Awareness, action and fundraising are key parts to Social Justice Week 2012 (February 20-23). Grade assemblies and lunch time activities raised awareness within the student body about issues such as the Northern Gateway pipeline and homophobia. Action was taken as letter writing took place in 215 and about a 24 350 grains of rice were donated to hungry people in Cambodia in 205 through freerice.com. Funds were raised for the Makupo Clinic Project through the voluntary donations of the choose your color bracelets and samosa profits.

Monday
This year at Social Justice Week, students were encouraged to ‘choose their color’ on Monday and Tuesday at lunch and wear a coloured bracelet to demonstrate their solidarity to a cause they care about. Orange symbolized poverty reduction, pink LGTB (Lesbian Gay Transgender Bisexual) rights, green the environment, black human rights, yellow first nations and finally, blue animal rights. Stat sheets with information about the issues were on display. These were made by Mikayla Salmon-Bietel, Ilana Nyveen, Anna Symon, Sara Derrick and Chris Beasley. Thanks also goes to Nivatha Balendra for producing the original choose your color promos. Qing Yin Wang dutifully invited people over at the choose your color table in the foyer as Victoria Musacchio’s green box collected voluntary donations.


As I passed by our table in the foyer, I could see a group of girls sitting in a circle all braiding the strings into bracelets. One girl exclaimed, “I feel like a kid again!” The majority of people choose more than one color and some were spotted braiding in even history class or after school during a badminton meet.

Meanwhile, back in 215, the social justice week passports were passed off and signed as the first lunchtime activity began. More than three times the number of expected participants were welcomed in as a video with witness accounts from homeless teenagers was shown. Afterwards, though her partner was unable to be present with her due to sickness, Elena Skothos lead the participants in a discussion about homelessness and spoke eloquently about the misconceptions people have on what type of people are homeless, reasons why people are homeless and why it is hard to stop being homeless. After addressing the causes of homelessness, the group deliberated on solutions.

When I asked a friend about what they thought about the presentation after school, she replied that it was informative and that she enjoyed especially because it was “different.”

Picture (from left to right): The Change for Change jar was introduced this year. It sits happily in its new home: the caf. Next to it, the voluntary donations of choose your color. The amount of coins, twoonies, loonies and even some bills was very generous and a wonderful surprise for the Makupo Clinic Fund.

Throughout the school day, two grade assemblies took place. During period 1 and 2, the Black Theatre Workshop preformed “New Canadian Kid” for the Secondary 1s. They were immersed in the world of a new immigrant trying to understand the world around him, struggling, but preserving, in his new Canadian school with racism, trying to communicate, homesickness, being bullied, and just wanting to go back home. After lunch, during period 5 and 6, Bill Ryan, a McGill University professor, discusses with Secondary III students about homophobia and youth. His thought provoking talk is a part of social justice week for fifth year in a row.

In Secondary III, Bill Ryan also spoke to my grade and I remember him asking us to raise up our hands if, in the next five years, we think that somebody we know will one day admit to us that they were not heterosexual. There was a maybe seven people who raised up their hands. Afterwards, he told us that every single one of us should raised up their hand. Today, in Secondary V, I can only think back and realize how true his statement was.

Tuesday
Participants return to 215 at lunch for day 2 of social justice week lunch activities! Though previously ill, Bradley Wiseman fought through it and came to school and denounced the construction of the Northern Gateway pipe land in Alberta. Environmental damage and damage to the First Nations communities living there from the exploitation of the tar sands were described. A video was shown and Bradley proceeded to introducing the art of letter writing to the participants. As may or may not know, it is free send a letter to the Prime Minister or Premiers. Citizens conduct letter writing campaigns with goal of putting public pressure on our policy makers against or for something. With this in mind, loose leaf was passed out and letters began to urge our leadership to be accountable to the First Nations and take initiative in protecting our planet.

The rice and water fast begins 6PM. For 24 hours, participants are only allowed eat a limited amount unfavoured rice and use 2L of water, mimicking many peoples’ hostile and impoverished reality. Participants have also been tracking their water usage in their water log throughout the week. This fundraiser works by individual sponsoring.

Wednesday
Rice distribution for the hungry rice and water participants took place in second floor west wing.

