Students at Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School have set an example they hope the community will follow after recent vandalism at the Islamic Centre of Cambridge.
When a swastika was spray painted on the entrance of the centre, the students chose to do more than just acknowledge the hate-motivated act.
At a time when religious-based tension is at a high worldwide, Evy Ayers and her peers in the Grade 11 World Religions course banded together to create "Hearts of Islam."
Inspirational messages were written on paper hearts, strung together and delivered to the Islamic centre as a sign of support.
Ayers then wrote a story for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board website as part of the board's junior journalist program explaining why it was important to act.
"I think with what's going on in the world right now it inspired me to speak up," Ayers said.
"I wanted to shed more insight on hate and vandalism towards those who follow Islam."
With many young students attending the Islamic centre, Ayers felt it was important to make sure they knew others were there for them.
"I hope it sends a message that despite adversity, beliefs and where we stand on certain subjects, we should all support each other and let each other know you're safe in the community," Ayers said.
"There's no room for hate speech or any kind of hate."
Teacher Anne Denomme, who came up with the idea for the hearts, believes the goal of the course is to breakdown stereotypes and educate people about community members who come from all walks of life.
It's not the first time Monsignor Doyle has stood up and taken action to support others.
Back in November, students camped out in front of the school to raise awareness and funds for those experiencing homelessness. The initiative helped students gain a better understanding of what unhoused people go through.
"The more you understand about someone else, the less afraid you are," Denomme said.
"I often say faith is meant to be lived. It's faith in action. It's one thing to understand the teachings of the Catholic church but we have a strong Catholic social tradition which is all about action."
The feelings of support were not lost on Mohammad Darr and the Islamic centre.
Darr, the centre's vice-chair, said this was the first act of hate-motivated vandalism since it opened.
"We have been here since 1989 and never had problems with something like that before," he said.
"We're very happy to know other people are working with us and supporting us. It's good to have relationships with them."
Ayers hopes those relationships will continue to be fostered as time goes on.
Now that she's experienced it first hand, she wants the community to know actions truly do speak louder than words.
"In the grand scheme of things, just talking about it isn't going to do as much as it should," Ayers said.
"Getting involved in the community, volunteering, donating, doing whatever you can to better support people who are being harmed by what's going on in the world is what my message is. Do whatever is possible to make sure the people in our community are feeling safe and not judged."
To read Ayers full article visit wcdsb.ca.
