to university to study law and business to maybe become a lawyer, a business woman or investment banker and while I’m at it make lifelong friends as well.
Caitlin Taylor Tarbert Academy “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison My inspirational figure is J.K. Rowling because just three years before the first Harry Potter book was published she had just gotten divorced, was on government aid and could barely afford to feed her baby. She was also so poor that she couldn’t afford a computer or to photocopy the book so she manually typed each version to send to the publishers. Plus it was rejected dozens of times until a small London publisher gave it a second chance. She taught me that no matter what you’re going through never to give up and things always get better.
Harmony Hill Annie Heavern Sullivan upper prep School “Beauty – not so much what is on the outside but the inside.” A.H. My inspirational figure is Malala. She was fifteen
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The Glasgow Academy “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” Will Rogers Mary Anning, from Lyme Regis in the forefronts of the 19th Century is my role model, and I respect her so much. Mary Anning was the first woman to be accepted into the historical fronts
of publishing books on her discoveries, and uncovering some major treasures of the past and is well known for being the first person to define a fossil accurately, be accepted into the prestigious society and acknowledgement of the infamous historian of France George Cuvier. For me, Mary Anning is the embodiment of female equality and achieving against all controversial odds in society, and she proved to the overbearing men of the time period that she lived in that she would not be passed off as negligible, she would thrive within their society. Mary Anning is a very inspirational lady because she taught me through her works and through researching her life story that no matter how hard people repel and mistreat you, and if people tell you that your ideas will fall flat and reprimand you for your class or culture, they cannot harm you.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I learned that life is not something that we can just take for granted, and we have to try and continue innovating and extending our never-ending potential. I have been truly sincere, and have been capable of embracing and accepting my faults, instead of being cocky and exaggerating my advantages. You must be yourself, and the world will shape itself around you.”
Kai Ewers The Gordon Schools “Life’s not about how hard of a hit you can give… It’s about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward.” ‘ Rocky’ Sylvester Stallone There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by Louis Sachar means a lot to me. It’s primarily about a boy called Bradley Chalkers, and he’s not liked very much. He’s regarded as a bully and people seem wary of him, even his teacher, but really he’s just a troubled kid who doesn’t know how to interact with the outer world. His older sister is mean to him and this seems to be a prime factor for his anti-social attitude, but Bradley becomes friends with a new boy called Jeff. He initially reacts to Jeff as if he is an enemy, but soon realises that he wants to be his friend. The book is very special to me as it focuses on social maturity and I think it’s a good lesson to be taught to young people because as Bradley’s social skills improve, he becomes more popular and happier and the outer world is no longer a fearful place where bad things happen. His grades become better too and he doesn’t have to lie to his mum any more just to make her happy. The book is a masterpiece to me and I think it should be read by all young people as it teaches a very important life lesson.
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Madeleine Anderson Morris THE Tiffin Girls’ School “There are two ways of spreading light. To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Edith Wharton Kelly Gallagher and Charlotte Evans are my inspirations for many reasons. Kelly and Charlotte are amazing skiers, however Kelly has aculotaneous albinism meaning she cannot see very well. However, Kelly decided to take up skiing even if the albinism affects her. This inspires me because it shows real courage to accomplish your dreams and a lot of determination too, to overcome the hurdles on the way. Furthermore, Kelly takes part in the Paralympics, portraying that her hard work did pay off. Actually, Kelly and her guide who skis in front of her to tell her where to go (Charlotte Evans) worked so hard that they were the first people ever to win a gold in the winter Paralympics for GB! I find this incredible, because the amount of spirit, positivity and bravery that goes into doing something so daring has to be lots. Though with the many
Kelly Gallagher & Charlotte Evans
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qualities, I think the trust between Kelly and Charlotte must be immense. Kelly has had a lot of injuries from skiing, like a knee injury, and managing to get back up and carry on after must take a lot of courage.
Faye Munim THE Tiffin Girls’ School “You can’t start the next chapter if you keep re-reading the last one. People will talk about you when they envy you and the life you lead. Let them. You affected their life, don’t let them affect yours.” I’m inspired by Michelle Obama and look up to her as not only was she the first African American lady in the White House but she is also not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and has helped others a lot and has been a good role model. On top of this she has managed her public commitments, career and family and has managed to balance them all out.
When Michelle Obama became the First Lady in the White House (first African-American lady) she visited homeless shelters and soup kitchens. She also argued on the behalf of millions of families, helped working women balance their careers and promoted the arts education. She has also helped with child obesity which has been a big problem in America. I admire her because she has been criticised so much by well known people when she was campaigning but she took it in and carried on. I would like to live up to her because she was brought up knowing that her ancestors were slaves and knowing that her family were not very rich but she still pushed herself to get where she is now and is influencing others to do the same.
Lara Davies Tirdenauw Primary School
Mary Berry inspires me because of her true passion and love of what she does. Mary was born on the 24th of March 1935 in England and is now aged 79. Mary moved to France and trained at The Gordon Bleu in Paris when she was just 21 and also studied at Bath School of Home Economics. Mary first started baking when she was encouraged at school in domestic science classes, Mary then went on to study catering at college. Mary often does charity work but her most popular job is The Great British Bake Off, this program where Mary raises money for Comic Relief. Mary invites four different celebrities for four weeks to come and try the challenge of baking for Comic Relief. A phone number on the program is shown each week so the viewers can donate too. Merchandise is sold in various shops and all the money goes to Comic Relief.
“Peace begins with a Smile.” Mother Teresa
Rebecca Tyson
Mother Teresa dedicated herself to caring for the sick and poor. She established a hospice for the blind, aged and disabled and leper colonies. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for all her work. Mother Teresa attended a convent run primary school and then a state run secondary school. Mother Teresa first had the calling at the age of 12. At 18, she decided to become a nun and set off for Ireland and joined the Loreto Sisters of Dublin. It was there that she took the name of Mary Teresa after Saint Therese of Lisieux. She began an open air school and established a home for the dying. After several years of ill health, Mother Teresa died on September 1997 aged 87. Mother Teresa stands out as one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th Century.
