Project Peace meets Each One Teach One
The Project Peace Video Club is one of the most popular programs on the Bushwick campus, and also one of its most personal. Through their online blog, students make their voices heard on the issues that affect them the most: When fellow student Jasmine Colon lost a friend to gang violence, she told them her story in an emotional interview.
It’s important for students to respond and deal with problems that matter to them, but it’s also important to learn from the stories of others. They took on one of the nation’s biggest problems last month, when they filmed a PSA about violence in juvenile detention facilities – a sad truth for young men and women behind bars. Minors in juvenile hall are in danger of abused and beaten…sometimes to death.
Many may feel it’s a lost cause, but it’s one that must be addressed. “We decided to come together as a group and make a PSA” says Clarisa James, who collaborates with students on various projects. “There was a sense of accomplishment – they used their skills towards something positive.”
But for all their skills and accomplishments, they knew they would need some help. They found it at Each One Teach One, a program to train youth to be come advocates for youth in juvenile detention centers.“Through their program, youths learn about the injustices in juvenile detention centers,” says Clarisa. “They became advocates for teenagers that can’t speak for themselves.”
They staged a mock press conference about a fictional attack in a correctional facility – a 14-year-old was killed when he got into a fight with another teenager. With better security, it might’ve been avoided.
They also simulated a protest rally in response to the teenager’s death. “It was very important for them,” says Clarisa, “because they were not aware of the bureaucracy in juvenile detention centers.”
Afterwards, some students got to say a few words about what they learned that day. Juasheena Gilot said that she was emotionally moved by everything she had seen: “Each One Teach One has taught me that I have a voice to speak up for those who can’t.” She was clearly proud of what they had accomplished.
To learn more about the Project Peace Video Club, visit bccp.wordpress.com
Tags: Bushwick HS Campus
