An Average Post About Stories of Hope

In a world often fraught with challenges and uncertainties, stories of hope shine as beacons of light, reminding us of the incredible resilience and strength of the human spirit. They serve as powerful reminders that, even in the face of adversity, we have the capacity to overcome, grow, and create positive change.

Today, we embark on a journey of inspiration as we delve into remarkable tales of hope and reflect on the valuable lessons they impart. Furthermore, I am thrilled to present a video that I have personally crafted, taking you on a transformative story of hope that aims to ignite the flickering flame within each viewer. So, let’s dive into these stories, embrace the power of hope, and discover the hidden potential that lies within us all.

After watching my video, consider the story of hope that you went on while watching the video. Throughout the video, did you ever feel disappointed or disheartened? Did you feel sad at all? Did you have hope that the video would get better? These questions, if yes, are the essence of a story of hope.

The four key words for this project were:

Adversity

Resilience

Hope

Survival

After examining the definitions, did you experience any of those, whether it be from watching my video, or from previous experiences in your life? Do you feel you grew from that experience? If you did, you likely experienced all four of those things. They’re kind of like a package deal.

What lessons and inspiration can we draw from the stories of individuals that have faced tragedy and overcome adversity?

The growth that one experiences after overcoming adversity is one of the greatest contributors to humanity’s greatest achievements. Could the civil rights act have been created without the lack of civil rights to begin with? Could we have reached space so fast without the space race? Could we have movements and organizations coming together to prevent climate change if there was none?

No. No we could not. But what separates a story of hope from a story of tragedy? The answer is growth, and in turn, survival. While the definition of survival might just be:

the state of continuing to live or exist, often despite difficulty or danger”                                                                                                                                                                                     – Oxford Dictionary

You might simply look at that and think,  “I’m surviving, continuing to live and exist”. But I think that true survival requires adversity and resilience. This means that in order to truly “survive” you must first be faced with difficult circumstances, and then flourish upon overcoming them. This is seen in my video above, as well as (hopefully) within yourself after watching it.

This is am image that I took of the “Survivor Tree”, a tree which holds it’s own special story of hope, on our visit to the Oklahoma city bombing memorial.

Throughout this project, and especially our trip to the US, we saw many examples of people who saw the light at the end of the tunnel and reached past it even after emerging, taking lessons from each one. The lesson which I thought was most important, is that we can never give up. No matter where the determination comes from, there is always a positive to be had, even in the face of the darkest darks, and the lowest lows. The lessons that we learned and saw should, and will be carried with us for the rest of our lives, moving our fulcrum of adversity further to the side.

 

Thank you.

An Average Post About Hope

Hope springs eternal – if you nurture it. Getty Images / ipopba

Hope is something we all experience, but depending on who you ask, you might get significantly different definitions. one place we can look to for rock solid definitions is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, which states that hope is: “to cherish a desire with anticipation to want something to happen or be true”. While this is true, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The objective of our current project, and upcoming field study is to deepen our understanding of, and answer the question of “What lessons and inspiration can we draw from the stories of individuals and communities that have faced tragedy and overcome adversity?“. I will be taking a first crack at it in this post.

What is a story of hope?

A story of hope is a narrative that highlights the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity. These inspiring tales often revolve around individuals or communities who have faced tragedy, challenges, or setbacks, and have emerged stronger, wiser, and more resilient. In this blog post, we will delve into what constitutes a story of hope and how such stories can teach us valuable lessons on survival and resilience.

But how do Adversity, Resilience, and Survival tie into this?

Before we explore the power of stories of hope, it’s crucial to understand the key terms associated with them:

Adversity Is the Fuel of Greatness

Getty Images

Adversity refers to the hardships, difficulties, or misfortunes that people may encounter in their lives. These challenges can range from personal struggles, such as illness or loss of a loved one, to larger-scale issues, like natural disasters or social injustices.

