Archive for the 'Mainpage' Category

Job Position Openings: Road Team Manager


Road Team MemberEffective Nov 19, 2009:

We have some exciting job position openings for dynamic young adults that love to make a difference and enjoy new challenges, experiences, and travel. We have immediate openings for a Road Team Manager for our Canadian school tours. If you have questions, please contact us at (905) 777 1662.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Road Team Manager

We have a job position open to lead one of our road teams that performs motivational presentations in schools across Canada.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead Think Day Teams on cross-Canada tours
    • Facilitate a positive and successful team experience
    • Facilitate effective and powerful Think Day presentations, and customer experience, in schools
    • Tour Management (driving, feeding team, arranging billets, etc)

Here is a description of what we are looking for in this position.

  1. Personal Skills
    • Ability to think and learn independently
    • Major adaptability and desire to learn and enjoy new situations and challenges
    • Have a philanthropic world-view (desire to use your life to help others less fortunate)
    • Good sense of humour
    • Desire to travel
  2. Strong and mature interpersonal skills
    • Ability to genuinely care and listen
    • Make people feel significant
    • Very positive thinking and speaking. Negativity from leaders will destroy team morale.
  3. Dynamic public skills
    • Comfortable in front of large crowds
    • Ability to speak with passion and conviction, and tell an engaging story
    • Ability to promote and represent Absolute’s vision effectively
  4. Team Leading Skills
    • Take responsibility and assertively take charge in tough situations.
    • Ability to resolve conflict and remain objective and rational
    • Ability to mentor team members and build team morale
  5. Technical Skills
    • Experienced Driver. Experience with operating larger vehicles is an asset
    • Basic knowledge of Audio and Visual Equipment is helpful
    • Basic mechanical skills are an asset
    • Problem solving skills
    • Above average computer skills an asset
  6. Experience
    • Have previous experience in a leadership position, team management and/or public communication.

APPLY HERE

Keys, Pens, and Paperclips

Rock and RollThey are only the elite, specially selected few.
They parade across our stage brandishing their weapons of choice. These are no ordinary instruments of torture, unusually, they are in the form of a broom, hockey stick, and a severed pool noodle. These ‘creme of the crop’ are showing us their rock and roll moves like never before (literally, I don’t think any of them have ever done this before!). They head bang as in the days of their youth, and while doing so there are generally three items that come spilling from their pockets.

Keys, pens, and paperclips.

Once in a while there will be an unlucky individual who flings their glasses inadvertently across that glossy hardwood floor not caring a bit, because they need to rock harder than their students did. They will let nothing stand in the way of their ETERNAL GLORY!  For that is what they will receive if they can rock harder than a bunch of high school wussies!

Teachers Know How to Rock

These are the teachers who have bravely sacrificed eyesight and dignity alike to participate in our “school of Rock” and no matter how many teachers we see on stage we are always shocked at how well they perform!

Canada has some of the most amazing teachers, many of which end up on our stage and its their students who choose them because they know that these are the teachers who know how to have fun. These are the teachers who are trusted and liked by their students. They are the elite only because of the dedication to their students, dedication that is clearly seen when they rock out no holds bar to make sure their students get a laugh! we congratulate you teachers who are chosen for our air band rock off because you are the teachers who care for their students. We did not preselect you, you were chosen by the students you teach. In fact its almost as if you selected yourselves. How you ask? By being there for your students, approachable, and friendly. You selected  yourselves when you decided to love kids and not just teach them. Our country is full of teachers and administrators
who love their students, who only want the best for them and their futures. A lot of the time you are the elite, the specially selected few, who will humbly rock out with us, and for some reason you are always carrying in those magnanimous pockets of yours:

Keys, Pens, and Paperclips

Its the Circle of our Lives

Think Day, Hero Holiday, School of Leadership, ONE Book … Absolute.org has a variety of interesting programs, but are they related, tied together somehow? Absolute is like a ring, no no not the one ring…you know the one…”in the darkness bind them?” That’s not us, that’s some other guy. At Absolute.org every one of our programs support and lead into the other. Someone asked me today what I do for Absolute, in what capacity I work for them. The truth is that my job title is irrelevant. Each of our jobs support and are connected to each other’s. Absolute is a circle.