Ullapool High School
Bobbi Ironside Turriff Academy “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” John Lennon
“You were given this life because you’re strong enough to live it.” Constance Devernay inspires me more that words can say. She is a soloist with the Scottish National Ballet, when you see Constance dance you can tell that she is enjoying every moment and has a real passion for ballet. Being a ballet dancer takes determination, bravery and trust in yourself. Constance inspires me as she clearly had the right type of attitude and determination to go for her dream. One day I hope to show the same enjoyment in dance as Constance displays. I truly admire her brilliance and kindness, also she is caring towards who she teaches. Constance’s technique is my goal. I was lucky enough to get my programme signed by her and her doing that gave me a fresh wave of determination to be a dancer. I was even taught by her!
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Grace Bourke Victoria College “Saving one hen may not save the world, but it will save the world for that one hen.” Mama Hen Although Emma Watson is a model and well known for her favourite films of mine, Harry Potter, she aspired to be much more. From 2011-2014 she split her time between acting and studying at Brown University and Oxford University, achieving a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Emma Watson was a successful model and actor but shone particularly when she became a UN Ambassador. I find her outstanding success inspirational but it is really her hard-working nature I aspire to achieve.
Peter Aird The Waid Academy “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Robert the Bruce My inspirational figure is Robert the Bruce. His greatest battle perhaps was on the 23rd and 24th of June 1314, being the battle of Bannockburn. His victory led to a near destruction of Edward the Second who just escaped with his life. I chose him as my inspirational figure because no matter how many times he failed at something, he tried again and again and again. I could say I try to do things I fail at again and again but not like him. He fought for what he wanted, for what he believed in and in the end the effort led to what he had wanted. The story gets me thinking of how much like us he really was when he had failed in battle and found shelter in a cave. The fact that Robert the Bruce got up from that cave after being forced into exile due to the loss of a battle, where he would be gloomy, depressed, and most likely angry with the capture of his wife and daughters and the execution of his three brothers, is what makes his final triumph so impossible yet it happened and in my mind that is something admirable and inspirational.
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PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have learned I should be more generous and that I should always try hard to achieve what I want to achieve. I also now think that we need to acknowledge the past and secure the future, by looking at what you have done in the past and learning from your past
that I admire too. He spoke about learning how amazing he looks and he discusses how being attractive to yourself is more important than the way others see you. Connor taught me the difference between confidence and conceit and I am learning to love myself and the way I look too.
mistakes. I have learned that anything can be achieved and there is no such word as impossible! As I have said it would seem the
PUPIL FEEDBACK
smallest packages contain the greatest things.”
“I learnt a lot about myself, and I learnt more about who I want to be. This project helped me solidify my goals and with all the work I did about myself, I found that I acted a little more like who
Madeline Orr
I want to be already. I hope this stays with me and that I get to be all I said, and I hope what I learned I will remember.”
The Waid Academy “I never used to understand when people called themselves towering or infinite, but now I do. I am a woman, I am beautiful and I am limitless. You cannot tell me what to do and you cannot take that away from me. I have galaxies thundering inside me.” My inspiring person is Connor Manning. He is an American you-tuber who does advice and ‘lifestyle’ vlogs. He also sings, plays music and writes. He suffers from depression and is very open and honest about this. He doesn’t climb mountains, or make speeches to thousands of people, he doesn’t put out fires or donate hundreds to charity. Instead, he teaches me that even my metaphorical mountains can be overcome. He has taught me to speak out, and he has improved my way of thinking and my way of interacting with people. These alone are reasons to look up to him but it’s his personality Robert the Bruce
Abigail Menown Wallace Preparatory
“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” Og Mandino
My inspirational figure is Dr Janet Gray MBE. This local woman had to deal with the devastating effects of losing her sight at the age of 21 years. However by hard work, sheer determination and love for her water skiing sport she won the World Disabled Waterski Championships in 1999, 2001 and 2003. In 2004 Janet suffered a water skiing accident, hitting a steel jump ramp whilst training in Tampa, Florida. Her injuries were so severe some thought she would not survive. However, after three long and painful years of rehabilitation she stunned friends, family and doctors to make her come back to water skiing in 2007 where she became World Disabled Waterski Champion for the fourth time in Australia.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “This project has challenged me to think about the person I am and who I would like to be.”
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Demmieleigh Anderson Wester Hailes Education Centre “Don’t wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect.” My mum is my inspiration. She’s had such a tough life on her own but she’s always making other people happy. She always makes me laugh and tries to push me to my goals. I’m a mum myself and for me to watch my mum I want to be the best for my little girl like she has been for me. She is always there for me through thick and thin. She is like no other; she gave me a life, dressed me, played with me, taught me, kissed me, fought for me and loved me unconditionally. There are not any words that can describe how much my mum means to me. My daughter is also my inspiration. Sometimes when I need a miracle I looks into her eyes and realise I’ve already created one. When I look at her I see the future. I see my little girl playing dress up, running through the garden, playing with dolls. Soon she will be making her own decisions but to me she will always be my little girl.
Elisa Toderas Westpark Primary School “Life is like a cup of tea…it’s all on how you make it.”
I hope to be a good person and to help other people. I want to be an educated person and to have a good job and to be friendly with all people. I want to create a free library with lots of books and people can come to my library and take books to read. I believe that the world would be a better place if people stop drinking and smoking and start being nice with each other and put their rubbish in the bin. I hope that I will work as a piano teacher and I will encourage my
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students to follow their dreams and I will help them with problems or if they are not sure of something.
Niamh Di Basio Williamston Primary School “It isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Vivian Greene I like this quote because it tells me to make the most of what I have. My inspirational figure is Buddy Valastro, who makes magnificent cakes. He runs the Carlos Bakery, which he took over from his Dad. He inspires me because when things go wrong he doesn’t get angry. He just gets his team together to discuss what went wrong then they start again.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “Whilst taking part in this project I have learned my stronger and weaker values and qualities I hold, although also ways to improve.”
