But, thanks to his grade twelve world issues teacher, Michael Loudfoot, Sam was able to bounce back and use a lesson taught by his teacher to reinvent himself.

Loudfoot taught the class that “small consistent actions could lead to a massive change”, and he encouraged the students to embody lives filled with service.

As a student it was the first time Sam felt that he was capable of making an impact. “Small Consistent Actions” sounded tangible when compared to the conventional thinking that says in order to make an impact you need to do something huge.

Inspiring and motivated Sam took his teachers theory and with the help of a friend started a volunteer movement called PickWaste where the two of them -with the help of local volunteers – would meet up to clean up litter for one hour once a week.

In the span of two years their organization filled over 1200 bags of trash and litter, picked up over 21 000 cigarette butts and organized a total of 120 cleanups in Demma’s hometown, Pickering. The initiative was featured all over national news and Sam was later invited to deliver a TEDx talk titled “small consistent actions.” The talk was recently shared on the official TED website and you can watch it here.

But, after two years of spearheading the project Demma realized that PickWaste was only a portion of a much bigger vision.

PickWaste is a great example of how small consistent actions played out in his life, but he believes that what is even more important is how the theory could play out in the lives of millions of students around the world.

Today at the age of twenty Sam travels across the country speaking to middle and high school students about how they can use their gifts and talents to make a difference in the lives of other people. He has worked with over a dozen school boards and hopes to continue impacting students around Canada while he is still young.

He uses his 60-minute program to illustrate that:

-Students should never attach their self-worth to things outside of themselves.
-Everyone can make an impact if they’re willing to commit to small consistent actions.
-Resiliency and persistence are essential because change happens over an extended period of time.
-In life you often discover your passion by doing things that are outside of your comfort zone.

You can watch a preview of Sam’s message here.

For more information, you can visit his website at www.samdemma.com.

The post Helping Students Answer the question, “can I make a difference?” appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is your business called and what does it do?

Our business is called PickWaste. We have committed to the small consistent action of picking up litter! We meet up to clean up for one hour once a week and speak in front of large crowds to spread awareness about the pollution solution.

What made you start this business?

I had a very inspiring world issues teacher who taught me that small consistent actions lead to a massive change! For weeks I asked myself, “How am I going to change this world by following this theory?” Then one day it hit me, literally, as I stumbled over a coffee cup. There’s garbage everywhere, why not start cleaning it up. I did this for a few weeks and my best friend and co-founder asked me, “What the heck are you doing, why are you picking up trash?” I explained to him this theory, he loved it and said, “What you’re doing is great, if I join you it’s even better, but what if we turn this idea into a movement?” That day was July 1st of 2017 and that was the day that PickWaste was born!

What problem does this solve?

We are cleaning up our community one piece of garbage at a time. We are preventing harsh chemicals (within litter) to be embedded into our ecosystem and harming humanity as well as nature! We also speak about the pollution solution, and how everyone can reduce their own consumer habits, cutting back on the use of single-use plastics which in turn will lower our carbon footprint as a whole! To date, we have filled over 650 bags of litter and spoken in front of 32 large crowds empowering 8000 individuals!

Who are your clientele/demographics?

Our target audience is the youth. We unleash their potential to make a change in society! We are passionate about the environment, but there are so many other issues out there. If we all found our passion at a young age and align it with our actions, this world would be a much better place!

How does your business make money? How does it work?

We earn revenue through speaking and Corporate Social Events (see attached packages). We speak at schools, camps, companies, conferences, and expos! We help business become more sustainable by providing them with a platform to where they can give back to their local community through cleanups! Most companies have an impact day where they give back to society! We organize the whole event, cater food and zero waste, present a 30-minute empowerment speech, partake in a 1 hour clean up and provide companies with a brand video recording the whole event!

Where in Toronto can we find your profession?

We currently host weekly clean ups in Pickering, Scarborough and Ajax! Most of our Corporate Events are with companies that are located in Toronto!

What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services?

The Great Canadian Shoreline Clean Up does the same thing as you, why should I choose to volunteer with you and not them? We clean up in forests, parks, streets, as well as do Corporate Social Events while they mostly clean up beaches. Also, our initiative is run and organized by youth, whereas their charity is run by adults.

What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?

The best part about what we do is that we know we make a difference in our community every Saturday morning through our actions! It is also very satisfying at the end of our clean up when we see all of our volunteers start talking and networking with each other! The hardest part about what we do is committing to it every Saturday even when the weather is not the greatest!

What is you favourite jokes about your own profession?

When people see us picking up litter and asking us “What crime did you guys commit?”

PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?

This company called PelaCase. They make phone cases out of biodegradable material, you should definitely check them out!

The post PickWaste aims to get more people cleaning our communities appeared first on Toronto Guardian.