Resilience Toughness Keep Up - Free image on Pixabay

Pixabay

Resilience is the ability to recover from or adapt to adversity. It is the capacity to bounce back from difficult experiences and maintain a sense of well-being, despite the challenges life throws our way. Resilience can be nurtured and developed over time, as we learn to manage stress, develop coping mechanisms, and cultivate a positive outlook on life.

cast away, a good housekeeping pick for best survival movies, stars tom hanks as a man who must survive alone on an island

Cast Away, 20th Century Studios

In the context of stories of hope, survival refers not only to the physical act of staying alive but also to the emotional, mental, and spiritual endurance that allows people to thrive in the face of adversity. Survival often involves drawing on inner strength, determination, and the support of others to overcome the challenges life presents.

 

Stories of hope serve as powerful reminders that even in the darkest of times, the human spirit is capable of remarkable strength, resilience, and survival. By examining the journeys of individuals and communities who have faced adversity and triumphed, we can draw inspiration and learn valuable lessons for our own lives.

Bethany Hamilton is a great place to start learning about hope, adversity, survival, and resilience, which we did in class. Hope, and resilience allowed Bethany Hamilton to face down the greatest adversity in her life, and not live through it, but survive, and thrive afterwards.

What lessons and inspiration can we draw from the stories of individuals and communities that have faced tragedy and overcome adversity?

Stories of hope often:

  • Demonstrate that resilience is a vital aspect of overcoming adversity. By learning to adapt and recover from difficult situations, individuals and communities can not only survive but also thrive. These stories teach us that resilience is not an inherent trait but something that can be cultivated through perseverance, determination, and a positive mindset.

 

  • Involve the power of communities coming together to support one another in times of need. These narratives show that human connection and empathy are essential factors in overcoming adversity. By fostering strong relationships and leaning on the support of others, we can find the strength to navigate life’s challenges.

 

  • Highlight the role of perspective in dealing with adversity. By focusing on the positives and maintaining a sense of gratitude, people in these stories are able to find meaning and purpose in their struggles. This shift in perspective can inspire us to reframe our own difficulties and approach them with a sense of hope and optimism.

 

  • Emphasize that adversity can be a catalyst for personal growth and transformation. By facing challenges head-on and learning from our experiences, we have the opportunity to emerge stronger, wiser, and more resilient than before. These stories encourage us to view adversity not as a roadblock but as an opportunity for growth.

 

Stories of hope offer us the chance to learn from the experiences of individuals and communities who have faced adversity and emerged stronger and more resilient. By understanding the concepts of adversity, resilience, and survival, we can draw inspiration and lessons from these narratives, fostering our own capacity to overcome challenges and maintain hope in the face of life’s trials.

An average post about Loon Lake

Hello and welcome to a blog post about our PLP class’ first field study since grade 8. This field study was about Loon Lake. Loon Lake is a retreat centre located in Maple Ridge, and operated by UBC, that focuses on corporate retreats or overnight school trips. Our class went there for a 4 day field study to try and get us out of the classroom and into a new gear of learning. Retreats are important because they can be like a large shift in your working habits, by putting you somewhere new, doing something new, you begin to develop new habits and can generally gain a new perspective on your personal and work life.

Throughout the trip we did numerous activities. These included: a birds of prey performance, a visit to the extreme air park, canoeing, rock climbing, high ropes, archery, some heated game nights, and some great food.

During the trip we were asked to think about a goal that could be feasibly completed by the end of the trip. My goal was “Build strategy(s)/a plan that can help me find what I want to work towards the future goal of gaining as much life experience and knowledge as possible while making myself more determined to learn in the process.” I thought of this goal because I wanted to use the field study as an opportunity, and start of new habits that will help me make sure that what I decide to do after I graduate high school is influenced by as much knowledge and experience as possible. I wanted to do this because at my current stage in life I only have a rough idea of what I have in mind for the future, and I want to be sure of my future by graduation.

Over the course of the trip, everyone in the class made progress on their goal, including me. Although there wasn’t as much there that was brand new to me, (I’ve done quite a bit of outdoor activity in my spare time) I still felt that I was building new habits towards my goal. As part of goal was to try and see the future an activity can bring, as opposed to the possibly monotonous present of the activity, I was trying to see what kind of future each thing could bring me to that I experienced, and throughout the learning about being “ready”, (for being a pretty simple term it really is quite complicated) I think that I demonstrated this by engaging myself and thinking of personal examples where the learning that was being conducted could be executed.

