Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: This is the owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens.
This is the student edition. Listen to the exciting story of the american community schools of Athens.
Check out what drives all the members of our international community of learners as we create the education of the future.
Here's John Papadakis.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: Welcome to a special episode of the Owlcast where we are thrilled to have fifth graders. Members of the elementary school honor co club join us in the studio co hosting today. With us are Penelope Dimitrula and Catherine Bibidakis, fifth grade and third grade teachers, respectively, and honor code facilitators. These young, insightful students are here to share their experiences and reflections on a year filled with meaningful volunteering and community service. It's not every day that we get to hear from such a mature and thoughtful group whose perspectives and real world issues are both surprising and refreshing. While they came prepared with structured questions and answers, their willingness to engage in spontaneous, heartfelt conversations provided us with unique and profound insights. The Anarcho Club is more than just a student led group. Its an inspiring initiative that encourages children to make a difference in their communities. The clubs mission revolves around doing the right thing even when no one is watching, a principle that these students have taken to heart. Throughout the episode, they share stories of their efforts to support children and families in need, demonstrating how small acts of kindness can have a significant impact. Their dedication to these causes shows a deep understanding of the greater meaning and value of volunteering.
One of the highlights of our conversation is when the students took turns answering questions about the nature of volunteering. They spoke passionately about witnessing issues like homelessness and the steps they decided to take to address these challenges. Their reflections on the concept of material hoarding, having more than you need while others lacked basic necessities were particularly poignant. The students ability to recognize and act on such disparities at such a young age is truly remarkable. The discussion also touched on global issues such as the sustainable development goals and how they relate to homelessness. The students talked about how their volunteering efforts could extend beyond their local community to help children in war zones. Their reflections on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel were both sobering and inspiring as they expressed a desire to make a difference in the lives of children affected by war. This part of the episode highlights the depth of their empathy and the breadth of their awareness. The students also shared their excitement about continuing their journey of service and leadership in middle school. They are already preparing to join student led initiatives such as the student council and various activity clubs. Their enthusiasm and commitment to making a positive impact promise a bright future not only for themselves, but also for the communities they will serve. This episode of the Outcast is a testament to the power of youth engagement and the extraordinary potential of our young leaders. Let's listen.
[00:03:57] Speaker C: Hello, everyone. I'm Miss Demetrila. I'm teaching fifth grade. We are here in the media studio with the Wonderful Honor Code Club, consisting of fifth graders this year, and we are doing a podcast about our initiatives, our greater cause, which is volunteering, and we have all of our members here. So the Honor Code Club is a club that Miss Bibi Dykes and I have been running for three years.
It focuses on our school's values, the three r's, being ready, being responsible, and being respectful. This year we only have fifth graders with us since they had the most experience for the past two years, and we are very proud of everything we have accomplished.
Our main focus as every year, is working with children in need through the nonprofit organization the Hero and the Dragon. This year, our big goal was a food drive for children in need, but we have also worked with hero and the dragon in getting girls in shelters, Christmas presents, paying off bills for families in need that had no electricity at some point, getting essentials like diapers or baby food. So all in all, our focus with honor code is to do the right thing, even when no one is looking and actually extending beyond our school, beyond our classrooms, beyond ourselves. The good that we can do, that our representatives can do, because this is a student led club. So the decisions and the initiatives and all the hard work we have to give credit to our wonderful honor code members and representatives.
[00:05:41] Speaker B: So we have projects that started from one of these students. Yes, correct. So they're going to talk to us about it.
[00:05:49] Speaker C: We are going to talk about our projects. But what we wanted to come out mostly from this podcast is the greatest sense of volunteering. Why do we volunteer? What does a volunteer, quote unquote, look like in terms of what do we do when we volunteer? What do we do when we think of someone that is not in our circle of friends or greater circle in this school? How do we help someone we've never met? What qualities should we be looking in terms of character traits? What would we like in an ideal world? What would we like if we were the people in need? What help would we like to receive? So the honor code representatives focused, they would like to talk, and you will hear more about it from them about the greater sense and volunteer and how we can inspire others, from little ones to big ones, to get involved in volunteering in any way they can.
[00:06:47] Speaker B: So, for the benefit of our listeners, we should say that we have several groups of students of fifth grade today, so we're going to be changing voices during this session, and we have one particular student who's going to be in with all the groups, definitely. So can you tell us a little bit about what was your experience leading in this discussion and also in your participation in the honor code?