Bethany Conroy St Benedict’s Catholic College “All our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney
International winners Australia
Charlie Wilson
The person who inspires me is Princess Diana. She was not only a loving and supportive mother; she was also involved in many campaigns to help those less fortunate than herself. She focused attention to helping those who had been injured by land mines, whilst also trying to abolish them. She also went through many struggles in her own life like bulimia and depression. She gave many people struggling with these issues a role model of openness and honesty. She used her media popularity to bring attention to the needs of Third World countries; she was focused on others not herself. One of her quotes is: “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” This is something that Princess Diana followed throughout her whole life, always focused on helping others not focusing on herself. She put others before herself constantly and her work and love is what she is remembered for today.
Peregian Springs State School “Do what you love and don’t let fear come in the way of that.” The figure I have chosen is my Dad because he is proud and brave because he never gives up and always keeps trying. My Dad works as an army member so he goes and fights for us and makes it a better place. I think the hardest thing about having my Dad away and fighting to save people and help is you never know what is happening but why I chose him is because he pushes me to be a better person and do what you love and dream about. But don’t let the fear or hurt to worry you and just do it. What does he mean to me? My Dad means everything to me, he goes in to the war and helps others and our family.
Princess Diana
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Brandon D’Silva St Benedict’s Catholic College “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan My favourite fictional character is Salma from the novel A Long Walk to Water. This character means a lot to me because of what he experiences in his life. During his life right from when he was a kid, his town in Africa was always affected by war and fighting. This is a story of courage and persistence. He is in school when his village gets attacked. He is told to go and run away. He finds people just like him that ran to escape the war. Him and the rest of the group walk. They keep on walking and walking. They have hardly any food or water. The group walks through the desert and through hard environments. He loses his family in the war and in his village. Over the journey he makes a friend and finds his uncle. Both of these people meant a lot to him and both of them died. He continues to walk with the rest of the group in to the detention camp. Without his family, his uncle, or his best friend. He has a lot of courage and persistence.
Bangladesh
Abdus Samee Chittagong Cantonment Public College
“The only place where poverty should be is the museums.” Dr MD. Yunus Dr Mohammad Yunus is a Nobel laureate Bangladeshi economist and the founder of the Grameen Bank, which provides micro credit to poor people especially to poor women. In 2006 he and his organisation won the Nobel Peace Prize. He developed the concept of micro-credit and micro-finance. He excelled in humanity, equality, generosity and so on. Through his method of demonstrating activities and the spirit of revolution in banking he not only achieved success, but also inspired me. He believes that
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poor people can survive if they are given loans and other supports. He believes in power of the people. He has taken himself to an exalted and inalienable position. Like him, I would like to be a good person and work for humanity and peace with my utmost perseverance and hard work. He is a true freedom lover and role model of peace.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “If there were some more interactive works like video sharing and scope for drawings it would be nicer. We could express our views about global citizenship.”
Kazi Shifat Tasnim Nowmi Dr Khastagir School
”You can never cross the ocean, until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Christopher Columbus Sherlock Holmes, my favourite fictional character created by the Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He is beyond intelligent and ridiculously smart. He fights against crime and solves cases in adventurous and detective ways. Holmes made a singular impact upon the popular imagination and has been the most enduring character of detective fiction. This fictional character – Holmes – inspires me to be adventurous, thoughtful and taught me to solve a problem in a detective way. “One cannot change the world by oneself” but the efforts of one is the inauguration of thousands of tasks. I’ll make all our efforts to create a borderless world and to promote its advancement. I’ll try to create social bonds to inaugurate an exploitationfree society in different parts of the world.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “To express my inner feelings, I’ve found this project very effective. The hidden concepts have been flourished with great enthusiasm. Each and every part of the writing helped me to realise who I am and what my vision is. It has encouraged me to take proper steps to accomplish my vision and to enhance my visualisation as well. This project is a great one for me.”
Kailash Satyarthi
Mayeesha Foarezana Dr Khastagir School
“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” George Halas Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, popularly known as Begum Rokeya was an iconic feminist, writer and a social worker in undivided Bengal, born in 1880 in Rangpur, Bangladesh. In her writings, she raised her voice against male dominating society. Womanhood back then was a constant struggle. Women had no freedom and they were not allowed to go outside. Rokeya had to struggle a lot to educate herself with the help of her family. Later in her life, she established a girls’ school with only four students - for women’s advancement in education. Though she was raised in a society where women’s veils remained unlifted she was never afraid to dream about women coming outside. She died in 1932 and maybe she didn’t even get to see her dreams come true. But look at all those homebound girls challenging the world, becoming doctors, scientists and engineers, leading the world. They are the women Rokeya dreamt of. She motivates me to be bold and strong as a woman. She inspires me to dream big. Begum Rokeya’s dream has come true because women are now changing the world. Rokeya motivates me to live being who I am.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “Taking part in this project made me feel inspired. I have discovered my inner self. I got a chance to discover things that really inspire me. Above all, I got to spend some wise moments while completing it. I appreciate the Inspire>Aspire poster project that gathers ideas around the world. But I think if the students are asked what problems they face to get inspired or to make the change happen, then it will be a lot easier to actually change the world!”
Botswana
Aditya Faujdar Northside Primary School “There are only two ways to live your life – one is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle.” Mr Satyarthi is my inspirational figure. He is a children right’s advocate and an activist from India, working against the menace of child labour. He has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his noble deeds and persistent efforts in this area. He inspires me because I find him a responsible human being and a persistent person. He was deeply affected by one incident from his childhood when
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(Aditya Faujdar continued...) he was in school. He saw some small kids selling some goods outside his school. He was curious and asked his teacher why the small kids are working and not attending school like the other children. His teacher told him that the children were poor and their parents cannot afford to send them to school. Mr Satyarthi always remembered this incident when he grew up and became more aware of child trafficking and child labour. He started working for his cause. To date, due to his efforts, nearly 80,000 children have been freed from bondage. His life shows us that he is courageous, a great team worker, and positive, committed, hardworking and purposeful person.