All in all, I think that I completed my goal for the time at loon lake and made great progress toward my larger goal throughout, and after the trip. Thanks for reading,

Keenan

Another average post about my Oregon coast field study

Hey again, yes, this is another post about the oregon coast field study that I went on a few weeks ago with my class. This post, however will be more focused on the academic things that we did while in Oregon.

The first day we went to he Astoria column. We learned who made it, what its purpose was, and when it was made. The Astoria column was originally built as a mural of sorts, to show a timeline of when the First Nations were the only ones around to when the pioneers first arrived. Astoria Column

This is a picture of the Astoria column. You can throw wooden airplanes from the top!

 

On day 2, we went to Fort Stevens State Park. We learned of the forts origins, it’s developments, and how it operated through this years being in commission. Fort Stevens was originally built out of dirt in the civil war as ordered by their president at the time, Abraham Lincoln. There was a quest at Fort Stevens where you had to follow clues to find the quest box (like I said in my previous post, its like geocaching) and put your name in it. Nobody really understood what the quest was trying to say though. Here’s a link for Fort Stevens

This is a “disappearing” cannon. It was given that name because the cannon would only be above the wall for around 1 second because of the way it was built.

On day 3, we visited the Colombia River Maritime Museum. There, we learned of the expeditions sent by boat across the deadly mouth of the Colombia River, also known as the bar of the Colombia River. The bar is so deadly because of the jetties concentrating the waves, and there’s one more thing, imagine your finger pushed onto the tip of a hose, now imagine that the jetties are your finger and the ocean is the hose water, thats why the are is so dangerous. Maritime Museum

This is a fake ship that they have built in the museum that shows it “crossing the bar”.

On day 4, we visited the OSU (Oregon State University) Hatfield Marine Science Center. Here, we learned of whales, their habitat, their behaviour, and their skeleton’s structure. OSU’s website 🙂

This is the whale skeleton that we re-assembled.

On day 5, we re-visited the OSU HMSC and took a lesson on R.O.V.s (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and even built one!

This is a photo of me and my group building the R.O.V. Using the materials we were given.

On day 6, didn’t do anything inherently academic because of the long drive back home, but we had fun at John’s Incredible Pizza Company. Here’s a link to John’s Incredible Pizza Co.

This is a picture of one of the arcade machines in John’s Incredible Pizza Co.

On day 7, (the last day) we visited Northwest Trek. There, we learned of the wildlife, their habitat, and their food presences (and also maybe had a little fun along the way). Northwest Trek’s Website

This is a few beavers that live in Northwest Trek. They’re cute aren’t they?

This section is going to be about the competencies that had to be met in order to have a fun, successful field study.

Persisting: There were many places where I persisted, one being when we were doing questing at Fort Stevens when our group had completely lost where we were supposed to be and the clues weren’t helping. We didn’t give up and we kept going, and didn’t finish but, we didn’t feel defeated at all because we tried our best at the time.

Managing Impulsivity: This competency is all about NOT making impulse decisions. A good example of this for me, is again, the quests. I’m an athletic person, so running ahead of my quest group was something that was very easy to do. Of course, we were supposed to stick together so that we don’t get lost.

Metacognition: You can look up the definition for this one, anyway metacognition is the act of being aware of your own thoughts and actions and their effects on others. I think that I did this well most of the trip. The most prominent part of it were, again, the quests. This was because for your quest group to be successful then you had to be aware how everyone in your group was feeling and base you actions on that.

Questioning and posing problems: This competency is about questioning and being curious you also need to know what information you need and the process to getting that info. A good example for me doing this is when we visited OSU HMSC because I was very invested in learning about what we were learning there and I wanted to learn more about it.

Thinking interdependently: this competency is sowing the ability to work well with others and learn from them at the same time. The best example I have for this is at the OSU HMSC when we built the R.O.V. because this project relied almost all on teamwork. In order to build a well operating R.O.V. you had to share your idea with your group and everyone had to come to agreement to start building.

 

And finally here’s the link to the workbook that tells it all.