[00:07:12] Speaker D: So, first, I was assigned in one of the groups, but I didn't really want to work with a question that I got, and I thought, maybe, what if I tried being the person who asks the questions?
[00:07:26] Speaker B: Okay, so which question do you have first for your group of students?
[00:07:31] Speaker D: If we think of humans as volunteers, what kind of human being would she or she be? What would be their characteristics?
[00:07:38] Speaker E: Okay, I'm Estelle. And I'm Elektra. A good volunteer would be open hearted, open minded, kind, generous, forgiving, helpful, caring, and loyal. He or she would be happy, loving, remarkable, to encourage people to be the best versions of themselves.
A person who does the right thing when no one is watching, never gives up, and is always ready to achieve his or her goal.
[00:08:05] Speaker B: Is there something that you got involved during the year that you did without people watching?
[00:08:11] Speaker E: Perhaps? Well, we did. We did have a food drive, and we send some food to.
[00:08:20] Speaker B: How did you feel when you started this effort? How did you feel about gathering food for the drive that you did like?
[00:08:29] Speaker E: Helpful, and that we can make a change?
[00:08:33] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:08:34] Speaker C: And also, if I might add, we were also feeling, I think all of us, it goes for all of us, a little bit anxious. Will this work? Will we get enough? Because we wanted to donate.
[00:08:45] Speaker B: We're talking about the food drive.
[00:08:47] Speaker C: The food drive, yes. We wanted to help hero the dragon, as always, but also doctors of the world. It was another organization we worked with. So it was a huge effort by our representatives to get out, do the presentations, talk to the entire elementary school, send out invitations to middle school, high school. And then they were coming to myself and Miss Bibi Dyke saying, do we have enough? Is it going to be enough for two? And then as we were gathering the food, and then we were taking pictures of how much we got, we were all starting, you know, to smile a little bit and say, okay, you know, this is working out. We're gonna do this. But it took a lot of effort.
[00:09:21] Speaker B: Of course it takes effort, because you don't know what the impact is going to be. But then you see the impact, and you say, oh, I did a good job.
[00:09:27] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:28] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:09:29] Speaker D: I had a question for them.
[00:09:30] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:09:31] Speaker D: They mentioned that they're always ready to achieve his or her goal. Do you guys have any examples of goals that a volunteer would have?
[00:09:40] Speaker E: Perhaps help people overcome their fears? Give food to people that don't have any, just like we did in the food drive, and also protect people that truly need it. Adding on to Elektra, people can send food, toys, clothes that are in good condition for the little ones, and even write a letter to encourage them, inspire them, or even make them feel better.
[00:10:01] Speaker B: Mm hmm.
[00:10:02] Speaker C: Next question.
[00:10:02] Speaker B: What's the next group's question?
[00:10:04] Speaker D: What is one good thing we would do when no one is looking?
[00:10:07] Speaker E: John Wooden once said, the true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is looking. One good thing we would do when no one is looking is probably to try and stop others from talking about people behind their backs. Bullying, and to try convince people to be themselves. Because according to thich nhat, he is buddhist. Mock to peace activists from Vietnam, to be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by everyone else. You just need to be accept yourself.
[00:10:34] Speaker C: Okay, so this is, I guess, the inspiration for our motto, do the right thing when no one is looking. And can you remind me who John wooden is?
[00:10:45] Speaker F: He's like a famous american basketball coach.
[00:10:48] Speaker C: Yes, exactly. So these two people that come from two different worlds, basketball and a buddhist peace activist, actually a monk, sort of guided our thinking and our initiatives.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: When you started talking about this kind of idea, doing actually something when nobody's watching, right. Doing a good thing, good deed, what did you feel about this particular idea? Is it something that you guys see in your everyday life? You feel that this needs to happen? Why is it important?
[00:11:21] Speaker C: I can talk about myself, and then you guys can take over. I feel that my perspective completely changed after getting involved with honor code. I mean, volunteering a little bit was always part of my life, but with honor code, it became more intentional and more targeted. Sort of became a part of me, a bigger part of me, let's say.
[00:11:47] Speaker F: Volunteering has always been important to me.
