About the AuthorPatricia Talbot( CEO and Co-Founder )

Patti cultivates homegrown changemakers prepared to step into their power and work with others to create the world they want to live in.  Get in touch to find out how you can grow the social changemaker in yourself and those you serve with Blue Roads Changemaker YOU. 

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Patti Shales Lefkos is one inspiring changemaker! At an age where many are retiring to take it easy, Patti is hitting the roads and the trails on great adventures to learn all she can, help all she can, and inspire us all to take the reins and live big lives.

In this episode of “On Your Own Terms,” Patti shares her “Homegrown Solutions for a Patchwork World”. Watch the video of our conversation, listen to the podcast, and read the summary below to get ready for adventures of your own. 

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Homegrown Patti Patti was born in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario in Canada into a happy family and what she describes as a life of privilege. As the youngest of 3 children, Patti remembers how she would skate in a homemade ice rink that her father made in the backyard.  Both of her parents attended university and her father worked in downtown Toronto while her mother was a nurse. Growing up, she had piano lessons and figure-skating lessons to enrich her childhood. 




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I thought that was just normal.

Normal for Patti included many memorable experiences in the great outdoors.  Her family had a cabin on a lake where they spent many happy weekends and summers fishing, swimming and canoeing. Even in the 1950's Patti was not limited by her gender and became confident and strong in this environment that encouraged her independence.  

When she was 10 years old, her maternal grandfather died. Each child was left 100 dollars and Patti remembers that her parents told them they could buy anything they wanted as long as it was to remember their grandfather. 

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I declared that I would be a writer and bought a typewriter. It took me another 50 years to get to journalism school, but that's how it started.

In her final year of high school, Patti had the opportunity to complete her education in Switzerland. This was her first immersion in another culture, and she remembers the experience shaping her as she moved into adulthood.  

Patti finished high school and went on to the University of Toronto. where she received a teaching degree leading into a career as a teacher and school principal.  The resilience and independence instilled in her as a child enhanced her capacities as a strong leader bringing out the best in those around her. 

Solution-Focused Patti

One of Patti’s core beliefs is that people have value, regardless of their race, religion, or background. She believes there is innate good in people. We much be open in order to find it.  She also believes that older people are often underestimated. 

I think we sometimes ignore the potential of our older generation and now that I'm becoming one of them, I understand that even better.

Patti says that no matter what age you are, you have to keep trying to be in service to your community. It is ok to be uncomfortable. She hopes to inspire people to leap out of their comfort zones and strive to help others and create positive change in their communities. 

Among many other initiatives, Patti does her part by volunteering through the Rotary Club in support of programs like “Backpacks for Kids” in her own community.  In the global arena, Patti set up a non-profit organization in Nepal you'll learn more about a little later on.  

Patti's Patchwork

Patti's early experience in Switzerland sparked her curious about the world. After her 6th year teaching in Toronto, she moved to Vancouver. That's where she found herself surrounded by immigrants and refugees from all over the world. No matter where they were from, Patti made it a point to learn to pronounce her students' names correctly, including those from the surrounding indigenous community.   

This is but one of the ways, Patti worked with intention to build long term relationships with her students. By staying present with them and remaining open to their unique cultures and backgrounds, they created bonds, some of which have lasted a lifetime. 

I had a student who just wrote me the most beautiful email the other day saying how I had made him feel welcome when he'd first come from India.

Another recently visited her at her family lake place in Ontario. 

In 2014, Patti went on a solo trip to Nepal to teach for 3 months. At the end of her trip, she was taken to another village that needed help. She saw a school in shambles after an earthquake. The village was asking her to help rebuild.

I thought, "What the heck can I do?" But it turned out that I could do a lot. We formed a nonprofit called "Nepal One Day at a Time."

Today there are 350 children attending the school they built and furnished, all because Patti realized that she had the power to create change. 

Changemaker Patti

Patti leads by example while her willingness to share what she's learned allows others to see their own potential to be changemakers, too. One of the ways she's shared her story is through books she's written.  Her first book carries the same name as the nonprofit she started, Nepal, One Day at a Time. Her second book is a prequel to that story titled Grounded by Granite which tells the story of her childhood at the cottage. 

 

I hope Nepal, One Day at a Time will inspire people to go and leap out of their comfort zone and enjoy some volunteer and trekking time in Nepal.

I really hope Grounded by Granite will inspire parents to find alternate activities for their kids from screen time.

Over the years, Patti has built many partnerships through organizations like Rotary, an NGO called Samba Nepal, different bookstores, and even a camera backpack company called Nevo. Just by building meaningful relationships and striving to create a positive impact, she has been able to connect people for good causes. 

When it comes to traveling, Patti has one big recommendation. She suggests that you travel in a small group and get out and meet the local people instead of joining a big tour group.  Likewise, she recommends trying to learn at least a little bit of the local language. In this way, the setting is more intimate and real relationships can be developed.  

I encourage people to leap out of their comfort zone no matter what their age. I encourage women to try traveling solo by finding a trusted trekking or travel company. Be safe, but get out there! The rewards are incredible. You never know what will happen when you do.

To learn more about Changemaker Patti Shales Lefkos, start with her website at https://pattishaleslefkos.com/

Be sure to also check out her books Nepal, One Day at a Time and Grounded by Granite, available on Amazon and other major book retailers. 

Patti's efforts as a Changemaker clearly advance U.N. Sustainable Development Goals including Goal #4 – Quality Education, Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Goal #17 – Partnership for the Goals. 

Look for others that may not be immediately apparent. Can you see how her work also has the potential to impact Goal #1 – No Poverty, Goal #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities. All of these goals are advanced when children have access to quality education, the foundation of Patti's efforts. 

Please get in touch to let us know what YOU and people you know are doing to realize these Global Goals by the year 2030.  We can sure do it if we all work together and take our place in the world as Changemakers! 

CHECK OUT our CHANGEMAKER YOU course to help you get started today! 

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