1 . Homelessness is a major issue in every city around the world, and something that most governments struggle to manage. A Canadian millionaire’s homeless community project decided to tackle this problem head-on.

Marcel LeBrun is an entrepreneur (企业家) and founder of a successful media monitoring company from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. After selling his company for eight figures, he allocated (分配) a substantial amount to address homelessness in his community.

In 2023, data from the Human Development Council showed that in New Brunswick there has been a 25% increase in homeless individuals; 1,829 individuals experienced homelessness for at least one day; and 654 people experienced chronic homelessness, meaning that they were homeless for at least one year. Though the numbers may be far greater in bigger cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, LeBrun saw an opportunity to make a difference and improve the lives of those facing the challenges of homelessness.

The millionaire’s homeless community project invested $4 million to build 99 tiny homes for people in need. Grants and support from the Government helped raise funding to $ 12 million to expand the project.

Known as 12 Neighbours, the project aims to build a gated community with 99 homes and an enterprise center. This innovative approach not only provides a safe and stable housing solution — it also creates job opportunities for people in the community.

The homes are not just shelters. LeBrun sees himself as a community builder, so the project is meant to create a supportive environment for residents. LeBrun also aims to instill (逐渐灌输) a sense of responsibility and stability in residents by giving them the opportunity to possess their own property. This not only empowers those experiencing homelessness, but also helps foster a more supportive community.

This is an awe-inspiring example of using personal success to help transform others’ lives and the community, and hopefully inspire others to contribute to society as well.

6 . My professor was a retired criminal lawyer, and he had a unique way of going over the answers to our class’s weekly quizzes, For each question, he would call on a student and ask for his answer, after which he’d ask the class to vote on whether they agreed or not. If the latter, a new student was picked to give a different answer, and the whole process would begin again.

It was certainly a memorable way to review. But I was just a freshman, and quiz-review days frightened me. I’d spend the entire review shrinking (蜷缩) in my seat, praying that I wouldn’t be called on.

One of my other professors saved me. In my anatomy (解剖学) class, we watched a TED Talk by Dr. Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist. Dr. Cuddy explained that humans could choose to take either “high power” or “low power” positions with their bodies. “High power” positions involve taking up as much space as possible -- standing up straight, and moving your arms and legs away from your body. “Low power” poses, in contrast, involve making yourself look small: bending your head and keeping your arms and legs crossed and held close. She found that spending just two minutes standing in a “high power” pose measurably increased a person’s feelings of power and self-confidence. And she wanted all of her viewers to try it out for themselves. So I did.

I arrived ten minutes early to class on the next quiz-review day. However, I tried something new. I sat up straight. When our teacher arrived and asked if anyone had any questions about the material before we began our quiz review, I actually raised my hand. “I am big,” told myself. “It is all right to be seen and take up space.” The effect of this was amazing. Suddenly, I realized that the important thing was simply that I was participating. I didn’t need to be right. I just needed to engage fully in the class and learn, like everyone else.

This was an attitude many people, including my parents and my best friend, had often tried to communicate to me before. It had never really sunk in. But something about taking the “high power” pose made the same thoughts come, not from someone talking outside of me, but from the inside of my very own brain.