Click here to view our Picture GalleryFourth day in Virginia... a remarkable day at Westwood
I do not cry easily. And, today I almost cried twice (I mean close as in tear drops were on the rims of my eyes!)...out of happiness and hope. It began when a girl came up to me before the second One World Youth Project workshop. I could tell she had something important to say by the way she carried herself and the look in her eyes. "Please, sit," she asked me. I did. "I had a dream last night..." the girl began. I won't even try to quote/paraphrase what she said because I wouldn't give it justice...I could not repeat her words as eloquently as she did. But, I am sure anyone reading this is now curious to her dream's content so I will summarize:
She had a dream after hearing the One World Youth Project presentation yesterday. She had a dream to create an organization called the Danville Angels. An organization that would do charity and service in the community. No one was going to take action for her. She had to take action herself. She had to speak out as a young person.
I could tell how passionate she was. And, it made me hopeful.
I spent the next three hours working with the Westwood One World Youth Project Leadership Group. Just like the schools in Oregon and California, the Westwood students were asked to plan and write a declaration describing what it is like to be their age, going to their school, and living in their community. The Declaration writing process is designed to be entirely student-led. All I do is introduce the concept and then sit back and watch or film for their school's documentary.
I think at first they were all skeptical about whether or not they would be able to effectively write this declaration. They argued a bit, interrupted each other some, and told each other to be quiet quite a lot. That was the first stage of the writing process. I think some students thought it would never get written. But during what I have dubbed as 'stage two', some amazing leaders emerged. One young man stood up in the middle of the circle of seated students. Frustrated by the chaos the group had succumbed to, he said loudly, "How many people think they know what a leader is?" Most everyone raised their hand. "How many people feel they are leaders?" Everyone raised their hand. The room fell silent. Students looked at each other. The young man sat back down. And, the work process continued... yet with a new atmosphere. There was still a bit of arguing now and then, but it was interspersed with honest dialogue and in depth discussion.
This is what work looks like. It looks like arguing sometimes. It sounds like noise and sometimes shouting. It feels like frustration often. And, that's okay. Disagreement, and not always censoring one's thoughts before one speaks, is natural. It gives way to realizations, compromise, and progress. Government politicians go through the same process. And, at the end you have a jewel... finely polished from everyone's rough sides rubbing up in conflict ...and then eventually falling into understanding. I call this 'work'...others may have a different name. But, I fear that sometimes teachers may not always recognize this process for the productive transition that it is. They hear noise and arguing and some assume that nothing is getting done. Yet, often it is the opposite. Give young people time, and there will be a final product.
If you were to press fast-forward on the video tape I filmed of the Westwood declaration writing process, you would see something interesting: everyone starts out in a large group... at first there is minimal hand movement and not much standing up... then suddenly hands are waving around in expression and people are raising their voice ...and then the movements settle again ...the scribe takes some notes for the declaration... soon you see hands waving around again and voices raising... and then quiet discussion... and then the scribe writes more notes. It is a pattern. And, each time the cycle repeats, the declaration gets longer. Slowly you see the large group of students begins to break up into three small committees. Messengers run back and forth between \committees. Faces flex with emotion, concentration, and thought. And, everywhere you see hands writing on notebook paper. Time passes and you see the group come back together. They sit down in a circle again. Most are smiling and laughing and talking excitedly. The declaration is complete!
And, here comes the second time I almost cried today... when they read the declaration out loud. It was thoughtful, eloquent, well written, and insightful. They should be very proud of themselves... they became leaders today.
Sincerely,
Jessica Rimington
She had a dream after hearing the One World Youth Project presentation yesterday. She had a dream to create an organization called the Danville Angels. An organization that would do charity and service in the community. No one was going to take action for her. She had to take action herself. She had to speak out as a young person.
I could tell how passionate she was. And, it made me hopeful.
I spent the next three hours working with the Westwood One World Youth Project Leadership Group. Just like the schools in Oregon and California, the Westwood students were asked to plan and write a declaration describing what it is like to be their age, going to their school, and living in their community. The Declaration writing process is designed to be entirely student-led. All I do is introduce the concept and then sit back and watch or film for their school's documentary.
I think at first they were all skeptical about whether or not they would be able to effectively write this declaration. They argued a bit, interrupted each other some, and told each other to be quiet quite a lot. That was the first stage of the writing process. I think some students thought it would never get written. But during what I have dubbed as 'stage two', some amazing leaders emerged. One young man stood up in the middle of the circle of seated students. Frustrated by the chaos the group had succumbed to, he said loudly, "How many people think they know what a leader is?" Most everyone raised their hand. "How many people feel they are leaders?" Everyone raised their hand. The room fell silent. Students looked at each other. The young man sat back down. And, the work process continued... yet with a new atmosphere. There was still a bit of arguing now and then, but it was interspersed with honest dialogue and in depth discussion.
This is what work looks like. It looks like arguing sometimes. It sounds like noise and sometimes shouting. It feels like frustration often. And, that's okay. Disagreement, and not always censoring one's thoughts before one speaks, is natural. It gives way to realizations, compromise, and progress. Government politicians go through the same process. And, at the end you have a jewel... finely polished from everyone's rough sides rubbing up in conflict ...and then eventually falling into understanding. I call this 'work'...others may have a different name. But, I fear that sometimes teachers may not always recognize this process for the productive transition that it is. They hear noise and arguing and some assume that nothing is getting done. Yet, often it is the opposite. Give young people time, and there will be a final product.
If you were to press fast-forward on the video tape I filmed of the Westwood declaration writing process, you would see something interesting: everyone starts out in a large group... at first there is minimal hand movement and not much standing up... then suddenly hands are waving around in expression and people are raising their voice ...and then the movements settle again ...the scribe takes some notes for the declaration... soon you see hands waving around again and voices raising... and then quiet discussion... and then the scribe writes more notes. It is a pattern. And, each time the cycle repeats, the declaration gets longer. Slowly you see the large group of students begins to break up into three small committees. Messengers run back and forth between \committees. Faces flex with emotion, concentration, and thought. And, everywhere you see hands writing on notebook paper. Time passes and you see the group come back together. They sit down in a circle again. Most are smiling and laughing and talking excitedly. The declaration is complete!
And, here comes the second time I almost cried today... when they read the declaration out loud. It was thoughtful, eloquent, well written, and insightful. They should be very proud of themselves... they became leaders today.
Sincerely,
Jessica Rimington
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