[00:11:50] Speaker B: And have you done volunteer work in the past?
[00:11:52] Speaker F: Yes, I have.
I've been to a couple food drives, and I worked with honor code, of course, doing the food drive with them.
I've also done a couple things just locally with giving school supplies to some homeless people. And it really opened my eyes to how some people, they can't have the experience to just get the most basic of stuff just from getting, like, a pencil case. It made them happy and it.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: Did that make you happy when you saw that?
[00:12:26] Speaker F: It made me like I'd done something and I'd really helped someone, and I really like that feeling. It makes me happy.
[00:12:33] Speaker B: Great. That's an excellent answer.
[00:12:35] Speaker D: If volunteering could cure disease, which would it be and why?
[00:12:40] Speaker F: I'd like to answer this one. My name's Nate.
Obviously a big one, and we all probably know this is cancer. But if I were to narrow it down to one, I'd say brain cancer. Brain cancer is the most deadly of the cancers. Or one of them. There's a couple, but I'd say brain cancer. And also, there's a lot of cultural significance around it because so many people are scared of it. So many people have thought about it. So many people have thought about how could it affect their lives and people in their lives.
And it can also make you start to act differently, change your lifestyle, just to try to not get this. And this applies to all cancers. It's not just brain cancer, but it tries to, like, change your way of life, to alter, to avoid this threat.
[00:13:31] Speaker E: I didn't really have the chance to volunteer until I came to honor code, and I felt it was, like, really good. Yeah. The process just made me feel better and. Yeah.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: Was it something that someone told you about this, or did you look for an opportunity?
[00:13:50] Speaker E: I kind of looked for an opportunity so I could just see how it feels like.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: So for a student who's next year, gonna be in fifth grade, okay, what would you tell him or her? What's the value of coming into the honor code and volunteering? Do activities.
[00:14:07] Speaker E: So you need to be, like, respectful.
[00:14:10] Speaker G: Yeah.
[00:14:10] Speaker E: The three r is respectful, responsible, and ready. And also you need to, like, if you want, you can think of ideas to how to help, and you have to, like, follow the rules and be patient and listen to others opinions.
[00:14:25] Speaker B: Okay, great.
[00:14:26] Speaker F: Yeah, I'd like to also answer that question. So honor code is. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to help people.
It's a great club, and the people in it, they all seem to have a sense of community, kind of. And I would tell them maybe to just enjoy that. Just enjoy it because. And also enjoy the club and the community. I'd also tell them enjoy, like, the feeling you get of helping people because it's a. You might not have all the opportunities. There might not be a club in middle school or something that makes you feel as good as this.
[00:15:04] Speaker B: Perfect.
[00:15:05] Speaker F: So just enjoy it.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: Perfect. Perfect. I'm so looking forward to hear from all the students in the group. Yeah, go ahead.
[00:15:11] Speaker E: Just one little act can make a really big difference, and it can make a difference in you, too.
[00:15:19] Speaker C: That was incredible.
[00:15:20] Speaker B: I want to close it here.
[00:15:22] Speaker C: Yes, me too.
[00:15:22] Speaker B: We're done.
That was excellent. Okay, let's move to the next group.
[00:15:27] Speaker C: So we have our second group of honor code representatives continuing the discussion, the wonderful discussion about being a volunteer, being part of an honor code, and the.
[00:15:39] Speaker B: Importance of the honor code as an idea in our school.
As we discussed previously.
[00:15:45] Speaker C: As we discussed before. Yes. It's not about the club itself. It's about the idea that represents the club. That's why, as we said before, it focuses, and the representative said it, on being respectful, being ready, being responsible. It's something greater than us.
[00:15:58] Speaker B: So let's go on with the questions for this particular group.
[00:16:02] Speaker C: Let's go. You go.
[00:16:03] Speaker D: What are some social groups that would benefit from volunteering?
[00:16:07] Speaker G: We think that many social groups need volunteering so we can help them out. Some examples of these social groups include abused kids. We think that it is not right for parents or guardians to hit their kids or not treat them with love. Also, another social group that would benefit most from volunteering would be homeless people, any gender. We believe that people shouldn't live out on the streets with no food or clean clothes. Luckily for us, there are many people who make their own little community, like deep na rapiz, and give food to the homeless for free.
