Be the Bridge Between Two Worlds

Motivational speaker Curtis Carmichael shares his story and insights with DDSB staff

“Where you are is not who you are,” states Curtis Carmichael, motivational speaker, educator, and athlete. He explains, “It’s part of your identity, but it’s unfair for others to label you because of where you come from.”

Carmichael joined Durham District School Board (DDSB) staff at the Education Centre in Whitby on January 20^th to share his story.

FUSEDurham Funding Comes to an End

The event was organized by the DDSB’s Make a Difference Poverty Strategy team to bring professionals, school communities, and community partners together as the three-year FUSEDurham Local Poverty Reduction Fund comes to an end.

The FUSEDurham funding project was introduced to determine if participation in health, recreation, and wellness programs increased student attendance, child and adult well-being, and assisted families to become less dependent on Ontario Works. The data and results of this project are currently being processed, and will be presented to the Ontario Trillium Foundation later this month.

Praise the Skills and Address the Behaviour

Carmichael grew up in Toronto Community Housing, and says he always felt supported in his home life. But his school life was a different story, “I never had a teacher ask me ‘how can I better support you?’ From Grade 1 to Grade 7 I was separated from the rest of the class when my teachers didn’t know what to do with me. By the time I entered Grade 8, I had no idea how to work with others because of that isolation.”

He also shared a few anecdotes about himself and his neighbourhood friends unknowingly using the engineering design process and various business tactics to generate money on their own. Carmichael says they set up a “bike shop” one summer and started with two kids helping them, and ended with 10 kids. He says they would take bike parts where they could find them, and build entirely new bikes and sell them for a profit. “That’s what kids do when they’re in survival mode. That’s called street corner innovation and those skills are transferrable. To make a difference, we need to praise the skills and address the behaviour,” notes Carmichael.

Carmichael ended his presentation by affirming that if we can get students out of survival mode, we can get them planning for their futures, “We have one planet and two worlds. Be the bridge between those worlds.”

We Have the Power to Make Positive Changes

Jacquie Dever, DDSB’s Local Poverty Fund Coordinator, says having someone like Curtis share his first-hand experiences is significant, “Regardless of the role we have (educators, camp counselors, recreation supervisors, etc.) we all have the power to make positive changes in our community. Curtis reminded us of the importance of looking at any situation through an asset-based lens, and thinking innovatively when it comes to supporting our community.”   

For more information about Curtis visit: https://curtiscarmichael.ca/

For more information about the DDSB’s Make a Difference Poverty Strategy click here.