I just returned from a Hero Holiday trip in the Dominican Republic. I met some fantastic people. There are few things more surprising than how content the people of Dominican Republic really are, compared with someone living in a developed country. Even more surprising is the effervescent joy that overflows and spills onto us from the displaced people of Haiti living in Dominican Republic. There are too many stories to tell here and now. For more on Hero Holiday, please visit Hero Holiday’s site or subscribe to 52 Stories. What I’ve come to realize is that my job, my official job at Absolute, is incredibly tied into Hero Holiday. The members of Team 3, my Hero Holiday team, had students (and one mom) from all across our fine country. Almost every province was represented by Team 3’s members, and we even had a girl from the Yukon! Most of these participants were there because of Think Day, a multimedia motivational experience that visited their schools. That is my job, Think Day. I am a Road Team Manager, along with my husband JP. We travel with teams across Canada from September to June (we break for Christmas of course!) tirelessly (most days) driving, setting up, performing, speaking, running workshops, discussion groups, etc etc etc. We tell our stories to bring hope and courage to our listeners and to let our generation know that they have value, that their voice can be heard, and that we want to join our voice with theirs to change our world!

On my Hero Holiday trip I saw those values not only realized in the lives of our participants, but applied to a people who are considered regrettable and forgettable by a world who has done very little to better their situation. All year I talk, and I talk, and I talk about social justice and trips like Hero Holiday, telling Canadian students that they can do something about the injustices they see in their world, and that it is just that; THEIR WORLD. And here they were! All 19 of them on Team 3 asking the same question I asked myself over and over again this year. “Have I actually accomplished anything? What is it that I’ve really done?”

The answer to my question was in the 100+ students who participated in Hero Holiday Dominican Republic Week 1, and more directly in the 19 members of my team. Not all had been at the shows that I spoke at, but there were quite a few who had been, and most of them had seen an Absolute show or had known someone who did, and that was why they were there! Their experiences in Dominican Republic taught them, not just told them, that they matter to the world. They matter to that stateless Haitian child, or to that Dominican Grandmother. They are actually making a difference.

My purpose in Absolute was reflected in the eyes of a girl who had been given the power and opportunity to help when she thought she couldn’t. When she thought she was helpless to do anything about the situation she saw in front of her, I got to help her realize that we’re stronger together and that we really could help this life, this girl, this time.

Hero Holiday had changed my life before I had ever been on one and experienced it for myself, but now it’s not just stories, it’s real. I got to work alongside some people I had met briefly in a gym somewhere in Canada and had asked “Now that you know, what will you do?” and they showed up. That gives me 19 new reasons to keep going. To keep telling my stories, stories about myself, and about the people I have met and been inspired by. To keep touring, and driving, and setting up, and tearing down, and talking and talking and talking, because though you may not all come on a Hero Holiday, some of you may. Some of you will hear for the first time that you are valuable, that your life counts for something, and you will take that message with you wherever you go, including a Hero Holiday.

I will step out onto the road again with fresh perspective on what it is that I do. 19 faces and stories to keep me going, and this is the cycle, this is the circle: Think Day, School of Leadership, Hero Holiday, 52, One, Think Day, School of Leadership…

So watch for us this Fall. Are we coming to your school? If we’re not and you want us there, CLICK HERE .

Press Release: Absolute launches character education initiative, sponsors services to Canadian schools

Think Day LogoHamilton, ONTARIO - May 23, 2008 - Absolute Leadership Development, Canada’s leading student empowerment organization, is a charity that has been partnering with Canadian schools since 2001. Their “Motivational Experience” - a hard hitting mixture of young speakers, multimedia and music - was the most popular motivational assembly amongst Canadian schools. Building upon the success of this presentation, Absolute is launching a new program called Think Day. Remaking the popular one hour motivational presentation with cutting-edge MakeYouThink® character education curriculum, Think Day will also give schools the option of adding workshops and global awareness sessions to create a comprehensive motivational program that will have lasting results in student’s lives. All of Think Day’s content is suitable for both Catholic and public schools.