[00:16:40] Speaker E: These communities choose to help the homeless because they think that it is a kind thing to do. In conclusion, all social groups need volunteering.
[00:16:51] Speaker B: Has anyone from this group witnessed people without a home or people that have experienced homelessness? Yes.
[00:17:00] Speaker G: So, like, I would go to, like, a place called Sinema, and I would see, like, people on the streets with their families out, and they would, like, they have no home. And I try to, like, help them. I, like, bring them food and stuff if I can, but mostly, yeah, I've seen, like, a lot of people on the show.
[00:17:19] Speaker B: What did you feel when you, you saw these people?
[00:17:21] Speaker G: I felt sad because they probably didn't have enough for their family or they couldn't, like, meet, like, you know, to buy a house.
[00:17:30] Speaker B: Was it something strong enough to say, you know, that's a reason for me to get involved in this particular club?
[00:17:37] Speaker G: Yeah, that's what, like, most likely that I wanted to, like, you know, contribute to.
[00:17:43] Speaker B: Okay. Okay. Someone else wants to add on this one. Yeah.
[00:17:46] Speaker G: Okay. So basically, to add on to Angelique, me and Ioanna over here next to me. So we volunteered in, like, zip, where it says over here.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: What is that again?
[00:17:58] Speaker G: So it's like a small community, let's say, where they're, like many people, and then they make food and they give it to homeless people. It's like a stand, let's say.
And then the homeless people take food for free.
Also adding on to what Angelique said, how she feels sad when she sees homeless people, I also feel sad, but I also feel kind of mad because I don't think it's fair for people to be. To have a house, buy things that they don't actually need while others suffer out in the streets.
[00:18:36] Speaker B: There are so many questions I have for this particular topic, but I think that we should move to the next question, and if someone wants to add something on it, this is the topic.
[00:18:46] Speaker C: For this group, so you are more than welcome. And I think you had a question for them. No, no.
[00:18:51] Speaker D: It was, what does deep Nagapis mean?
[00:18:53] Speaker C: Yes, because that's in Greek. That's the name of it. But can we translate what it means?
[00:18:59] Speaker G: Dinner of love.
[00:19:00] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:19:01] Speaker C: Exactly. It's very important. This is the name, but dinner of love.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: One thing I wanted to ask is about the concept of being angry. You said that you felt angry.
Can you talk a little bit more about this? I mean, by being angry, there are different ways of reacting. Being angry, meaning I'm talking with my family or I decide to do something about it.
[00:19:27] Speaker G: Yeah. So that's why I joined honor code.
[00:19:30] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:19:33] Speaker G: There are some people who don't care, and I don't want to be part of that.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: Okay. That's a great reason. Okay.
[00:19:39] Speaker C: And if I might add, Ioanna, even though she wasn't part of ordinal code last year, she did come out and help us out regardless.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Well, that's why it's called volunteering.
[00:19:50] Speaker C: Yes. She came towards the end of the year because we actually needed a lot of help, even more than our representatives could do. So Joanna came out and said, well, I'm here. Can I help? I'm not part of honor code. And we said, you know, that's not a reason to help. So come along.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: The point that everybody needs to understand is that everybody's part of the honor code.
[00:20:10] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: So you wanted to say something.
[00:20:13] Speaker G: Yeah. And to add on, I feel like. I feel a great. Because some people, like, instead of buying what they need, they buy what they want. And even if they see someone on the road, I feel like they should help them if they had a house, because it's not fair for the people who are homeless, for other people to have what they want, and then they don't even have what they need.
[00:20:37] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:20:38] Speaker G: Yeah. Like Angelique said, for people that have enough money to get things, expensive cars and expensive homes, sure, it's their option if they want it decision, but maybe they should get things that they actually need. Like Iyanna Angelique said, instead of buying unnecessary things.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:21:04] Speaker C: I think it also ties in with what we do in fifth grade with the sustainable development goals about responsible production and consumption. So this goes into consumption. Do we need. Do we basically need all the things that we have around us? Do we need that overspending over having things? And then when you look into it from a different perspective, you realize, as Christina said, that maybe I don't. Maybe I'm good. You know, it's my decision. Yes. Get whatever you need to get. But at the same time, can you also, like, balance it out and help out?
[00:21:40] Speaker B: Do you know the term hoarding?