Cameroon
Assango toumpe Simme-Erika GBHS Santchou Nelson Mandela helped us to have humane feelings for everybody, love and humanism. He was a very strong man who promoted confidence in my heart with love and happiness. I wish in future I could be like him (with all his good qualities). This will help me to improve or take part in the improvement of today’s world.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have learnt that having dreams is good but also realising them is the best for seeking a better world. It also helped me to know what is important in life and the qualities that I need to make my future a success. In brief, this poster has helped me to share my vision of life as I have never done before. This was a good opportunity for me to express myself.”
Canada
Paula Picon St Joachim catholic School
“You must be the change you want to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi
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Mother Teresa is an inspiring role-model because she helped and cared for many people. She gives me encouragement to help others. Also she is a good and kind person, she inspired a lot of good people that can make the world a better place. Mother Teresa helped the sick and the poor - she gave us a great example of a true leader. She didn’t only help people but cared for them too, she gave them love too. She also gave people hope of them making a change. Mother Teresa is one of the best female role models, she lived most of her life caring for other people. She didn’t have time for her family. Mother Teresa put others before her, that’s the kind of person I will be.
Fiji
Ashnita Devi Nadogo Central College “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” There is not a single country in the whole world where the name of Mahatma Gandhi is not known… He was an amazing man. He is one of the most admired personalities, but the most important legacy he left behind is not only an independent India but the many wonderful works and his life philosophy: that everyone, anyone is capable of his own
Anjali Anamika Devi Sigatoka Andrha Sangham College “Education is the key for life, without it we cannot open the doors of destiny.” I really admire Waiyaki, the main character of the novel, The River Between written by a well known African writer, Ngugi wa Thiongo who expresses concerning issues in the novel. I like Waiyaki as he has an ambitious mind. He is a very hard-working person who at an early age achieved a lot compared to the other boys of his own age. As a student I am inspired by Waiyaki to work hard and achieve my goal. internal transformation. As long as it starts from one person, the world can literally be changed.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I really have learnt a lot of values from these personalities and definitely it has made my vision, the path of my life, my goals, my career more specific and more meaningful. Definitely I would like to work a hundred times harder now to become something good in life and to be a role model to other people.”
Mahatma Gandhi is my inspirational idol because he was a person with a vision and he fulfilled it no matter what came his way. Gandhi had non-violent acceptance and tolerated all religions. Gandhi’s beliefs, that we should always walk on the path of righteous and speak the truth, inspire me and instil good values in me. As quoted by Mahatma Gandhi, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” is very inspiring as he tells us that we should always do good to others, doesn’t matter if they do bad. We should not be violent.
Prisha Narayan
France
Sangam skm College
Esther Hernandez
“The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” My vision for a better world is where people respect other people despite their colour or culture. A world where children do not leave their parents in an old age home. A world where poverty and crimes are put to an end. A world where there is no war between countries and neighbourhoods. A world where children get a good education to be successful in their lives. A world where people do not discriminate between their colour. In short my vision for a better world would be that there is peace and harmony in the world just like how previous inspirational figures wanted.
Dunois High School
“Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us” Helen Keller I want to be hard-working. I don’t like to work a lot if the work doesn’t interest me. For example, when I have a presentation to do and I didn’t choose the subject I will wait until the last moment to do it and I will do it as fast as possible. If I were hard-working I
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(Esther Hernandez continued...) would work a lot and finish by liking the subject. Some of my friends are hard-working and I want to be like that. I don’t really talk about this with my friends or my family.
India
Malala is the one who inspired me because in her young age she has great passion, commitment and leadership qualities. She fights against the Taliban. She encourages me to think that if we want something which is impossible – go ahead, fight and the impossible turns into the possible.
Madhav Dingliwala Modern Public School “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Gandhi Wings of Fire by Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam is indeed the most inspiring autobiography have ever read. The story definitely instils a feeling of pride in being an Indian. The story tells us about Kalam’s rise from a humble lower middle class family and his narrative of India’s efforts in rocketry and space technology. It teaches that how the finest of the people can be brought out. It has taught me a great lesson of life.
Manisha Pandey Satya Barthi Adash School “When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the one which has been opened for us.” Helen Keller
PUPIL FEEDBACK “When I wrote this poster I didn’t know about my positive points and their effect on my life or other’s lives but when we started writing I thought about myself deeply and it encouraged me to do more for our world. I will work on this and as soon as possible I will become perfect also in these areas. It is a deep evaluation of ourselves.”
Kenya
Hannah Lee Rosslyn Academy “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.” Abraham Lincoln I chose Abraham Lincoln because as a president he didn’t boss everyone around and give random orders, but he had wisdom and humility. I admire Lincoln because he believed that all creatures were to be created equally. Whether you are different skin colours, or you are a boy or a girl, or from different countries. He treated everyone equally.
I am writing about Helen Keller who is full of inspiration. I am very inspired by her. Helen never lets her handicaps get in the way of pursuing her dreams. However, in all her humility she gives credit of her success to her teacher, her parents and her well wishers and her friends… Teachers can play a very important role in the life of children, they can show them a right path in a right way.
Johanpreet Kaur Satya Elementary School “I am thankful for all of those who said ‘no’ to me, because of them I am doing it.”
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Abraham Lincoln
Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia is my favourite fictional character because she is kind and she believed in Aslan. In the same way I should believe in God and know I’m in his hand and be kind to others, while I also believe in God, like Lucy did to Aslan.
