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Shannen’s NextraOrdinary
Shannen continues to devote her time to building the Create Change Foundation and Karma Exchange, and to travelling and overseeing operations in Ghana.
What is your NextraOrdinary©? |
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“It is no wonder with all of these issues, that I constantly meet young people who are jaded with development. That used to be me: powerless and frustrated.
I started interviewing and filming girls in Northern Ghana, trying to find out the real reason they were dropping out of school once they got to the junior and senior secondary level. Their stories were heartbreaking, and compelling. I wasn’t all that much older than many of them, and I couldn’t stop thinking , ‘This could be me, if I was born in another place.’ The worst part was the costs that were causing these girls to drop out- usually it was because of less than $10 a month. I had one of those ‘aha’ moments you hear people speak about. I was going to make a difference.
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As a young Canadian with a deep passion to help others in poverty around the world, Shannen took issue with in the way international charities represented the people in these countries. While travelling and visiting foreign countries, she noticed that people and their lifestyles were very different than the North American perception.
“Having had the opportunity to spend time with people around the world living in poverty, in Mongolia, in Cuba, but most especially in West Africa, I get extremely frustrated at the fact that the only images that seem to emerge from poor places are of starving hopeless people. For anyone that has been to a poor rural village in almost any country in the world, you will find hardworking, capable, people who still have joy in their lives, even though they may be facing incredible hardship. We are always presented with images that makes it easy for us to make Africans ‘different’ than us, since I for one have a hard time identifying with people who only experience sickness and violence.
Part of the reason that I started Create Change was to create awareness about poverty, so people could hear just how well spoken, intelligent, funny, and real people living in poverty are.”
Shannen also noticed a great deal of inefficiency and corruption within charities operating in these developing countries, not only from an international aid perspective but also by the front line workers within these countries. She was determined to help in a different way, and the Create Change Foundation was born. |
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Karma Exchange is Shannen’s innovative approach to raising funds for Create Change. “I hate fundraising” she says somewhat sheepishly. Shannen recognized the power of bringing together consumers and merchants to directly impact those in poverty.
Karma exchange is all about shopping with heart <3
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