[00:21:42] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:21:43] Speaker G: Yes.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: So I think as a society, we're gearing towards that sometimes. And people who don't have anything, they don't really understand that term. So maybe this is something that we can talk about when we try to get stuff and more stuff and more stuff. So you mentioned the sdgs. I believe that you have already talked about sdgs in the classroom. Yeah, yeah.
[00:22:09] Speaker G: That SDG goal number eight, decent work and economic growth. So it, like, relates to this topic, because for work, like, people not really, like, being able. They don't have enough money and they're not able to, like, find decent jobs.
[00:22:29] Speaker B: Excellent. Someone else wants to say something about sdgs. Yeah.
[00:22:32] Speaker G: So over here, Angelique said that some examples of these social groups include abused kids. And so the thing with abused kids is also abused animals. And that kind of connects to SDG goal of 15 life on land, because.
[00:22:55] Speaker B: You know, animals are so the undercoat is going way beyond what we do in the school, way beyond what we do with each other. It's a much, much wider idea. Right? Helping the environment, helping each other, and so on. So this is important for people to understand that the honor code, as we said before, by default, we are all members of the honor code. And if we connect it to the sdgs, then we talk about everyone and everything.
[00:23:30] Speaker A: You are listening to the owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens.
[00:23:45] Speaker C: Hello. My name is Miss Bobidakis. I'm a third grade teacher, and this is also my third year working with the honor code students.
We've been the facilitators with Miss Dimitrula, and we're really happy to have all the kids here. This is the third group. So Hugo, should we move on with the questions?
[00:24:09] Speaker D: How would volunteering help kids?
[00:24:12] Speaker E: We believe that volunteering would help kids by getting the essentials that they need so they could survive cold seasons, such as winter. They could get foods, clothes, and shelter. People such as kids will also need toys. We could volunteer to give them toys so they could have a normal or nice child. If they are facing war abuse, we could provide medicine and healthcare to make people safe, like what doctors of the world are doing. But if they're facing war, we could provide them with safety, such as transporting them to different bordering countries. People would still be sad for their country. So we could provide them with people who help, such as psychologists, so they can get healthy and mentally stable quicker. If they are suffering from diseases and sickness, we could provide them with medicine and health care. This is how volunteering could help kids.
[00:25:00] Speaker D: So I'm pretty sure you mentioned that kids in war. Do you know anyone that has been through this?
[00:25:09] Speaker E: I have been through this, as you probably don't know. I'm from Ukraine, but I haven't been through the worst of it. I just left on the second day, but I still know how it feels.
[00:25:23] Speaker B: How does it feel?
[00:25:24] Speaker E: Oh, it feels, like, very weird with these alarms.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: So the alarm is, for you, the symbol of something's going on?
[00:25:35] Speaker E: Yeah. Or is it a little bit more like the rockets? It means. Yeah, usually.
[00:25:44] Speaker B: So you feel safe?
[00:25:46] Speaker E: I feel safe.
[00:25:47] Speaker B: In Greece, what would you say to a child who's in a war zone?
What? How would you try to help and make him feel a little bit safer?
[00:25:59] Speaker E: I'd say that in Greece, there isn't any word that he can move there, but if he wants to stay there, it's very risky because he can pay his life for that.
[00:26:14] Speaker B: Anybody else wants to add on this? Yeah.
[00:26:17] Speaker F: Is there any. Obviously, Ukraine is something you're probably very passionate about. Do any of you guys have any sort of other war zone area that you feel like you're really passionate about and helping and stuff?
[00:26:35] Speaker E: I am from Israel, where they also have war right now, and most a lot of my childhood friends and things like that live in Israel. I go to Israel a lot, so I'm, like, very scared if something happens to them or if I'm there, that there will be a rocket coming, which is very scary if you've been in war before.
[00:27:04] Speaker B: So what would you say to a child who is in an area who's in danger, or how would you try to help?
[00:27:14] Speaker E: I would start by telling the kids that they just need to relax and, like, everything is going to be okay, but I'm also going to need to like, tell them to like, maybe try to get to a different area in the place where it's safer.
[00:27:33] Speaker B: Stay safe?
[00:27:34] Speaker E: Yeah, stay safe in a place where.
[00:27:36] Speaker B: It'S a little bit safer.