“We look forward to increasing the effectiveness of our motivational teams, and we believe these additions will do just that”, says Vaden Earle, CEO of Absolute Leadership Development. “Our goal is to continue to inspire this generation with a relevant message that their lives have purpose and value”

The workshops and leave behind video curriculum are designed to facilitate discussion between students on issues that are fundamental to them. Global awareness sessions have a huge impact on the perspective students have of not only the world, but their own lives as well. Together, the package is a vital tool for schools that want their motivational and character education efforts to have a lasting impact.

The incredible news for schools is that in conjunction with the launch of Think Day, Absolute is fully sponsoring their services (that other organizations charge over $5000 for) with a donation based model of payment, so that all schools, regardless of budget or demographic, will be able to take advantage of the best student empowerment opportunity in North America.

Absolute is accepting bookings for the 2008-2009 school year and can be reached at www.thinkday.org or 1-866-432-4464

Click here for promotional brochure PDF! http://thinkday.org/thinkday.pdf

Fundraising with ONE

We are so excited about the potential of this book to spark social awareness that we would like to offer a unique opportunity. Individuals or groups that are engaged in charitable fundraising, can now purchase bulk quantities of ONE: A Face Behind the Numbers, at wholesales prices and resell them. This is a great way to raise money for Hero Holiday trips or to help build a school or home in a developing nation. Now is a great time to start this, as you can take pre-orders for people who are doing Christmas shopping. This makes a GREAT GIFT! The book will be shipped in time for Christmas. Please go here for more info: http://one.absolute.org/the-cause

Danica: How we all fell in Love

I only know her first name: Danica. She was 18 months old, abandoned, and a Haitian child of parents with no country of origin, living in Dominican Republic. She was stateless, and no one knew she existed.
I had only heard her cry once, and had never seen her give any response to anyone. My friends, Phil and Donna, had found her in a house where she had been left alone for up to 8 hours a day because her mother had abandoned her and her father was in another part of the country working. He had people watching her, but he was no where to be found.
Absolute had decided that we would adopt her and we would commit to her medical and personal care. She was unable to walk or talk, and was very sick from a urinary tract infection that had been left untreated for weeks, perhaps months, on end. We had taken pictures of her and we were all excited (more…)

Now He Knows His Name!

DSC_7141.JPG Some of you reading this blog may remember my story about the little boy at the garbage dump that I found that told me he couldn’t remember what his name was that his mother called him. He was an orphan and had been without parents for more than 7 years. He was at the dump that day because he often came there looking for food and to collect bottles to get some form of income (less than 25 cents a day).

As our truck pulled once more into the village (more…)

Job Position Openings: Road Team Manager


Road Team MemberEffective Nov 19, 2009:

We have some exciting job position openings for dynamic young adults that love to make a difference and enjoy new challenges, experiences, and travel. We have immediate openings for a Road Team Manager for our Canadian school tours. If you have questions, please contact us at (905) 777 1662.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Road Team Manager

We have a job position open to lead one of our road teams that performs motivational presentations in schools across Canada.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead Think Day Teams on cross-Canada tours
    • Facilitate a positive and successful team experience
    • Facilitate effective and powerful Think Day presentations, and customer experience, in schools
    • Tour Management (driving, feeding team, arranging billets, etc)

Here is a description of what we are looking for in this position.

