VIDEO: High school students advocate for Haiti's reconstruction
Posted on Jun 9, 2011
As part of their final project of the semester, students of a Global Issues class at Carrboro Hogh School in Carrboro, NC, organized and led a public forum about Haiti’s reconstruction efforts following the January 2010 earthquake. These young social justice warriors presented information on large posters, answered questions, and moderated a dialogue among more than 100 community members.
During the event, the student explained the importance of building roads and providing free education as Haiti continues to build back.
“[The students] worked far harder than they expected to when they signed up for this class,” says Global Issues teacher Matt Cone.
While the students may agree with that statement, they also recognize the impact and scope of what they've accomplished over the past 5 months.
“When I started in the class I had no idea what we were doing,” says one student. “It was global issues, in the plural… I wasn’t expecting it to be so direct, so narrow about Haiti. But, now I’m glad that it was, I learned so much about it. I’m so proud of myself for learning all of this.”
Students spent much of the semester preparing for this culminating event. They read Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains, talked with Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl, started a chapter of the student health organization FACE AIDS, and raised tens of thousands of dollars for PIH’s work in Rwanda.
As the school year draws to a close in this suburb of Chapel Hill, NC, Mr. Cone sent one final update.
Greetings from North Carolina. Last month, the students in my Global Issues class staged a public dialogue about the reconstruction of Haiti. We had more than 100 people come out to participate in the give-and-take and I thought that it went terrifically well: the audience asked great question and the students felt affirmed by the feedback they received. Two of my students edited a video about that event that I wanted to send to you. While the video was made on a non-existent budget, I think that it captures the students' engagement. The students plan to use their video to persuade politicians, artists, and activists to speak to us next year. This is why you will see a slight pitch for help at the end. In solidarity, |
The colloquium was a hit! Parents, community members, and fellow students learned about Haiti and the importance of social engagement.
“I think this is great. The students just didn’t learn, they learned to think,” says a community member who attended the May 23 event.
“I saw more than just content… but enthusiasm. I could see these guys and girls take that forward and really do something in the world,” comments another attendee.
The students are excited to continue this conversation next year and bring in another round of influential speakers. If you are interested in helping the students of Carrboro High, send an email to haititalks@gmail.com.
Students raise over $23,500 for PIH’s work in Rwanda.
Carrboro students advocate for social justice in developing countries.
The Carrboro press covers the startup of the FACE AIDS chapter.
