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(From left) Salisbury Morse Place Grade 7 students Jaymes de Guzman, Rita Kamaka, and Kiera Morriseau during the school’s vow of silence on Nov. 30.

Silence isn’t what you normally expect to be greeted by upon entering most schools.

Yet that’s exactly what visitors to Salisbury Morse Place School experienced when they entered the East Kildonan institution on Nov. 30.

Nearly 250 students at the kindergarten to Grade 8 school took a vow of silence that day. That meant no talking, texting, Facebook messaging or Twittering.

The students were inspired to pledge their silence after attending Winnipeg’s We Day event, held Nov. 23 at MTS Centre. It attracted thousands of students from across the province and encouraged them to take action on both local and global issues.

The East Kildonan students took their vow of silence in an attempt to create awareness to about children suffering as a result of child labour, malnutrition, lack of education, and abuse around the world.

Grade 7 student Rita Kamaka, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to Canada in 2006, said she knows first-hand what kids in other parts of the world are going through.

"(We Day) showed me how much kids are going through. When I came to Canada I kind of forgot about it," she said.

"It reminded me of how it used to be, and what they’re going through."

Jaymes de Guzman, another Grade 7 student, said the vow wasn’t easy to keep, but the students really wanted to make a difference.

"At first I thought it would be hard, but we’re bringing awareness to help kids who can’t speak for themselves," de Guzman said.

Kamaka and de Guzman admitted they weren’t sure if they wanted to take the vow when their teacher first mentioned the idea.

After attending We Day, they knew it was something they had to do.

"I was touched when they talked about how many kids die every day," de Guzman said. "Lots of kids don’t have rights, they’re exploited."

Teacher Leanne Smith helped organize the school’s vow of silence campaign. Smith said she was touched to see how engaged the students were.

"It meant a lot to me to see the kids being so passionate in what they were doing," she said. "They want to help others."

Kamaka and Kamaka said the We Day experience helped teach them that getting involved at a young age can make a difference now and in the future.

"We’re the next generation, and we need to pass it on," de Guzman said. "It’s time to wake up and tell the world."

Smith said if kids can learn about important issues at a young age, it will benefit them later in life.

"I think when we get older we can forget about what’s important," she said. "I believe what they said at We Day is, ‘It takes youth to make a change’."

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adrian.alleyne@canstarnews.com