3 of the Most Inspiring Stories That Perfectly Represent Global Dignity Day
The nonprofit organization Global Dignity was founded by members of the World Economic Forum in 2009. Today, it is active in over 80 countries. Its mission is to “to unite everyone with the belief that we all deserve to live a life of dignity.”
Each October the organization celebrates Global Dignity Day. Participants are “invited to look beyond what divides us and recognize the dignity and humanity we share.” However, Global Dignity encourages people to treat others with dignity throughout the year.
Here are three of the most inspiring stories featured on Global Dignity’s website that perfectly represent the values of Global Dignity Day in action:
1. Greyston Bakery's Second Chance Policy
Greyston Bakery is a bakery based in New York. Many people will be familiar with its signature brownies, which appear in Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream. However, in addition to its baked products, it has gained respect for a hiring policy that offers second chances to people who otherwise might struggle to find gainful employment, such as ex-convicts.
“The model is pretty simple,” Mike Brady, CEO and President Greyston, said in a profile video for Upworthy. “People put their name on a list and when a job becomes available, we take the next name on the list and give them an opportunity.”
One such person to benefit from Greyston Bakery’s policy was Dion, who started dealing drugs at the age of 14 to help his mother provide for their family. Eventually, he was incarcerated for four years. “I had a whole lot of time to think and reflect on life. I knew life wasn’t about being in a cell,” Dion said. “It was time to change my ways. I came home with nothing, not a dime. I was looking for employment, no one would hire me.”
“Then a friend reminded me about Greyston. I put my name on the list for a job. One day I got a call asking if I would come to work. I came alive. My first day at work I was excited. I saw people I knew, and they were encouraging me because we’ve all been through the same things.”
Dion progressed quickly, going from apprentice to supervisor training in the space of six years. He has also been able to start a family. “I never thought that the bakery would do this for me,” Dion said. “I’m not rich but I’m happy. Everybody deserves a second chance. You’ve got to get to know people. When you give a person a job, you’re giving that person a second chance at life.”
Greyston Bakery, which donates all of its profits to parent company the Greyston Foundation, is the perfect example of a company which provides many people like Dion the chance for a dignified life through a hiring policy based on compassion.
2. Two Boys from Syria and Germany Break down Barriers
This story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming but also celebrates kindness and friendship. In a video released in 2016 which is featured on the Global Dignity Day website, UNICEF profiles two seven-year-old classmates: Nawwar from Syria and Alec from Germany.
At the time of the video’s release, Nawwar had recently arrived in Berlin after fleeing the Syrian war. His perspective of the treacherous and life-threatening journey is seen through the innocence of a child’s eyes as he imagines their raft being protected by friendly polar bears.
“It was a real hard journey,” Nawwar says. “The most difficult part was sleeping on rocks and climbing up mountains and down mountains—up and down. And on the boat. We have seen friendly white bears—the best part of my journey was the white bears.”
While it is touching to witness Nawwar’s innocence seemingly unscathed, at the same time it is a stark reminder of the unimaginable horrors that young children face as they flee war-torn countries, requiring them to create fictitious scenarios as coping mechanisms.
Thankfully, Nawwar made it to Germany where he struck up a friendship with Alec, who acted as translator for Nawwar and who has helped his Syrian friend learn German. “He is one of the best readers in our class,” Alec says. “He has made a lot of friends so far and will probably make many more friends this school year, and he’s just really good in school.”
As migrants around the world attempt to reach safer countries in search of peace, it seems dignity has often been in short supply. People are demonized, intolerance is rife, and compassion is lacking. The story of Nawwar and Alec is a lesson to us all that friendship is built on understanding, equality, respect—regardless of race or nationality—and that dignity is a right all people deserve.
3. “We Dine Together" Combats Loneliness and Isolation
Lunchtime at school can be one of the loneliest and most excruciating times of the day for students who do not have a social circle or are new to the school. As kids around the courtyard or cafeteria gather to talk and share jokes, some students are left alone, leading to inevitable feelings of isolation and rejection.
One student who knew this feeling all too well was Dennis Estimon, who arrived at Boca High in Boca Raton, Florida as a Haitian immigrant in the first grade. After eventually integrating, Dennis found a group of friends, but he still remembered those feelings of isolation. “It’s not a good feeling, you’re all by yourself and that is a feeling I don’t want anyone to go through,” Dennis told CBS News. “To me, it’s like if we don’t go and make that change, then who’s going to do it?”
This led Dennis and a group of his fellow students to set up the We Dine Together program. Students spend lunchtime going around the school to make sure no students are eating alone. In the CBS video, Dennis is seen approaching a boy sat alone. He soon discovers that the boy, named Gabriel, is new to the school having recently arrived from Brazil.
Allie Sealey, one of the members of We Dine Together, explains the importance of the program perfectly, telling CBS: “I went from a school where I always had a lot of friends to coming to a school where I had nobody.” Fighting back tears, she adds: “It just seems really unfair. It’s honestly an issue: trying to meet someone who listens and actually cares really makes a difference.”
Since We Dine Together was first founded in 2017, it has transformed into a global movement and has become part of the Be Strong organization. Dennis’ story and We Dine Together are strong examples that match the values upheld by Global Dignity Day: kindness, inclusiveness, and compassion.
