What is hope?  

Hope is felt when we imagine a positive future and take action towards achieving it. Hope is powerful and worth sharing. Hope can spring from something as simple as saying hi to someone and hearing them say hi back, as Drake, a grade one student, so eloquently put it.  

Project Hope was born when kids from Medicine Hat were asked to reflect on what hope means to them. They determined that hopefulness is best grown by showing love and kindness to others. Through words and drawings, Project Hope shares children's uplifting ideas on love, kindness, safety, and hope throughout the community of Medicine Hat.

At the onset of the project, students from kindergarten to grade six responded to questions such as What makes you feel loved?, When do you feel safe? and How can we show kindness to others?. Conversations and written quotes became inspiration for drawings. The heart-warming responses were then collaged onto panels which are now on display in Tumbleweed Project Space.

Much of what the children captured are simple actions that everyone has the ability to perform. By presenting the wisdom of the community’s youth, the exhibition calls each of us to act in ways that embody kindness, love and hope more often.

Project Hope is a Connecting Community initiative sponsored by Family and Community Support Services. The exhibition in Tumbleweed Project Space is one element of the larger project which also includes bus ads, posters, social media posts and videos.

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