Many thanks goes to Qing Yin Wang for helping to cook and distribute the rice and to all those who lent their rice cooker, and went rice-less, to Social Justice Club.

We also thank Ms Cukier very much for buying us rice and for contacting such wonderful speakers for the grade assemblies in addition to being our Teacher Advisor.

Meanwhile, in 205 –thanks Ms Clabourgh!-, a freerice.com marathon was taking place. Freerice.com is an initiative from the United Nations World Food Programme. For every answer you get right, the organisation donates 10 grains of rice (they have sponsors).Not only is one learning new words (they have many more subjects such as flags of the world, math, language learning), but also helping people. In less than half an hour, a dozen teenagers raised 24 350 grains of rice together through this vocabulary game. One boy raised individually 3150 grains.

This rice would be fed to hungry people in Cambodia. Fair trade chocolate was awarded to the top freericers.

Grade assemblies resume today as Dr. Juan Chirgwin, CLSC physician, from Physicians for Global Survival spoke to Secondary V students about the former organisation during period 1 and 2. Physicians for Global Survival’s mission is to abolish nuclear weapons, campaign for the prevention of war, promote non-violent conflict resolution, create social justice and a sustainable world. In addition, during period 5 and 6, Gitz Crazyboy, a Pikuni Blackfoot (Dene) living a native community in Alberta tar sand region, gave a presentation to Secondary IV students about the impact of the exploitation of the Alberta tar sands on First Nations communities, their human rights and the environment.

Afterschool, Gitz efficiently gave his presentation again in the auditorium –thank you Mr Floen for giving us this space even though the Musical was coming up-, this time for rice and water participants. Contemporary World Secondary V students also turned out for this presentation to do an optional assignment for extra credit as did social justice week participants.

After the presentation, rice and water and social justice week participants flooded the 2ndfloor west wing area and three classrooms. (Melody Hicks, a volunteer consultant for the Makupo Clinic Project and nursing teacher at Vanier College, was unable to be present and give a presentation about her work with Makupo.) The students herded together as they waited to break fast at 6PM with pizza.

Picture: Ms Cukier distributes rice to the hungry rice & water participants.

Thursday
At lunch, illness struck again and the organizer of the lunchtime activity could not be present. A lunchtime activity had to be quickly thought of. We decided to show a documentary –thanks Ms Cukier!- called No More Stolen Sisters. Also an Amnesty International campaign, the documentary sheds light on the discrimination and violence Indigenous women in Canada face. The title refers to the women, who are sisters, daughters and mothers to someone, who have gone missing and are thus, stolen from their families. As the passports –thanks to all those who participated!- were signed off and handed in, we said a sweet good bye to Social Justice Week 2012.

Outside of 215, samosas are sold by dedicated club members Jeremy Gill and Chazz Yeargans. Profits from the sales have previously contributed to the housing crisis in Attawapiskat, a native community in Northern Ontario, fund. 400$ was raised for Habitat for Humanity who has long term projects there. At the moment, samosa profits are contributing to the Makupo Clinic Fund.

Fun fact: 100 samosas were sold within 15 minutes a few lunches ago. That’s one samosa sold every 9 seconds! This year, the price is up to 1.25$.

Earlier, during period 3 and 4, Michele Luchs and Rebecca Lessard from the Mapping Memories Project visited the Secondary II for our last social justice week assembly. They spoke as refugee youth about their lives in Montreal and presented their life story in the format of video. Both Michele Luchs and Rebecca Lessard had connections to the Rwandan genocide of the 1995 and their stories resonated and dealt with tolerance, cultural identity, migration, human rights violations, belonging and personal resilience,

Students were encourage to write a comment about the presentation afterwards and Mapping Memories has recorded some on their website: http://mappingmemories.ca/blog/royal-west-academy-visit

One student had this to say: “…I learnt that we should be proud of culture and should learn and cherish it. I also learned that refugees as well as immigrants have a hard difficult life; they have to struggle to survive unlike others who are born into a good family. Even though they lost so much they never gave up hope, which is such an inspiration to me.“

Friday: Science Fair takes place!

UPDATE: As of 02/03/12 the Makupo Clinic Fund is now at the 7500 mark!