Aiko Njuguna Rosslyn Academy “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” Robin Williams Bethany Hamilton was surfing when a 14-foot shark attacked her; the shark severely injured her left arm… About a year after the attack she placed first in the Explorer Women’s division of the 2005 NSSA National Championships. She showed that even though something bad happened she looked on the bright side, because of that I want to be like her. I think she has achieved success because she didn’t give up on her dream. Since losing her arm she has been an inspiration to many people.
Beryl Toria Kola Nyarach Primary School “Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.” Robinson, a young boy abandoned as a baby, grows up in a children’s home. His love for science makes him invent a time machine which could take him back in time so he could meet his mother for he longed to know who she was. At first he fails but after being shown the bright future ahead of him he realises that he can only achieve that future if he keeps moving forward no matter how many times he fails. This motto is what inspires my day to day life because it does not matter how many times I fall but to get to my destination all I need is to get back on my feet, dust myself off and keep moving forward just like Robinson.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “This poster has opened my eyes and has made me realise that there are so many things I would really like to achieve in my life and to do so I need to really push myself as hard as I can. I’ve learnt that in order to become a better citizen of this world I need to develop positive values which make me a better person.”
Malta
Amy Borg St Ignatius College
“I destroy my enemy when I make him my friend.” Abraham Lincoln My inspirational figure has to be Jesus because he is the Son of God. He knew, knows and will know what is best for us and even though I can’t talk to him, I can connect with him in quiet moments, no matter when or where I am. He has taught us how to live the best possible life that will lead us to happiness. He worked for peace, as he was a very peaceful man who tried teaching at a level that everyone would understand, no matter what you were. He taught us to accept others, to say no to discrimination, to be kind to others always. I feel like he is important to me because he died for me and he suffered a lot in his life. He fought for people to be free and stepped up for people in many circumstances. I always look up to him as the perfect role-model and hope that maybe one day I will be able to reason like him, always defending others and being loving and exemplary.
Nigeria
Saviour Sylvester N Akwa Nigeria Living Values “A leader without good character would bring the nation into an era of destruction, disorder and instability.” My role model is our outgoing president – President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of Nigeria. His service to the people of Nigeria
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(Saviour Sylvester N Akwa continued...) was distinguished by high principles, genuine compassion and personal humility that characterised the constancy of his concern for the welfare of all. He represented us with wisdom, humour and insight. He is our great leader. I want to provide quality leadership for my people and respond to their needs because people are more than power. I want to maintain a legacy of discipline, honesty, integrity and hard work in the service of my people… I will be standing firm in defence of policies that will benefit the downtrodden in society as well as sharing my time and material resources in a spirit of hospitality, generosity and compassion in order to put an end to exclusion, injustice, political and economic oppression in our nations.
Marvelous Victor Bassey Nigeria Living Values “Transformation of society is through human motives and behaviours, starting with my own self.” My role model is our former president Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. He is a very humble man, very respectful and he always responds to the needs of many people. I have been inspired, equipped and connected through his qualities. In Search of a New House is my favourite story. The content made me understand that we are all one, God has created all human beings and he loves all equally. Therefore we should also love all humanity equally, no matter what religion, race, caste or class one belongs to.
Pakistan
Zarish Younas CARE Pakistan “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” St Francis of Assisi
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Helen Keller was an American author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her birthday on June 27th is commemorated as Helen Keller Day in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Helen Keller was born with the ability to see and hear. At 19 months old she contracted an illness described by doctors as “an acute congestion of the stomach and brain” Helen Keller never broke her courage. Instead she worked harder.
Maira Aslam CARE Pakistan “Think 100 times before you take a decision. But when you take it, prove it right.” I like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan the most. He struggled a lot for the rights and education of the Muslims of the sub-continent. He advised Muslims not to take part in politics until they are educated. He established many schools to promote education. He was the first person who tried to create a good image of the Muslims before the English. He worked for the good will of the Muslims. He established the “Scientific Society” in Ghazifus. He was a man of strong determination, dedication and commitment. Such personalities are a beacon house for others to follow. Well said by someone, “Happy is he who becomes the part of history in his own life.”
South Africa
Lizwienkosi Cyril Mibhele Zwelibanzi High School In my life I only have three goals that need to be fulfilled or to be achieved; my short term goals, medium term goals and long term goals. My short term goal is to pass my Grade 12 next year with flying colours. My medium term goal is to go to the institutional level and have a degree. My long term goal is to be a teacher and build my Grandma and Mother a house. The reason I choose to be a teacher is because South Africans lack education so I just want to make a difference.
Bryony McDonogh St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls “I know enough of the world, enough of men, to know what’s beyond our ken.” Faust Muhammad Ali is an incredibly inspirational figure: he grew up in a certain environment, culture and religion that he simply did not believe in and instead of just accepting that this was his life and will be his life, he fought to change it. He changed his name and faith, knowing all-well that it would not be accepted or understood. Ali fought for his beliefs and ultimately his rights as both a black man and a human being – some might say that he did it rather cockily, over-confident and a childish demeanour – but this just showed how confident he was in himself. He was inspiring and supporting both his believer/supporters and non-believers. In 1980, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, subsequently resulting in his retirement in the late 1990s. But he did not simply accept that his dream and goals were over, oh no! Not once did he complain or blame anything/anyone for the cause of his ended career. Ali devoted himself to humanitarian endeavours around the globe and spread the story of believing and fighting like hell for it.
Sri Lanka
Pamodi Anuthara Wijenayaka Sanghamittha School “Miracle is another name for hard work.” I want this world to be as it was about 2000 years ago. I don’t mean about living as the people of the Stone Age. I just like to see the world peaceful and free of pollution, as it was in the past. In that world, people were unselfish and linked hands with each other in harmony, surpassing all the geographical boundaries. I will make friends of all the ethnicities and nations and admire their cultures. I will refrain from adding harmful pollutants to the environment. By writing essays and drawing posters I will make the community aware about preventing pollution too. I will have peace within myself, with my family members and my friends to begin with.
