Grace Patterson wins Speakers Idol Change-Maker Grant

DURHAM — A Durham student who won contest earlier this year for her thoughts on freedom of speech, has been recognized again.

This spring, Grace Patterson, a Grade 8 student at Cartwright Central P.S. in Blackstock, was named the elementary school winner for the Ontario-wide Speaker’s Idol competition.

The contest, presented by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, challenged students in grades 6 to 12 to write a three-minute speech that incorporates the Wiesenthal quote “freedom of speech is not freedom to propagate hatred.”

Grace is now also the winner of a $600 Speaker’s Idol Change-Maker Grant in memory of Toronto Holocaust survivor Bill Glied. 

The money was used to support a Differing Abilities Day at Cartwright Central P.S., which saw students learn about disabilities such as blindness or deafness, by taking part in simulated challenges.

“I want people to understand what it is like for people with mental and physical disabilities to do everyday activities," says Grace. "I would also like students and staff to develop empathy for these individuals living with disabilities.”

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies is a nonprofit human rights organization committed to countering racism and anti-Semitism, guided by the Wiesenthal quote, “freedom is not a gift from heaven. One must fight for it every day.”