The following is the text of my Principal’s Address to the High School Graduates of 2013.
It is a pleasure to address you on this, your graduation day. You should be proud of an accomplishment that marks a milestone in your life. The comfortable routine to which you have grown accustomed will now significantly change. You will observe life becoming different for you now that you are graduating from high school.
When I think about where we live and the riches we enjoy as Canadians, I can’t help but think: you should be graduating. With the advantages we enjoy, I fully expect all Canadian youth to earn their high school diploma. That is not to say people do not face their challenges in life. Of course they do. It is just that we have been given this wonderful opportunity by virtue of where we live.
One thing is clear however: the reason you are graduating has a lot to do with what you are and what you are not.
Let’s start with what you are:
- We hear about politically unstable countries all the time. The last political uprising in Canada took place in 1837 – well before Canada was even a country. You are a citizen of one of the most politically stable nations in the world.
- Only 15 percent of countries in this world enjoy full democracy. Canada is one of them. It is difficult if not impossible to rank countries based on how democratic they are, but Canadians enjoy not only fundamental freedoms, but the right to vote, to live and work where they want, and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. You are a citizen of one of the most democratic countries of the world.
- According to the International Monetary Fund’s ranking of 187 nations from richest to poorest, Canada ranks number 9. You are a citizen of a tremendously wealthy nation.
- The wealthiest nations tend to also be the most educated ones as well. Where does Canada rank on this list? Number one. You are a citizen of the most educated nation in the world.
Now, let’s consider what you are not:
- Half of the children in this world live in poverty. You are not one of them.
- In the developing world, 1 in 3 children do not have access to adequate shelter,1 in 5 children to not have access to safe drinking water, and 1 in 7 children have no access to health service. You are not one of them.
- There are 121 million children worldwide who are not taking part in a program of basic education. You are not one of them
- Approximately half the world’s population now live in cities and towns. In 2005, one out of three urban dwellers, or approximately 1 billion people, was living in slum conditions. You are not one of them.
- 1.6 billion people — that is about a quarter of the entire world population — live without electricity. You are not one of them.
- Approximatley 790 million people in the developing world are chronically undernourished. You are not one of them
- There are nearly a billion people in this world unable to read or even write their own names. You are not one of them.
- Right now, children are being recruited to fight as soldiers. In fact, there are presently an estimated 300,000 child soldiers in at least twenty countries. You are not one of them.
We live in a world that is very unfair. Where you were born has a tremendous impact on what life has in store for you. You are living a life of wealth and opportunity that countless people your age cannot imagine or ever hope to experience.
What are you prepared to do about that? What role will you play in providing for others the opportunities that you yourselves have enjoyed?
You are graduating from high school – as you should be. But I hope that you realize that this is about more than simply graduating from high school. You see, you are also graduating to a higher level of obligation, a higher level of expectation and a higher level of responsibility to improve our world.
I stated at the beginning of this speech that you will observe life becoming different for you now that you are leaving high school. What will be your contribution in making things different for others?
Sources:
The World’s Most Politically Stable Countries and Most Politically Unstable Countries