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
W.A. Kaveesha Gimhani Sanghamittha School “We often miss opportunities because they dress in overalls and look like work.” Thomas A Edison Thomas Alva Edison was born in Ohio to a middle class mother and father. This great person inspires me the most because he was a very curious person as a child. He had finished reading lots of books in the local library when he was only 12. At the same time as he was studying he was selling fruits, papers and sweets in the town’s railway station to support his family. Edison’s commitment to his job is shown by the fact that he found his own newspaper – “The Weekly Herald” which was made public by a local magazine. Edison’s little paper was sold out in no time every day giving him an income of a little more than 10 dollars per day due to this publicity. At the age of 15 he became a telegraph operator and later moved to New York in order to find more money to help his parents. He kept working on his inventions in his free time and his first invention, a calculator of votes in an election, was introduced to the market. Although this was a great invention it was refused by politicians. This situation only made Edison stronger as it inspired him to invent several inventions such as the harmonic telegraph, the harmonograph, the kinetescope and many others.
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GP Damitha Tharindu Subasinghe Kurunduwatte Royal College
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Emerson My inspirational figure is Usain St. Leo Bolt. Usain Bolt’ is a Jamaican sprinter and a three time Olympic gold medalist. He holds the world record for the 100m and the 200m. He was the youngest man to win the gold medal in a championship competition. With his dedication and courage he reached his success by breaking up others’ records as well as his own records. Because of his achievements in sprinting he goes by the nick-name ‘Lightning Bolt.’ I like him because he never gave up on the challenge. He always worked harder and harder and was able to break his own records and because of that he is also called the fastest man in the world. We also face different challenges in our life that might be somewhat harder and we will not be able to overcome them at once. We must try hard to overcome them with our courage, so that we’ll also be able to light to the world.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “By engaging in this project I was able to know about myself very much. I was able to improve my self-esteem and also my confidence. This project creates us a new pathway to enhance our future goals through being understandable about our own life.”
St Lucia
Oprah Winfrey
Chancy Fontelle School of Art and Design “When you get, give. When you learn, teach.” Maya Angelou Daphne from Scooby Doo is a proud lady. Yes, she is super girly, loves style and fashion and always looks her best, but she can also defend herself both physically and mentally. When she is in trouble she can take down her enemy with interesting karate moves! My vision for a better world is where parents can properly raise their offspring with proper manners and toteachthemhowtorespectothers.Childrengrowing up without respect is a growing problem worldwide and it leads to numerous crimes and bad situations which most times have the parents living with regret because their child was not raised appropriately.
Tanzania
Christina Christopher Mapunda School of St Jude
“Go ahead, fall down. The world looks different from the ground.” Oprah Winfrey My inspirational figure is Oprah Winfrey, a woman who was born in poverty. Oprah lived with her mother for 2 years until her mother decided to go to town and look for a job. Oprah stayed behind with her granny who taught her to read the Bible. She later moved to town and lived at her mum’s after her granny’s severe sickness, where she took care of her half sister, Patricia. With her mother being away during day hours, her cousin took advantage of her and raped her, keeping her silent by giving her ice cream. More of that happened with her uncle and other boys she was associated with. She didn’t know what to do and at a young age she kept quiet. No policies were formed by then for such abuse. She withdrew slowly from the social world, talked to few people and had fewer friends. She admired truth and fought against slavery, advocating for women’s rights.
She grew up into a very inspiring TV talk show host. She shared her emotions and stories to inspire her viewers. Oprah is inspiring because despite growing up in poverty and abuse she made it to the apex of success. She has demonstrated passion, devotion, hard work and open-mindedness. I admire her courage in public - she has a horrible history of abuse but she is still in the public eye. I think she has achieved success because she has passion for what she really loves to do.
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Amina Bashiri Mkova
Nora Isidori Minja
School of St Jude
School of St Jude
“Nothing changes until your mind changes.” I am inspired by Ben Carson since he has developed positive qualities as he is selfdisciplined, has self-confidence, is a God believer and believes in himself. Moreover, he was able to overcome school’s challenges. I find him inspiring because he illustrates how we are supposed to live so as to achieve a good life and development. I believe that by being disciplined I will create good relationships with others and more self-confidence. It is true that I have got values and ideals that I want to live up to since I like to be self-disciplined and live according to my principles and patriotism. Ben Carson achieved this because he stood with his visions and worked towards them and all in all he works for a reason and that is saving the world or people’s lives.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “What I can advise concerning next year’s project is to open many chances for participants more than 5 posters submitted and more, at least 2 or 3 times a year so that may present their ideas and so you will gain more knowledge on how to change the world through them.”
“It is the unknown that we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more!” Albus Dumbledore. Harry Potter is my inspirational character and figure. Although fictional, J.K. Rowling, who is the author of this outstanding boy, managed to capture a most vivid picture of his character. The young boy in the story has shown a spirit of humanity among his kind at such a tender age. He has portrayed respect and given care for them, proving to be loyal to all those who deserved his loyalty. Mostly portrayed in Harry is his ability to master diversity in most scenes and areas, and equality is also a good characteristic of his. He was optimistic and persistent even after Dumbledore passed away, his death unleashing many secrets, lies and truths that ought to have “dampened” his spirits and caused him to give up on his quest for “Greater Good” (That is to overcome evil and overthrow Lord Voldemort who had been the greatest foe of the “Greater Good”) Harry Potter achieved it in the end because he had love for others, and perseverance was his most basic characteristic.
Michael Jackson
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PUPIL FEEDBACK “The project made me realise there is more to stories than we know. It made me realise how we can easily reach to others, and what we may discover we lack in our lives. The project has given me a chance to evaluate and challenge my future. As a young girl I can achieve a lot before I age and regret why I haven’t put my potential to full use.”
Trinidad and Tobago
My vision for a better world is helping the poor and homeless people. The poor, I’ll somehow try to help them with arranging food for them and the homeless will be off the streets and working for their own money. I will personally open a company to arrange food for the poor and homeless. I forgot one thing, animals. People in the world these days torture animals a lot. To make this stop I will have a home for animals to be safe and sound.
