FAQs

In Tim Huff’s best-seller Bent Hope, he describes true hope as “relentlessly life-giving and life-changing” and the “greatest common denominator among all people around the globe”. Not simply a wishful notion, as it is too commonly conceived, hope is meant to alter perspectives, lift spirits and help bring individuals, families and communities into wellness. This can only be realized when confidence is at the centre of hope; confidence that another, or others, will come alongside with presence and care in times of uncertainty, hardship and challenge. Thus, a “hope-giver” is one who does much more than feel sympathetic and wishful for another person or persons. A “hope-giver” is one who can be counted on to thoughtfully and assuredly purpose their feelings into meaningful action.

Specialty talks for parents are designed to visit conversations that explore the heartbeat of the family and how it impacts a young life inside and outside of the home, including the popular theme – “A Kitchen Table Revolution; home as a beacon.”

Specialty talks for educators are designed to encourage and challenge teachers as influence-makers and culture-shapers, including the popular theme – “Hope-giving 101; you can’t teach social justice if you don’t live social justice.”

Specialty talks for principals, vice-principals and education superintendents are designed to inspire and esteem top administration to engage in the fullness of their role and the opportunity to lead with grace and enthusiasm, including the popular theme – “Bring hope. Serve well. Celebrate; the ultimate calling.”

When the scheduled date arrives Tim, or an engaging volunteer leader, along with the three trained volunteers will come early to set up. Set up includes a Cardboard Shack prop, the children’s book in large panels on an easel, and three stations. The first portion of the session is a reading of the large form book, inclusive of an interactive dialogue with the students. The students are then divided into three separate groups (around the teacher’s decision-making). Each group attends one of the three stations for 10-15 minutes, rotating until all three groups have visited all three stations.

The cardboard shack is one station – children enter it in pairs and come out to discuss with the volunteer leader and other students in their group what it might be like to call that home. The second station is an over-sized coat and wet mitten station – children try these on and discuss things like what it might be like to not have nice things to wear or what it might be like to eat lunch in wet mittens. The third station is a picture station, where the volunteer leader guides an insightful discussion around a series of untraditional pictures of homeless people: smiling, playing instruments, with pets.

The entire book and stations sequence takes between 60 and 75 minutes. This session is ideal for grades one, two, three, four, but has also been successfully altered for grades five through eight. This session is often enthusiastically followed up by teachers with their students around art, writing, social studies, and drama.