Monday, January 05, 2009

High Schoolers raising money for Africa

We are partial to stories from our home state, so when we saw this effort from high school students in nearby Ann Arbor we didn't hesitate to share it here.

A group of student leaders have gone from classroom to classroom to tell their fellow student of the plight of the people of Africa. They then pass around a plate for donations. They also have a teen dance planned, where all proceeds will go to Africa.

David Jesse of the Ann Arbor News tells where the money is exactly going to. We also see how the students teach their classmates on the situation of Africa's poor.

The four students who spoke in Jennifer Kunec's class one day just before Christmas break are part of the Youth Senate's Africa Project.

As part of the project, the students spend time before the ball going into classrooms, telling their peers about problems, especially AIDS, stemming from poverty in Africa.

Their goal is to raise $20,000, Pioneer student Aparna Ghosh told the class. The money will be used to buy technology like video equipment, laptop computers and electric generators that will allow for youth peer education in small villages in Africa.
The presentation isn't just a dry recitation of facts.

The presenting students have the entire class stand up.

Then, row by row, they have students sit down, signifying death from a variety of poverty-related causes.

Rather quickly, only one person is left standing.

1 comment:

trish said...

I've just found your blog. all the best and thank you for the initiative. Poverty in Africa is real and every cent goes a long way to change the lives of people.