[00:27:37] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:27:39] Speaker E: I've never been in any part of war for all of my life, but I'd like to volunteer by giving food and shelter. Yeah, that.
[00:27:48] Speaker B: How would you volunteer?
[00:27:50] Speaker E: Because there was also a drive in acs where you could help people in Ukraine by donating stuff. I remember I donated some stuff, but I don't remember what.
[00:28:00] Speaker B: Okay, so you are going to look for some organization that is gathering food or stuff or different.
[00:28:08] Speaker E: Specific.
[00:28:10] Speaker B: Not specific?
[00:28:11] Speaker E: Not specifically, no.
[00:28:12] Speaker B: Okay, so not specific. What do you mean? Like not specific things or not specifically?
[00:28:18] Speaker E: How do you like not a specific country? Because there's many.
[00:28:21] Speaker B: Yeah, of course I'm not talking about specific country. I'm talking about the effort of helping people who are in a danger zone or a war zone. Right?
[00:28:30] Speaker E: Yeah. Just like to volunteer.
[00:28:32] Speaker B: Okay, that's a good idea, to volunteer.
[00:28:35] Speaker C: Since we're on the topic. It always.
I mean, Andrey has experienced this. Maybe he can tell us more. But I think it goes to everyone, even to you, mister Papadaikis. I mean, you're in a war zone, right? And you're leaving to save yourself. But also a huge part of you, of, you know, what is your home, your daily routine, all the attachments that you made, you know, with where you went to school, where your friends used to play are being left behind. So how's that living for the safety, but also leaving a huge part of your heart and your soul behind?
[00:29:12] Speaker E: Oh, I come back to Ukraine sometimes. Like on holidays.
[00:29:18] Speaker B: You visited. You visited Ukraine?
[00:29:20] Speaker E: Yeah, I visit on holidays. And this summer I'm coming to. Yeah, probably.
Um, so I left my school because I didn't really, really like them.
The principal talked with us and also.
[00:29:38] Speaker C: It was the war, right?
[00:29:39] Speaker E: And. Yeah, and then I just quit because of the war.
[00:29:43] Speaker C: Is it hard to leave your place behind, even if it's at war?
[00:29:48] Speaker E: It was harder when I had to just change houses.
Not in war, but it's still very hard, I would say.
[00:29:56] Speaker B: Yeah, living the place where you know, where everything is and moving to a different place is always hard. But through your experience, and also whoever wants to add on this one, how does your involvement in the honor code make you feel a little better or a little more active? I would like you to reflect on this, think about this and see how does your involvement in the honor code make you feel compared to what you've lived through?
[00:30:25] Speaker E: In honor code, we donate stuff to people who have been the same to the. Through the same as me.
[00:30:33] Speaker B: So you feel you're helping?
[00:30:35] Speaker E: Yes, I feel like I'm in it, but I'm still helping.
[00:30:38] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:30:39] Speaker E: And me and my mom, every month, we donate to people in need.
[00:30:42] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:30:43] Speaker E: We donate money. Yeah. So. But honor girl makes me feel, like, special.
[00:30:50] Speaker B: In what way?
[00:30:51] Speaker E: Because I feel special when I. I feel like I help people a lot.
Maybe what you do is one single bag of rice. For some reason.
[00:31:03] Speaker B: It doesn't matter what you give.
[00:31:05] Speaker E: Yeah, it doesn't matter what we give. It matters. Like, the effort matters.
[00:31:09] Speaker B: Exactly, Nate.
[00:31:12] Speaker F: So I agree with everything he said, but also, I lived in Israel for eight years of my life, and I really. And while this club is amazing, I really think that we have a long, long way to go before we can start to fix, like, actually mend some of these problems. And this club, it's an amazing. In its amazing step, but I would say it's the beginning of something. It's clearly a very good step, and I. In that direction. It's a long way to go, but I still feel like we can do it, because if this club is more of a. It's probably not gonna be the thing that ultimately destroys war, but it can be a little. It could be a spark that ignites someone.
[00:32:02] Speaker B: Every little step helps.
[00:32:04] Speaker F: Yeah. It could be a spark that ignites someone to go help go change things, and that person can go to more people and more people, and it will affect. And just this one club can affect more than, like, maybe hundreds of.
[00:32:19] Speaker B: So if next year, all of you are going to middle school. Correct?