  1. Personal Skills
    • Ability to think and learn independently
    • Major adaptability and desire to learn and enjoy new situations and challenges
    • Have a philanthropic world-view (desire to use your life to help others less fortunate)
    • Good sense of humour
    • Desire to travel
  2. Strong and mature interpersonal skills
    • Ability to genuinely care and listen
    • Make people feel significant
    • Very positive thinking and speaking. Negativity from leaders will destroy team morale.
  3. Dynamic public skills
    • Comfortable in front of large crowds
    • Ability to speak with passion and conviction, and tell an engaging story
    • Ability to promote and represent Absolute’s vision effectively
  4. Team Leading Skills
    • Take responsibility and assertively take charge in tough situations.
    • Ability to resolve conflict and remain objective and rational
    • Ability to mentor team members and build team morale
  5. Technical Skills
    • Experienced Driver. Experience with operating larger vehicles is an asset
    • Basic knowledge of Audio and Visual Equipment is helpful
    • Basic mechanical skills are an asset
    • Problem solving skills
    • Above average computer skills an asset
  6. Experience
    • Have previous experience in a leadership position, team management and/or public communication.

APPLY HERE

NiagaraThisWeek.com: Article: Youth challenged to get involved in global community

NiagaraThisWeek.com: Article: Youth challenged to get involved in global community

By Scott Rosts
West Lincoln
Jun 15, 2007

SMITHVILLE — Christal Earle wants youth to know they can make a difference.

The co-founder of Absolute Leadership Development, a Hamilton-based charity that encourages hundreds of students to engage in humanitarian relief work, says youth need to understand that they can follow their “dream of what (they) want to be and do”. Earle recently visited South Lincoln High School in Smithville to spread her message during an assembly presented by the Youth for Change.

“You and I can make a difference,” Earle told the students and special guests from organizations such as Grimsby Life Centre and International Justice Mission.

After a tumultuous time during her youth growing up in Saskatchewan, Earle said one day she decided she wanted “something more”. Looking around the world today and some of the global issues such as aids orphans and children dieing from starvation, Earle said her and her husband Vaden “decided we wanted to do something about it”.

From there, Hero Holiday was born. The program provides opportunities for high school students to participate in a humanitarian relief project by bringing practical assistance to those living in extreme poverty. Activities include everything from building homes to distributing supplies to working with children at risk. Last year they even built a school.

“People like you and me are going to Third World countries and making a difference,” said Earle.

The stories, she admits, are touching and their outlook on life changes as they see first-hand what people living in other parts of the world go through.

In 2005, the first year of Hero Holiday, about 180 students went to work with Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic. She said the refugees lived in a garbage dump, a site that “blows your mind”. She warned the students to ensure they wore their shoes while spending the two hours with their refugees there, so they would remain safe while walking through the dump. When the time was over, she noticed one student wasn’t wearing their shoes. She looked around and discovered none of the students had their shoes anymore.

“Every one of the students that day gave their own shoes off their feet to the refugees living there,” she said. “They made a difference.”

Earle challenged students to get involved and “make a difference”. She said programs like Hero Holiday are an “invaluable opportunity” to show how lives can change and provide “brand new beginnings” for those in impoverished countries.

Opportunities exist this summer, she said, with Hero Holiday. Upcoming trips include the Dominican and Mexico. Information on the organization can be found at http://heroholiday.absolute.org.

“You will never regret it,” she said of the experiences.

Did you get our FAX?

Trash CanWe just sent a fax blast today to schools across Canada. You can click here if you are now looking for more information about our motivational experience.

For this advertising campaign we wanted to try a different approach- addressing a nice cover page to the secretary (a.k.a “most influential person in the school”) to get them to sweeten up to us and pass on the info to the proper contact. If nothing else, hopefully they get a bit of a chuckle out of it. We thought we would take this route so that the school will realize that it is a legitimate fax before tossing it in the trash.

We find that in sending faxes and making phone calls to schools that is really easy to get mistaken for telemarketers or solicitors and to be treated coldly because of that. We are now trying to get across to schools that it is actually the opposite: as a non-profit we are financially giving a lot more to schools than we are receiving (see pricing here) . Like most educators, we do what we do because we care about students and believe in them - enough so that we a willing to send the odd “junk” fax to a school to be able to reach more of them with a message of hope.




Leadership Resource:

Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors

Member Of:

Canadian Association of Professional Speakers

Sign up here and have a Think Day at your school

First Name:
Last Name:
Title (Teacher, Principal, etc.):
School:
Email:
City:
State/Province:


Close
Powered by ShareThis