Frances Mason is excited about her upcoming trip to Kenya where she will play a role in community building. A recent character education conference sparked her interest.

One day after Kielburger spoke at a character education conference in Peterborough, Frances applied online at Kielburger's website to help make a difference in Kenya, Africa next summer. She will be immersed in the culture there, learn some of the Swahili language, work in a medical centre and in the region's schools.

The young man whose speech prodded her to take action was a global, social mission sensation early on in his life. At age 12, Kielburger founded Free the Children, which has become the largest international network of children helping children, with over 100,000 youth involved in 35 countries, at the age of 12.

According to its website, Free the Children has built more than 350 primary schools, providing an education to over 20,000 children every day. Kielburger's work has been profiled numerous times on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes, CNN, CBC, as well as in the New York Times, Time, and People Magazine.

"His speech was so motivational," says Frances, who has plans for a concurrent Bachelor of Education at Trent University. "This will be an experience I can take with me to university."

The 17-year-old says she has her family's full support for the trip to Kenya. She says it is also fully in line with the character education principles she has been learning through the focus of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. "He (Kielburger) talked about how important character education is. He said 'never deprive anyone of hope, because that is all they may have.' That really hit home to me."

One of the board's 10 character education attributes is 'responsibility,' something she sees herself exercising with her summer work in Kenya. "I think initiative, too, is part of what this trip is about," says Frances, citing another character attribute she sees as part of her upcoming African experience. The board's other eight attributes identified are: respect, honesty, integrity, empathy, fairness, initiative, perseverance, courage, and optimism.

Frances is understandably nervous as July 4 draws closer, the day she and many students from across Canada aged 16-20 will meet at the airport and fly out together, destination Africa.

"In my home and community, I take responsibility," says Frances.

"I'm just applying that in a larger way."

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