[00:32:23] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:32:25] Speaker B: Do you feel more or less prone to be involved in similar clubs next year?
[00:32:33] Speaker E: More, probably, yeah. Student council.
[00:32:37] Speaker B: Yeah. The student council is a great way, and it's a little bit more intense, I would say.
[00:32:42] Speaker C: Oh, you know, more. My knowledge stops in fifth grade. That's it.
[00:32:47] Speaker B: I mean, we've had conversations with people that are involved in the student council, and, you know, people there are also taking a lot of initiatives, and if you have the opportunity to do this in elementary school, you know, you're more experienced and more excited to go to this kind of actions.
[00:33:06] Speaker C: Motivated. As Nate said, you just need the spark.
[00:33:08] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:33:09] Speaker C: And as Andrew said, and this group.
[00:33:11] Speaker B: Is definitely a spark.
[00:33:13] Speaker C: A spark. That's what we want. It's not about their pack of rice. It's about the effort, the act.
[00:33:19] Speaker B: So, last question for this group. What would you say to a fourth grader this year who's going to fifth grade next year, what would you say to convince them to join the honor code club? Yeah.
[00:33:31] Speaker E: So I would say that honor code is a good club, especially for helping people in need and in war and also helping some homeless people.
And like Nate and Andrey said, just one little thing. It could make them very happy, because they might not have much.
[00:33:54] Speaker B: Great. Great.
[00:33:55] Speaker E: If I would try to convince a fourth grader who's going to fifth grade next year to join honor code, I would just tell them that honor code wouldn't just help people, but it also helped, for example, me. It inspired me to go look for more places where I can volunteer and help people.
[00:34:19] Speaker B: That's excellent.
[00:34:21] Speaker E: If I had to tell fourth graders, if I had to give a speech to fourth graders about honor gold, I would tell them about all the great things we did this year, like donating to doctors of the world, um, hiring the dragon.
[00:34:38] Speaker B: But you still have to explain to them what all these things are. Right?
[00:34:42] Speaker E: Like, I would say, you don't have to go. It's just good. It's a volunteer volunteering experience.
[00:34:51] Speaker B: Right. So start volunteering by volunteering in the honor code. Excellent.
[00:34:56] Speaker C: Or anywhere else.
[00:34:57] Speaker B: Or anywhere else volunteer. Thank you, guys. Thank you, everybody.
[00:35:00] Speaker E: You don't have to volunteer, though.
[00:35:01] Speaker B: You don't have to volunteer. Well, that's what volunteerism is, right? Okay.
[00:35:06] Speaker C: So we are here with the fourth and last group, continuing our discussion about honor code and volunteering.
[00:35:16] Speaker D: If you were a person in need, what kind of help would you like to get?
[00:35:20] Speaker E: I'm afreen, and if I were a person in need, I would appreciate several types of help. For example, basic necessities. Access to food, clean water, shelter, and clothing is important. These are fundamental needs that ensure survival and basic comfort. I'm Jason. If I were dealing with health issues, I would need medical care, including access to doctors, medicine, and mental health support.
Financial help can provide immediate relief for urgent needs like bills, rent, or debt. It also helps me to regain stability and plan for the future. Education and job training opportunities to learn new skills or improve existing ones can help me become independent. This includes access to education, job training, and career counseling.
[00:36:09] Speaker B: So, from what you just explained, what kind of activity have you done within the honor code that fits a little bit about what you just talked about?
[00:36:20] Speaker E: So we did a food drive, which helped people for basic necessities, like food.
[00:36:28] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:36:29] Speaker E: And also, we donated to the doctors of the world, which was very helpful because some people can't afford to go to, like, doctors and pay. So it was really helpful.
[00:36:44] Speaker B: Do you know what the doctors of the world do?
[00:36:48] Speaker E: They have, like, the hospitals, and it's for free.
[00:36:53] Speaker B: Where do they usually go?
[00:36:56] Speaker C: Usually they go around helping homeless people. They volunteer to certain areas, especially in Athens, that they know that it's more of homeless people or people in need.
[00:37:11] Speaker B: People in need.
[00:37:12] Speaker C: We actually found them in their main office, which is by the ammonia square in the center of Athens.
