For over 30 years, Harvest House residents and graduates have gone into elementary, secondary, and alternative schools in the Ottawa area to tell their life stories. The current program reaches an average of 2,000 students every year. The goal of these presentations is for residents to speak about the consequences of their choices and the impacts of addiction. By sharing openly about their experiences and providing students with the opportunity to ask questions, residents inform students about the consequences of drug and alcohol use and, in some cases, help students better understand how addiction may be impacting their own lives directly or indirectly. Through participation in school presentations, Harvest House residents develop public speaking skills, give back to the community in a meaningful way, and learn to view their past experiences as an opportunity to help others, rather than as a source of shame. Over the years, these presentations have demonstrated the powerful impact that residents can have by sharing their experiences.
Students say: “I really learned a lot from your life stories and I will for sure take them to heart for the rest of my life.”
Teachers say: Harvest House presenters did “a great job of opening up dialogue that is sorely needed in schools and society in general […] students were engaged, and were thinking about the paths they may be going down.”
Interested in booking a school presentation? Contact us here!