michael bodsworth, director, engagement

Why did you join redseven?

Education has always been a big part of my life – I come from a family of educators and have always been blessed with the gift of good teachers in my home growing up. Looking back I can truly say that school days really were the happiest days of my life and I want as many kids to have that same feeling. redseven’s mandate spoke to me and has opened me up to a community of individuals looking to make a difference – a community very capable of changing the  lives of children in need.

When you’re not volunteering with redseven, what do you do with your time?

When I’m not working on redseven, I work as a communications consultant at a private public/government relations agency. I work on a variety of public and private clients across a variety of industries, including: hospitality, food and beverage, sport and financial services.

My life goal is to sing on Broadway — and well, that isn’t going to happen just yet, so I spend my free time singing as the cantor at my church on Sunday nights.

What do you do for the redseven team?

I am the director of engagement for redseven — this means I get to work with the stellar team of Fouj, Lisa and Gabrielle. We’re responsible for all external communications and developing the redseven network of passionate ambassadors for global youth education. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, blogging or grassroots engagement campaigns — we’re working towards growing our community and creating a meaningful philanthropic lifestyle for young Canadians.

Who is your favourite teacher and why?

My favourite teacher(s) would definitely be my Mom and Dad – both teachers and most recently school administrators. Their passion for my success and well-being came through in everything they did for me, whether it be help on a project, staying up late working on math problems or re-teaching an entire unit to me because I either didn’t understand the first time or it wasn’t taught to their standards the first time I learned it. My parents have changed thousands of children’s lives for the better and I still have people coming up to me sharing stories of why my parents were the best teachers they ever had — I’m definitely proud to be their son.

What’s your favourite YouTube video?

My favourite YouTube videos would have to be anything musical – my dream is to be on Broadway, so any videos of people reenacting stage moments, performing a cover of the latest GaGa song or a child prodigy – I love. Here’s one of my fave channels to check out for new vids: click here!