[00:37:19] Speaker B: The reason of my question is, you need to know where your effort goes to and where it shows. For example, doctors of the world are going to most of the war areas. They go to most of the areas where there is a refugee population. Right. Displaced people. So if you donate or if you make this kind of activity with the doctors of the world, you have to have in your mind, who do you help? Right. That. That was the reason of my question.
[00:37:48] Speaker C: Yes, definitely.
[00:37:49] Speaker E: Well, they also go to places with a lot of homeless people to help.
[00:37:53] Speaker B: Them because they don't have access to healthcare. Right?
[00:37:56] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:37:56] Speaker B: And they don't have money to pay for a doctor.
[00:37:59] Speaker E: The food drive also helped medical assistant because it doesn't always have to be medicine, which can help you if you're sick, because food is always one of the most important things you need.
[00:38:15] Speaker C: Hugo was with us for the past three years of honor code that we are doing with this movie. Dike is. He's our oldest member. I think last year, we were collecting funds. We were collecting money to become the Secret Santa, for example, for girls in a shelter, girls that were actually removed from their families.
[00:38:38] Speaker G: Yeah.
[00:38:39] Speaker D: So to raise awareness, I remember that we did, like. Like a short play, let's say, okay, that we had someone dress as a Santa Claus, and, like, we pretended that we went and we were giving gifts and stuff. And for the actual thing, we collected just essentials. And then, yeah, we went to the actual place, to their headquarters.
[00:39:01] Speaker B: How did you feel when you were involved in this?
[00:39:04] Speaker D: I felt good because I felt like I was helping someone, and, like, usually when you help someone, it feels good, like you feel like you did something.
[00:39:13] Speaker G: So I want to add on to what Romy was saying that you don't, when you go to the doctor, like, you don't just have to get medicine because you also need food, because you can die if you don't have food.
[00:39:28] Speaker E: To add on to your nut. Some people get sick because they don't eat enough food.
They get sick because they don't have money for the food, and they can't afford that much food.
[00:39:41] Speaker B: Do you have any area from what you've seen in the news and tv, any area that comes to mind on.
[00:39:48] Speaker E: The road, there's people asking for money. Maybe they want to buy food. And my teacher, she collects what the kids like. If the kids don't want their food, she gives it to the homeless people on the street.
[00:40:08] Speaker B: So you don't have to go far away to see, to find people in need. Right. You can find in your own neighborhood.
[00:40:15] Speaker G: Yeah.
[00:40:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:40:16] Speaker G: There are people in need everywhere.
[00:40:18] Speaker B: There are people in need everywhere. Yes.
[00:40:20] Speaker E: So I would like to say that there's a place in center of Athens where there's, like, a lot of homeless people that are in need.
[00:40:30] Speaker B: Have you seen these people?
[00:40:32] Speaker E: Yes, and I've helped them.
[00:40:33] Speaker B: Great.
[00:40:34] Speaker E: A lot. There's a lot of homeless people in Athens. For example, when I firstly came to Athens to see how things go here, things like that, I always noticed no matter where I went, there was always at least two people who were on the street with no food just laying around there.
I would like to say that the homeless people, most of them have kids, and the kids don't have access to education. So I would like to help people in need to have education. That's like the main point. I want to.
[00:41:15] Speaker B: Excellent. Excellent. Well, for me, the most important thing from this discussion with the fifth grade members of the honor Code club is that you are aware, first of all, you have to be aware before you take action. So I think there are congratulations for everybody, your teachers, of course, and the whole entire group of students of the honor code of the fifth grade of ACS Athens. And from what everybody has said, you know, I am pretty sure that next year you're going to be involved in similar projects. Am I right?
[00:41:53] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:41:54] Speaker F: I'll try to.
[00:41:55] Speaker C: I would like to add something. I would like to say big, big thank you to all the families, all three schools, elementary, middle school, academy, and all the ACS families, and not only who have supported us all these three years, because in all our initiatives, we had great support. We had families supporting us, supporting us through their children, our students supporting us in many ways. And we could not have done this without the ACS community. So thank you.
[00:42:29] Speaker B: Thank you, everybody. Have a great summer.
[00:42:31] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:42:33] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:42:34] Speaker C: We made it.
[00:42:38] Speaker A: You are listening to the owlcast, the official podcast of ACS Athens. Make sure you subscribe to the owlcast on Google Podcasts, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This has been a production of the ACS Athens Media studio.
