WEEK 1 DAY 5: AGAINST THE ODDS

DAY 5: AGAINST THE ODDS

Image Attribution: Sophie Pascoe, BW Media Photography, Stuff.co.nz
Activity 1: National Treasure [4 points]

Sophie Pascoe is a New Zealand para-swimmer. This means she is a competitive swimmer with a physical disability. Very sadly, Sophie was run over by a lawn mower when she was only 2 years old. She had to have the bottom of her left leg amputated. However, despite this terrible accident, she was determined to become a competitive swimmer.

Sophie has won numerous New Zealand and world para-swimming titles, including nine Olympic gold medals. She has also won the Halberg Award for Disabled Sportsperson of the Year three times. Sophie is a great example of a New Zealander who did not let her disability stop her from achieving her dreams. She is truly a ‘National Treasure’. A national treasure is someone or something that is very important to a country.


For this activity, we would like to learn more about the things that are important to you.
On your blog, please share three things that you treasure and say why they are treasures to you.
Personally, I treasure an old piano because it has family history for me. My dad bought the piano when he was a teenager and played it a lot as a young man. When I was little I learnt to play on the same piano and now my daughter Laila loves to play it too! It has brought a lot of joy and music to our family.

Task description: So my mum nena was still alive when I was still a baby , When I was two she started showing me the necklace and started talking to me. We had so many good memories together , Sadly when I turned four she past away because she was so sick. That was when my mum gave me it and ever since then I still haven't now , it means so much to me.

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Activity 2: Swimming to Safety [4 points]
Yusra Mardini is a teenage girl who was born in Syria, a war-torn country in the Middle East. She left Syria in 2015 to get away from the constant fighting and became a refugee. During her journey to reach safety in a new country, the engine on the boat she was travelling in broke down and Yusra, her sister and two others jumped out of the boat and swam to get help. Her heroic actions saved twenty people’s lives.

Yusra now lives in Germany. In 2016 she was named as part of the Refugee Olympic Team and she swam for this team in the last summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is now training for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Image Attribution: Yusra Mardini Portrait, United Nations, CC BY 3.0

For this activity, listen to the podcast of Yusra Mardini, or read her story on her personal website.
On your blog, retell the story of this amazing young woman from Syria.
*Remember to attribute any images that you borrow from the internet or from other people.
*Please check out the Eye-Catching Blog Posts page for ideas!
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Yusra and her elder sister fled the Syrian war and set off on a perilous journey to find safety in Europe. In summer 2015, they travelled through Lebanon to Turkey before departing for Greece in an overcrowded dinghy.

Fifteen minutes into the sea crossing, the boat’s engine failed. As a professional swimmer, Yusra was determined not to let any of her fellow passengers drown. Yusra, her sister and two others jumped into the waves and swam for three and a half hours in open water to stop their dinghy capsizing, saving the lives of 20 people.

A year later, Yusra’s courage, determination and strong swimming skills were recognized by the International Olympic Committee and became a member of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team. Yusra competed at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, helping to represent 65 million displaced people worldwide.

Since then, Yusra has addressed the United Nations General Assembly and met world leaders such as US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis. She has been presented with a number of prestigious awards and has been recognized for her work by Time and People magazines.

 Yusra now lives in Berlin, Germany and is concentrating on her professional swimming career. She aims to compete at the next Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. Yusra is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and works to alter global perceptions of refugees. Her message of hope, determination and courage reminds us that those who flee their countries are capable of achieving great things.

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Activity 3: Own Choice [6 points]

You have now made it to the end of Week 1 and have the chance to choose your very own sportsperson or explorer who you think has changed the world. There are no right or wrong choices for this activity, so find someone who interests you and tell us about them on your blog. It could be someone from your family, church, community or someone famous who you admire.

Here are some starting points in case you get stuck:

Image Attribution: Question Marks Cartoon #2002177

Jessica Watson

Tanielu Tele’a

Sachin Tendulkar

Ann Bancroft

Kelly Slater

Tamatea

Laura Dekker


For this activity, please choose one person (a changemaker) and read all about them. On your blog, provide us with:
The name of the person
A description of the work they do/have done
An explanation of how they/their work has had an impact on the lives of others
*Remember to attribute any images that you borrow from the internet or from other people.
*Please check out the Eye-Catching Blog Posts page for ideas!
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Stratford To’a is my cousin whom we are happy for because he recently accomplish his goal  on being an NRL player. In 2018 he moved to Australia to play for the Newcastle Knights after being scouted by a recruitment manager for the Knight and 2016 at a New Zealand national tournament in Rotorua. He plays for the Knight's team. At the end of 2018 he played for the Australian schoolboys and was named man of the match in their first game. in 2019 Stafford To’a joined Knights NRL squad for pre-season training and played in a first grade trial match. In June, he re-signed with the Knights on a 2-year contract until the end of 2021. In round 25 of the 2019 NRL Season he made his NRL debut for the Knights against the Penrith Panthers and scored a try. On the 29 of September, he  played for the junior kiwis against the Junior Kangaroos. He just makes us all very proud and that's what I wanted to share and acknowledge.
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