During the first week of March, Niverville High School (NHS) played host to Our Potential, Our Purpose, a two-year travelling national exhibition designed to inspire youth to become global changemakers.

For each day of the exhibition, students toured interactive and immersive displays addressing major global challenges such as inequality, climate change, and poverty.

As citizens of the greater world, they were encouraged to ask themselves how they could help build a future in which everyone thrives.

The exhibition was created by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and Global Affairs Canada. With headquarters in Ottawa, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, the Aga Kahn Foundation seeks to break the cycle of poverty by building strong, healthy, and inclusive communities where everyone can achieve their greatest potential.

In Canada, a country rich in opportunity, the goal is to empower and educate students in international development, sustainability, and real-world issues.

François Grenier is the event manager and host of Our Potential, Our Purpose.

“We’re actually showcasing how to help people achieve a better quality of life through access to healthcare, education, women’s rights, nutrition, access to technology, and all that good stuff,” says Grenier.

While the foundation has a global focus, Grenier says there are endless ways to improve the lives of people close to home, as well.

“Nobody’s too young or too old to help people around the world achieve a better quality of life,” Grenier says. “And locally, as well, there’s always [someone who needs] help. We’re here to try and trigger their minds to maybe discover how they can make a difference.”

The tour officially kicked off in August 2025 and will continue to move around the country until the fall of 2027. Grenier has already set up in schools, festivals, and event venues along the east coast and throughout Ontario. Niverville has been the only Manitoba stop on this leg of the tour.

From here, they head to the west coast. Grenier is hopeful that they’ll gain more traction in the prairie provinces as their mission becomes better known.

Students of NHS participated class by class, tuning into video reels along the media wall which featured real-life changemakers from around the world. Students then weaved a ribbon into an art mosaic to demonstrate the belief that we are stronger together.

They wrote letters to themselves as if speaking from the future, guiding and encouraging themselves towards specific goals. These letters, now in the hands of the Foundation, will be returned to the students by email a few months from now.

After the exhibit has moved on, students can continue in the pursuit of changemaking by joining the Youth Advisory Committee or Youth Leadership Academy, or by taking part in global development opportunities, all provided through the Aga Kahn Foundation.