Keziah Williams
Zambia
Moulton Hall Methodist Primary School
Martha Mwape
“Laugh when you can, apologise when you should and let go of what you can’t change.” I have chosen Nelson Mandela because he is a strong man who fought for his rights against the white minority in South Africa for their racism against black people. Although he was put in jail for 27 years by the South African apartheid government he still came out as strong as a lion. He pushed himself until one day he was chosen to be deputy president of the ANC. I will also push myself to do the best I can and fight for my rights against society.
Adia Page Moulton Hall Methodist Primary School
“It’s better to try and to fail than to fail to try.” Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29th 1958. I was inspired by the song “Black and White.” He shows me that it does not matter if you meet a white or black person. Colour does not matter at all. It matters what is on the inside. Kindness, patience and other things people will like you for.
Naomi Douglas Moulton Hall Methodist Primary School
“I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say “Because of you I didn’t give up. In fact I kept on trying.”
Sakamala Secondary School “For attractive lips, speak words of kindness, for lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.” Audrey Hepburn My favourite story character is Terry Teddy who once was an unfortunate poor man. His home was also very poor, a small and empty house where mice made their nests and spiders their webs. People tried to avoid coming into his house. The poor man met a friend and complained about his miserable life. The friend felt sorry for this man and gave him and unprecedented vase and said, “This is a magical vase that will save you from poverty.” The poor man took the vase and wanted to sell it at first and spend the money on alcohol. But he took it home, put it on the table and started admiring it. It is not right for such a beautiful thing to be empty so he picked up some wild flowers and put them into the vase and it became more beautiful. He thought again that it was not right for such a beautiful thing to stand next to spider webs, so he swept out cockroaches and clean his house from spider webs and mice, cleaning dust, washing the floor and the walls and whitening the ceiling and it became clear that his house wasn’t poor but rather warm and cosy. The poor man wasn’t a poor man any more but a hard working host who had no time for the thoughts about misfortunes.
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
PUPIL FEEDBACK “Taking part in this I have come to know myself very well and of the things that I thought I can not do, I can do them without fail now if only I can engage persistence, hard work, understanding and principled action. I would love to be set as an example for the society and the world at large.”
Maggie Langeni Sakamala Secondary School “Victory is always possible for the people who refuse to stop fighting.“ Napoleon Hill To me the inspirational figure is Doris Kasote. She is the true example of the people who are young and able to speak out on violence issues. She inspires me because she is young and able to speak out on violence as she also speaks on behalf of the young people that are shy and can’t speak out on these issues, but sometimes some they can talk although that limits them to write in the newspapers and other forms that can make people to the general public hear what you want to teach or educate. I chose her as my role model because one day I would like to speak out on violence issues that affect the world today by teaching the people that are not responsible for themselves and even those that do not care for other people. I like most how she condemned the matter when sons turned on their mothers by killing her.
Jemimah Kapapula Chengelo School “Today you are you. And that’s truer than true. There’s no one on earth who is youer than you.” Dr Seuss I am good at being visionary and impactful. I believe in trying. It doesn’t matter whether you’re changing the world overnight, or helping one person get up again, the point is you’ve made a difference.
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I want my books to be world-wide inspirations. I want them to be translated into every language on the planet so that every word can be understood and utilised. They’ll pour out motivation and there’ll be encouragement screaming from every page. They will change people’s views of the world for the better and nudge them a little closer to the cliff of fear they’re perched on.
PUPIL FEEDBACK “I have been made to think about things that probably would never have crossed my mind. I’ve looked at things I can improve about myself and positive attributes I can develop about myself. I now have a vision for the world, one which I intend to make a reality.”
Johanna Bangala Chengelo School “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Abraham Lincoln Allyson Michelle Felix is an American athlete who competes in the 200 metres where she has won the 2012 Olympic Gold, 2 Olympic Silver medals and 3 World Championship Golds. Furthermore, she competes in 100 and 400 meters, winning 3 Olympic Gold medals as a member of the United States Women’s Relay team. Allyson is my inspiration because even after achieving so much she acknowledges
Talo Inamtao Chengelo School “Despite everything, I believe people are really good at heart.” Anne Frank
that God is the reason behind it all. She is also part of the US Anti-Doping Agency, “Project Believe” programme. Felix is regularly tested to ensure that her body is free of performance enhancing drugs. From this I can tell that she is a hard working person who does not believe in corruption. With the gift and love for running I am encouraged to continue to train hard and by God’s grace become the Olympic Champion I dream to be.
PUPIL FEEDBACK
My favourite fictional character is Zero from Holes because of the way he appears useless at the beginning of the book but becomes a very important character towards the end of the book. He teaches me not to assume anything about anyone before you get to know them. He also shows me how I don’t always need to be the largest piece in the puzzle to make the picture. I would open up an Art Circle where we could only use rubbish as well as things that are bad for the earth. If things go great I would like to have a mini competition. And the best art works and designs would be taken to a local museum.
Anne Frank
“I have definitely learnt more about myself; my strengths and my weaknesses. Furthermore, taking part in this project has been an encouragement to dream big and to contribute to making my school, my society, my country and even the world a better place. I’ve been inspired to continue to chase my dreams, everyday taking a step closer to achieving them.”
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GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Teacher feedback The Ultimate ambition for the ‘inspire>aspire programme’ is to encourage as many young people as possible to consider their own personal character, values and inspirations so that we enable them to build the foundation for a life full of purpose. We can only achieve this via the inspiring and dedicated teachers and youth workers who choose to deliver our programme and below you can find out about the impact of this work from their perspective.
Teacher Feedback 2015 Karen Lorimer
Suzanne Baird
“A real opportunity for the children to focus on themselves within their families, school community and indeed the global community. Looking at inspirational figures, and the diverse range they found, provided an opportunity for children to identify with real people – ‘normal’ people who made a difference or were simply ‘inspirational’. Children don’t often think of themselves entirely positively and this was a real opportunity to do just that.”
