KASHA SLAVNER / THE GLOBAL SUNRISE PROJECT 04/16/14

Summary: What does it mean to be a global citizen? 15-year-old filmmaker Kasha Slavner is traveling the world this Spring to document the answer to that question, by filming people who wake up every day with a desire to make the world we live in a better place, not only for themselves, but for their communities and all life that shares this planet. At 8 years old - after seeing Craig Kielburger, the founder of Free the Children, give a talk on the work of his organization - Kasha decided she was ready to start making a change in the world. Kasha became quite active very quickly - joining social justice clubs, raising funds for issues she was passionate about, and participating in campaigns for a variety of charities. In March, 2013 Kasha was selected as a youth delegate by the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace to attend the United Nations for the 57th annual session on the Commission of the Status of Women. Now, Kasha is taking a giant leap to make a difference by starting The Global Sunrise Project and convincing her mother, Marla, to let her take a semester out of school to travel the world using her love of photography, film and change-making to create a short documentary and book on global citizenship. The duo is seeking support and funding from others who believe in the project, through their Indiegogo Project for the documentary - "The Sunrise Storyteller©" - which will focus on stories of hope and resilience where people, despite what challenges they may face, are doing good things to make a difference in their own lives and in their communities - people who are "being the change they wish to see." She and her mom, Marla, will begin their 6-month trip this Spring. They will experience a completely different side of life from what they’re used to in their home of Toronto, Canada — the adventure will take them to corners of the globe where life isn’t always so easy, and they’ll be living out of one small bag with just a few changes of clothes. Kasha's mom, Marla, believes all of this experience is part of what she calls "educaring" for Kasha - which goes beyond just a traditional education. Join Julie Ann as she hosts both Kasha and Marla on ConsciousSHIFT, to explore the choices we each can make to positively impact change.