A
group of 9 to 12 year old students learned about people in their community
who could be looked at as role models and who made a difference in the
community, and then talked about how these people might solve problems
or challenges in a peaceful manner. They believed that if you try to do
the right thing, make positive change, help people, you run the risk of
being killed. This was particularly strong among those from the Dominican
Republic or whose family was from there; these youngsters very aware of
the ‘strong-arm’ tactics used by the government in the Dominican
Republic. But they even learned that this happened in the United States,
especially when they studied about John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King,
Jr.
CARING’s goal was to provide these kids with a sense of hope and show them that there were people in the neighborhoods and in society who did take a stand and were able to make a difference in a peaceful way. Latin American and African American artists, cultural, and political figures were chosen to demonstrate this idea. For example, students learned that artist Diego Rivera struggled with his differences with Mexican government and worked through his art to make change, and Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” showed that even though people might be against us, we can still move forward.
The students talked about places in their community where they can go for help – their school, police station, fire house, hospital – and crafted 3-D models of the buildings. Next, they created models of the people who would be in these places – their teacher, family, neighbors, police, firefighters – and the accompanying discussion focused on the challenges faced by these people. For example, the youngsters answered that doctors would have to deal with someone who died even though they had done everything they could to help them.
At the end, the group hosted a goodbye party for which they transformed their classroom into a gallery to display their artwork. They had a traditional Dominican breakfast of ‘mangu,’ mashed plantains on bread with cheese, listened to salsa and merengue, and played danced.
CARING’s goal was to provide these kids with a sense of hope and show them that there were people in the neighborhoods and in society who did take a stand and were able to make a difference in a peaceful way. Latin American and African American artists, cultural, and political figures were chosen to demonstrate this idea. For example, students learned that artist Diego Rivera struggled with his differences with Mexican government and worked through his art to make change, and Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” showed that even though people might be against us, we can still move forward.
The students talked about places in their community where they can go for help – their school, police station, fire house, hospital – and crafted 3-D models of the buildings. Next, they created models of the people who would be in these places – their teacher, family, neighbors, police, firefighters – and the accompanying discussion focused on the challenges faced by these people. For example, the youngsters answered that doctors would have to deal with someone who died even though they had done everything they could to help them.
At the end, the group hosted a goodbye party for which they transformed their classroom into a gallery to display their artwork. They had a traditional Dominican breakfast of ‘mangu,’ mashed plantains on bread with cheese, listened to salsa and merengue, and played danced.
