Youth Ideas & Questions

Follow-Up to Social Justice Conference 2006

At the Social Justice Conference with Youth on October 27, 2006, students were asked to "indicate at least 1-2 specific things you intend to do within the next two weeks to follow-up on your experience of this conference" ("action" or "further learning" steps).

The following are the actions they submitted.

The response-ideas are grouped into the issues to which they most relate; but a number of them can be applied to other issues, as well.

Active Citizenship
  • I want to start a website (most likely through myspace) promoting voting and ways to become an active citizen (from what I learned here) and inform everyone I know, and try to get their friends, etc, and expand and post bulletins with facts and different things.
AmeriCorps
  • Research AmeriCorps
Animal Rights
  • I will eat less beef, because I do not like how they treat the animals.
  • Become vegetarian (Three students wrote this; one person wrote, "wanted to before")
  • I'm going to learn more about animal rights.
  • Try to keep animals safe and not hurt them.
  • Have a fundraiser at our school and a benefit concert to raise money for animal rights.
  • I'm going to spread the word about animal cruelty! Try not to eat meat! Also take action!
  • Join animal rights group on campus
Discrimination based on gender
  • Meet with other kids in my school about discrimination based on gender
Discrimination based on physical disability
  • I'm going to help people if they need it like disabled people.
Discrimination based on race
  • Meet with a school group to improve participation at this event and improve issues with race.
  • I'm going to try to get involved in starting a group about discrimination based on race. (iii)
Discrimination based on sexual orientation
  • Make GLBT month recognized in our school
  • Meet with a school group to improve participation at this event and improve issues with sexual orientation and race.
  • Raise awareness of new amendment.
  • Raise GLBT awareness @ school Peer Helper program.
  • I am not gong to say phrases like "That's so gay!" or things like that. This way, I won't point out and discriminate a specific group of people in society.
  • Meet with kids at my school about discrimination based on sexual orientation
  • I will not use the word "gay" anymore.
  • Start a GSA in our school
  • Work as a group to stop discrimination based on sexual orientation (Three students wrote this)
  • Plan "Day of Silence"
Domestic violence
  • I will definitely tell people about my learning experience during the Social Justice Conference - especially sexual assault and domestic violence to people.
  • Volunteer at Anna Marie's Shelter. (Three students wrote this)
  • Call Anna Marie's
Environmental Justice
  • Cut down on wasting resources to help slow the destruction of this planet of ours
  • I want to help my school help the environment, create fun-educational activities,
  • Encourage people to recycle. (Two students wrote this)
  • Stop using plastic bags.
  • Talk to my school about recycling and ways to cut back on our use of paper and non-recyclable materials.
  • We are trying to get together a group at our school to help out the environment.
  • Talk to officials to get environmentally safe material at school.
  • I'm going to help the environment.
  • I will do my best to use less water daily, but if I'm thirsty, I will still drink some water.
  • Try to help on environmental issues in my community.
  • I'm going to learn more about alternative energy.
  • I will also make sure I recycle.
  • Tell someone about the use of styrofoam, and make them stop using it.
  • Spread the word about environmental problems.
  • I want to try and recycle a bit more.
  • At my school, we use styrofoam. I want to try to reduce that. By talking to the principal and thinking of something to reduce or stop the use of styrofoam plates.
  • Buy a recycled t-shirt.
  • I think that I'll have some of my friends do something about the environment and how people are treated.
Freedom Riders
  • Learn more about Freedom Riders and possibly do a speech on them and how they accomplished their goal.
  • Research Marv Davidov's life.
Fair Trade
  • I'm going to look for fair trade foods.
  • Buy Fair Trade items.
Homelessness - Children, Youth and Adults
  • Fundraise for homeless shelter
  • Learn more about homelessness in my town.
Human Rights
  • Use my human rights
Poverty and Hunger (globally)
  • Volunteer at Kids against Hunger (Two students wrote this)
  • Pack food for Kids Against Hunger
  • Have a fundraiser at our school and a benefit concert to raise money for starving people.
  • Help out with world hunger.
  • I was elected a leader of the Kids Against Hunger project.
Seeing the World and Making a Difference
  • Go on mission trips
  • Help plan our service trip to Chicago.
  • Go out of the US.
Sexual assault
  • Support women who are sexually assaulted
  • I will definitely tell people about my learning experience during the Social Justice Conference - especially sexual assault and domestic violence to people.
War/Terrorism
  • Promote world peace. (Two students wrote this)
General strategies
  • Raise awareness of issues at school
  • Make people more aware that they are offending people with their comments
  • I want to do some volunteer work in and out of school. (Three students wrote this)
  • Most of all, help myself.
  • Talk to school.
  • Talk to principal.
  • I will definitely tell people about my learning experience during the Social Justice Conference - especially sexual assault and domestic violence to people.
  • Create groups at our school.
  • Meet with a school group to improve participation at this event.
  • Promote future conferences and organize service projects based on the conference.
  • Try to stop all discrimination in my area.
  • Find what I can do?
  • Read information given
  • Research more
  • Talk to my history teacher about incorporating social justice issues into class.
  • When I hear derogatory terms in the hallway, I plan to call people on it.
  • I will tell people things that will affect the world and give them a little example of issues and see if they're interested in changing the world.
  • I will get at least three people to search the websites that I was given.
  • I will log-in to websites and volunteer for many great things.
  • I am going to try and not put people in the "society box." I am going to try and be more open to people and their feelings, opinions and beliefs.
  • I'm participating in our school follow-up groups.
  • I'm telling all my friends and family about what I learned.
  • I'm going to talk about these subjects in school.
  • Our school may start a group that meets and talks about issues during TSL.
  • Tell people about my passion for this program.
  • Tell three other people about this peace meeting.
  • I intend to speak up if I find something wrong.
  • Social gathering at school - talk about issue and plan activities.
  • Create a group to do something positive in the surrounding community/at Apollo
  • Work on issues in our school
  • Not use derogatory terms (Three students wrote this)
  • Promote equality (Three students wrote this)
  • Get the school involved in our beliefs
  • Even today, I stayed after one of the sessions and countered an injustice.
  • Don't call people names that offend them.
  • I will give money to an organization so that they can help the community.
  • This day has made me understand how to look at things and how lucky I am.
  • I think that I'll have some of my friends do something about the environment and how people are treated.
  • Stand up for people.
  • Make others happy.
  • Post internet bulletins on what I learned and what others can do as well.
  • Put up posters at school about stats on what I learned.
  • Apply suggestions in daily use
  • Work to get rid of sweatshop products
  • Meet with school group to further discuss specific activities we will do
  • Plan clothing swap at school with service club
  • I want to tell three people what I did today.
  • Try to do something for someone each week or just put a smile on their face.

And one student wrote,

"What if I want to do more, and actually find people who share my drive and do something?"