An above average post about an above average Oregon field study

Hi again! This post is very special. Why? you ask because it is a post that i chose to do myself. Also, well, its about my class’s field study in Oregon. So, basically, my wonderful teachers decided to bring our class on the annual Oregon field study. This particular field study has been done every year for the past 10 years (I think). This was the best field trip (by far) that i have ever been on, not just because it lasted a week but because of all of the fun stuff we got to experience with friends. The first step to going on this trip and getting to Oregon as scheduled was meeting up at the school with all of our luggage at 6:00am. However, it wasn’t the worst thing ever because it was on a Saturday so we didn’t have to panic. The drive to Oregon was about 8 hours long and most people fell asleep on the bus at some point in time. The first of the really exciting things happened on the second day. We went zip lining! The place we went zip lining was called “High Life Adventures” and it is located in Warrenton Oregon. Our class was split into 2 “tour” groups, meaning we were separated because we had too many people for one group.

This is me on the zip line at High Life

The second to last line was definitely the best because people got wet and once you finished the line there was a person dressed as Sasquatch waiting to make you jump. The best part about that was definitely seeing people’s reaction to being scared like that. To be honest, that was probably one of the best parts of the trip. on the third day we went to the Tillamook Creamery. The creamery was originally only named after its cheese but the factory is now known for ice cream, yogurt, and other assorted dairy products along with its famous cheese. The special thing about the creamery is that you get to eat as much cheese as you want. I didn’t eat much but some people in the class had a little too much cheese. On day 4 we did an Oregon coast quest. They are a sort of scavenger hunt very similar to geocaching but instead of a map you get hints and clues to find the box. When every quest group had finished the quest (or tried to) we went to the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center. Yea, it’s a mouthful. At the OSU HMSC we learned about whales and intertidal species in general. We even got to re-assemble a whale skeleton!

This is the whale skeleton that we re-assembled.

Oh yeah, whenever I mention a new day you can assume we spent the night in a state park camping in yurts. On day 5 we returned to the OSU HMSC to learn about R.O.V.s (that means remotely operated vehicle by the way) how they work, what they do, and again, we got to assemble one. My group’s R.O.V. was the best, naturally. Or it might’ve been the pilot (also me). Once we had finished and cleaned up our R.O.V.s our class went to visit Yaquina Head’s outstanding tide pools. Yaquina Head’s beach is special though, its special because it’s a beach made of almost entirely perfectly round magmatic rocks. you weren’t allowed to take even one rock home with you because they cannot be re-made or bought to replace the ones people take.

This is a picture that I took at Yaquina Head.

There was a quest there, too. We packed up, ate dinner and camped yet another night in yurts at a state park. Finally, day 6 had arrived. The last full day of this wonder-filled trip. However, that doesn’t mean that it got dull from then on, day 6 was one of the best there was. Why? You ask. Well its because we went to an arcade/all you can eat buffet called “John’s Incredible Pizza Company” the name doesn’t lie by the way, it really is incredible. They even had rides insides the building! We dove right Into the buffet and soon ate all we could. We were given our play cards and we set off for the arcade. Everyone got 20 credits and each game cost 2-4 credits. I used all of my credits and got 200 tickets, which got me a giant kazoo! The teachers wouldn’t let me use the kazoo on the bus though 🙁. That night, being the last night, we slept in cabins (they were A LOT more deluxe than the yurts) I played around on my iPad a little before I went to sleep though. On the fateful day 7, we went to northwest trek. It’s a wildlife reserve in Washington that has a bus that drives though the “free-range“ area. There were goats, moose, deer, bison, and lots of other animals as well.

This is a goat from Northwest trek.

Overall the bus part was great. But, it got better. After the bus tour was over, we went to the enclosed animals area. In that section they had: wolverine, wolves, bobcats, lynx, bears, and even bald eagles. There was one more part to see though. The animals that needed to be put in small, confined areas, for example, the skunk or the beavers, or the otters. They had more animals there than I can even remember! The sad part, that was the last place we would sightsee/learn/have buckets of fun at. The last place. The Golden Corral, an all-you-can-eat buffet of anywhere from cotton candy to steak. They Even had a chocolate fountain! My favourite part about the GC was definitely the chocolate fountain with strawberries. I mean, who doesn’t like chocolate strawberries? Anyway, this was the final destination of the PLP 8 Oregon Field study. The rest of those 6 hours was spent driving back to our school. When we got there we were exhausted  but our parents were there to drive us home and throw us in the shower then into bed.

 

I hope you enjoyed this post about my Oregon Coast Field Study!

Bye for now!