My name is Grace Greaves and before coming to Ivey I was pursuing a degree in Global Studies at Huron. I fluently speak Japanese as my second language and was raised in a bi-cultural family. I went to Japanese school for about 14 years to become immersed in the language and the culture. At the time I thought my parents were crazy because I had to go to school on Saturdays. However now, I couldn’t be more grateful for such an amazing opportunity. I teach both swimming and downhill skiing, which are my two favorite sports. I find it very rewarding working with children especially in activities that I myself am very passionate about.
Additional Information
Personal Definition of Sustainability
When I think of sustainability two things come to mind: the environment and people. In the last few years, sustainability has become an important mission for corporations and I believe this trend will continue. Companies are becoming more green and eco friendly, which customers are favoring. Even at the individual level, awareness of environmental impact has increased. For me the hard part of sustainability is the people portion. I believe social sustainability is to share value between two groups. With globalization it is harder for me, or anyone to track the social aspect of many companies. Unfortunately, I think because the people portion is sometimes not clearly in front of most customers and it is a important portion of sustainability that goes undetected.
Sustainability-In-Action
In 2010, I was part of a high school program called “Global Perspectives”, which is a program that engages students in global issues. As a requirement of the program, students write a 20-page report on a global issue that interests them; my report focused on human trafficking. As a class we travelled to both Cuba and Germany on a cultural exchange.
In 2013, I volunteered with the Stoney Creek YMCA in London with a youth leadership program, Leader corp. The children in the program raised money through fundraisers for their end of the year trip to a camp in Honey Harbor.
This summer I would like to get involved volunteering with a youth organization. Ideally I would like to teach swimming to children whose families cannot afford lessons.
