Academy Updates

We are livin' the dream every day! Check out what we are talking about and read our blogs!

Coffee, Rock Stars, and Thrift Stores

written on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 10:35
Recently, our wonderful cross country journey has brought us to a little town called Winkler, in Manitoba. Winkler is your average small town, with plenty of friendly people and fun things to do - except that this specific small town created an environment for one of the most amazing weekends that I’ve had on this tour.

A Day To Remember

written on Thu, 04/11/2013 - 09:42
The Live Different Academy students have spent two days working in Mexico in the raspberry fields as part of their shack experience. They got up at 4 am each day and worked long days alongside the locals picking berries and weeding the plants and then went home to their shack in the evening. Keep reading to find out more about what they thought and felt and to hear some stories of a few of the amazing people they met along the way!

Scooby-Doo: The Adventures of Bell Island

written on Tue, 04/02/2013 - 13:25
Remember waking up early Saturday morning as a kid and running downstairs to turn on Scooby-Doo cartoons? We always thought the gang's crazy and creepy experiences were amusing...until recently when our team got to experience a real-life episode of Scooby-Doo.

A little motivation goes a long way

written on Wed, 03/20/2013 - 13:27
My first contact with Live Different was when they came to my high school and the motivation that they brought with them was just what my small town needed, and just what I needed. The motivational production that they performed in my school spoke to me very loudly. I was able to recognize the value and worth that my life had and the incredible things that I was truly capable of. I am proud to say that I am among one of many students who have been touched by this incredible movement.

Always Be Thankful!

written on Sun, 03/10/2013 - 14:24
Perfection is hard to describe but I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder. However I think I can speak for everyone when I say that our build week was nothing short of perfection.

Great Moments in Live Different Academy

written on Wed, 02/27/2013 - 15:59
When I first decided to join the Live Different Academy, the thought about moving into a house with 20 people was a bit shocking but I knew that we were all coming here for a good reason! Once I landed at the airport in Hamilton I was so excited to meet everyone, and I had a feeling that this was going to be a life experience that I will never forget!

Four Months and Not One Bad Day!

written on Thu, 01/24/2013 - 16:22

Did you know that it’s possible to go four months without having one bad day? Yeah I didn’t either, but due to a series of random events that resulted in my joining the Live Different Academy, i now know that it is in fact very possible!


A Little Piece of Heaven

written on Thu, 11/29/2012 - 17:43
We packed our bags and set off on our journey to San Felipe. We stayed in San Felipe for a week and during our time there we had the opportunity to do various volunteer jobs and work with many inspiring people. There was one day in particular that touched our hearts, all in different ways. We went to an orphanage, Casa De Fe- which means Home of Faith.

Life is painting a picture

written on Mon, 11/26/2012 - 14:39
On an ideal Saturday in Mexico, like today was, most people would probably want to be spending time on the beach getting tan, or even just lounging around. While these things sound pretty great, it’s not how we chose to spend our day. Instead, we spent three and a half hours in a dusty cemetery painting rocks white...doesn’t sound like a great time eh?

One of those days...

written on Wed, 11/14/2012 - 09:03
I’m fairly certain everyone has had one of those days. You know those days that nothing goes right, that everything seems to be working in such a way to purposely make your life harder and more stressful. I had one of those days a little while ago, and trust me; it was really on of those days. Our team left a school at about 2:30 and after about a four-hour drive, through a snowstorm, we stopped for dinner.
road snow
band boys

Homemade happiness

written on Sun, 10/28/2012 - 19:00

As we marched from our food filled, warm bed holding, hot water pumping, electricity surging home to our new barren yard and wooden structure, I was thinking that Shack Week was going to be fun. I have been camping many times before: you set up your tent, stoke up a fire and await nature's great amazements. This experience was more like surviving than camping, and by the end of it all, although I hate to admit it, I would come to miss those luxuries that our past dwelling possessed. Many Mexican families endure the long laborious days of the fields and come home to a great lack of those luxuries. Last week my fellow classmates and I were one of those families.


One man's trash is another man's treasure

written on Sun, 10/28/2012 - 14:49
What we once saw as dirty garbage on the side of a Mexican highway we now see as a possible home. Dirty garbage bags and old mops, items we would have never dreamt to touch with our bare hands prior to last week, now held our roof in place. Cardboard boxes once filled with someone’s garbage, an item our mind previously didn’t even register sitting on the sides of the road, were now our floor; the only thing between us and the dirty ground beneath. It’s amazing how our instinct to survive will force you to do these things, use these items you would have never touched before. Shack week has opened our eyes to the world around us in a very new way.

Wow, so that's what work is!

written on Thu, 10/18/2012 - 00:18
The Academy students in Mexico go through a very challenging yet very rewarding week called 'Shack Week.' This is where they build themselves a 'shack' to live in, and work alongside the Mexicans in jobs such as field work, rock picking, and clamming. The students have just completed two days of hard work in the local tomato fields. Have a look at what they have to say about their experience.

Great Big Tiny Miracles...

written on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 15:59
On October 1st, 2012, we entered the home and life of Kiryat. This little girl, just over a month old, had a big problem. Kiryat had a malignant tumor on the underside of her liver that grew more fatal everyday it went untreated. Her family: mother, father, and grandfather had set a date for an operation in Tijuana, Mexico to have the tumor removed but had not yet gathered the 50,000 pesos (nearly $4,000 US) needed for the procedure.

Mom! We built a house! And so much more!

written on Fri, 10/05/2012 - 22:07
What started out as just a concrete pad on the ground, turned into so much more...Build week isn’t all about just getting the job done; it’s about connecting with the family, giving out numerous capouchies (piggy backs) a day and building close friendships.

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