In 2016, my friend and classmate, Sam, had the idea to create an organization that would connect children all around the world to promote compassion through cultural exchange. She asked me, along with three of our other friends to work with her to turn her idea into a real thing. We came up with “Hug the World”, an organization that promotes global mindfulness in education by providing fun and engaging activities designed to explore other cultures, lifestyles, and traditions while also connecting local students to their peers across the world. Sam was the leader, I was the creative director, and our other friends created the curriculum, taught, and did social outreaching. We would meet weekly and would have professional meetings. In the Spring of 2017, went to 8 classrooms ranging from grade 4-8 around the Portland area. We taught them about Thai culture with an emphasis on recognizing the similarities and differences between American and Thai culture- recognizing that we are all individuals a part of a larger global community. Being a part of this totally student run organization gave me confidence in my abilities to create positive social change and working in a team.