“The programme has been really valuable in allowing pupils to develop their own awareness of their own strengths and development needs in terms of their own characteristics and has allowed them to think about where this may take them in the future.”
St George’s Primary School, Scotland
Aphanna Saham CCPC, Bangladesh
“The students in our school have been taking part in this programme for two years. Since the beginning the pupils were very interested about the poster competition. To my students, it was a great opportunity for them to express themselves in a different way. They learn to be univocal and express their feelings toward different global issues. So, from my students’ point of view the programme was really valuable.”
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Baldragon Academy, Scotland
Suzanne Stephen
Holy Family RC Primary School, Scotland “It is an excellent project to research ‘Global Citizenship’. It encourages the pupils to take an honest look at themselves and think about their future.”
Jackie Ellender
The Tiffin Girls’ School, England “I read almost every poster and I was deeply impressed by the insight of some of the girls and what they had learned. For some, I think it has probably been a life changing process where they have come to know and understand themselves better - all very positive.”
Moyra De Soyza on behalf of Mrs Y. Lynch
Ms Simerdeep Kaur
“It has flagged up for us areas where we need to improve e.g. encouraging pupils’ self-esteem – with a significant number of pupils we noticed that they struggle to say anything positive about themselves. Pupils (and staff) have thoroughly enjoyed, and been inspired by the hard work and levels of personal reflection undertaken.”
“The programme was extremely fruitful as it helped the children to introspect their strengths and weaknesses. It served as a platform for students to showcase their interests, thoughts and dreams.”
Tim Foster
“This is an excellent programme which the pupils always fully engage with. The personal journey the pupils embark on is priceless for them, informing their next steps in life.”
St Andrews RC High School, Scotland
Chengelo School, Zambia “The inspire>aspire programme is a new initiative for our school. Both staff and students have found it an extremely rewarding experience. The opportunity to reflect and explore aspects of one’s character and to compare these with their individual role model then formulate a vision for the future and to see their part in making a positive difference has been a challenging yet fulfilling experience. It helps you to think hard and really find out who you are. An incredibly valuable experience! Thank you”
Modern Public School, India
Chris Wedlock
St Columbkille’s Primary School, Scotland
Bob Hector
Radyr Comprehensive, Wales “What do our students get out of it? A feeling of self-worth, identify values, gain a sense of ambition, recognise how to overcome obstacles and achievement of own goals.”
Scott Duncan
The Waid Academy, Scotland “This programme has been invaluable in the school. It has been great to see pupils grow in confidence over the year and for them to be able to share and identify what are for some really difficult concepts to deal with. It allows learners to engage in debate about the world and to look outwards whilst at the same time engage in some in-depth personal reflection.”
Mr O’Neill
St Pius X College, Northern Ireland “This is incredibly worthwhile. It encourages the students to consider true values that are vital in society and the heroes of our modern times. It inspires them to be positive, thankful and inspirational in their dealings with others”.
Karen Morrison
St Claire Primary, Scotland “The self-reflection exercise to begin with was very enlightening. It also gave children a chance to further think about their future and the future of humanity.”
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INSPIRED GLOBAL CITIZENS IN THE MAKING
Shona Robinson
Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport
Liz McColgan
Commonwealth Champion
Kay Livingston
Chair of the Scottish Government Games Legacy Learning Group
Klaus Mayer
Development Officer Education Scotland
Mark Beaumont
Adventurer and Broadcaster
Eilidh Child
Scottish Athlete of the year 2013
Catherine Stihler
MEP, Rector, University of St Andrews
Ludmila Vavrova
British Council
“The purpose of designing this poster is to really allow pupils to think about what they want to achieve in their life and to aspire to be as good as they can be. This programme will not only strengthen our links with the Commonwealth, but it will help to create and international Games Legacy that will benefit both Scotland and Countries across the world.”
“The project allows pupils to believe in themselves. It doesn’t matter what people think or say about you, if you really believe in something you want to achieve you have to be dedicated to putting the time and effort into doing it. This project allows children to search at what they are good at.”
“This programme offers young people the opportunity to think about what they want out of life – an opportunity to reflect on their values and a way of being – it is not just about words on a page, you cans see the impact that it has had on them, and the change is amazing.”
“inspire>aspire offered us an enormously valuable contribution to the overall games delivery on education because it allowed young people to reflect constructively on their own values and ideas and actually create for them a vision and inspiration for the future.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the incredible efforts that so many young people had put into their posters. From the elaborate designs and the thoughtful words, you could see that this project had sparked a lot of discussion and a real passion to express themselves. Judging between such an impressive show of talent is a very difficult task! Inspire-Aspire is a wonderful program that really encourages pupils to think about who they admire and the sort of person they aim to become.”
“I’ve had a look at some of these posters that you’ve completed and they’ve really inspired me. You’ve all put down your own characteristics, your own strengths, people that have inspired you and by reading these they have inspired me too. Don’t forget about these after you’ve done them, you’ve put so much hard work in to them and you should really remember them and refer to them and use these in your life, use these to build on your goals and build on your dreams and make things better. Well done for all the hard work that you’ve done because I’ve been really inspired by all the things that you’ve said and done in these programs.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect and what I have experienced today is inspiring and enlightening. To learn from young people about their experiences and how they see the world helps me understand better the challenges that young people face today. It is good to have time to reflect on who inspires you and why. I think this exercise should be conducted with politicians. Perhaps we would make better decisions! Thanks for inviting me along today.”
“I was absolutely amazed by the originality, creativity and diversity of posters, some of which should be considered works of art. I think this project should be compulsory for every pupil as it is developing the real values and critical thinking that are crucial in the contemporary world. It was a very inspirational afternoon indeed. Pupils presented some very deep thoughts and helped me realise how important self-reflection is for their future lives.”
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