Students Finding Hope Around the World

The author of this piece recently released the first World Hope Project video, which explores gifted children’s takes on how the pandemic brought people together. In the article below she describes the impetus of the project. A link to the film is also below. World Hope Project is an international video troupe consisting of children representing 25 countries around the world. The mission of the project is to provide messages of hope and ideas for positive societal transformation. The project’s origin can be traced to the start of the pandemic. Prior to COVID-19, the world’s problems seemed daunting to the gifted children with whom I work, and these kids believed adults lacked the concern or the power to solve these problems. This sense of hopelessness led them to make statements like, “It doesn’t matter because none of us are going to be here much longer anyway,” or “There’s nothing anyone can do to change things,” or “All anyone seems to care about is money and themselves.” And when COVID-19 hit the United States in the spring of 2020, it seemed perhaps the children were right. Perhaps there was no hope. After all, we had just added a pandemic to our cocktail of global issues. But then something happened. Across cities, countries, and continents, people started engaging in activities of unity — helping neighbors, howling together at the same time each night, applauding frontline workers, connecting through song and dance. Was it possible that in the midst of immense grief, suffering, and fear, human beings were also experiencing worldwide solidarity? I sat down at my computer and drafted a piece to capture the hope I was seeing. Then I began seeking out children around the world, asking for their input on the written piece and for their thoughts about hope. I started with gifted schools and personal contacts, and until one-by-one, I found them. After eight months, two video conferences, multiple revisions, and tremendous patience, we formed the World Hope Project. The project, spearheaded by myself and Peruvian educator Rosa Medina, provides an avenue for children around the world to share their experiences, gain a heartfelt connection with other countries, recognize the power of “we,” and serve as catalysts for positive change. It is the group’s desire that, in the process, their videos inspire adults to recognize and ignite their own capability to act. The children gather together via videoconference to brainstorm and finetune their messaging, then submit their work to Rosa and me for compilation. Right now, the countries represented are: Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, U.K., and USA. The video below serves as an example of the thoughts and perspectives these bright kids are sharing with the world.