The Prague Post
October 7th, 2008
Endowment Fund     Business Listings ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Prague Center Hotel

Home » Archives » Schools & Education

Eighth graders traffic in awareness

ISP students raise money to end social injustices

By Julie O'Shea
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 28th, 2008 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
International School of Prague students spent five weeks researching slave labor and human trafficking issues around the world.
enlarge
Students in Sandy Girkin's language arts and social studies class prepare presentations on their research projects.
enlarge
Students sold ?Say No to Slavery? T-shirts and bracelets to raise money to bring an end to social injustices.
enlarge
It is estimated that 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year.
Half of them are children.
Most of the cocoa beans used to make the world’s chocolate supply, grown on Africa’s Ivory Coast, are carried on the backs of slave labors — many of whom are under 19 years old.
And, across the world, thousands upon thousands of children are recruited annually, most times against their will, to serve as obedient little war soldiers.
These are just some of the startling statistics uncovered by a group of eighth graders at the International School of Prague during a five-week research project on slavery, sweatshops, human trafficking and other horrifying 21st-century social injustices.
“I was actually very shocked because of the brutality. It sent a shiver down my spine,” says Aimel Ayazi, 13, whose topic centered on child soldiers.
“When I heard about it, I didn’t know it was still going on,” comments Karla Flores, 15, whose group researched sweatshops.
“When I think of slaves,” notes Fatima Ospanová, also 15, “I think of [something that happened] a long time ago.” But it’s not a thing of the past. There are still slaves, “they are just well hidden.”
Adds Karla, “There are a lot of slaves. A lot of people live on $2 a day.”
“People don’t talk about it that much because it is really sad,” volunteers Keely Kinley, 13, who spent her five weeks delving into the shady world of human trafficking. “It’s just so sad.”
Karla nods, “Especially if you know it could happen here as well.”  
The students have ducked out of study hall on this recent rainy Friday afternoon to talk about a hands-on school project that was a real eye-opener. The four of them could barely hold back their enthusiasm and disgust over a unit that might have been reduced to a few classroom lectures and tests with another teacher or school.
“This is a topic that I love as a teacher because this is where you see the most light bulbs go on,” says Sandy Girkin, the social studies and language arts instructor who was the brains behind the project. “It’s really exciting to see kids get excited.”
In addition to doing extensive research on a topic, students also had to present their findings to the ISP community and its visitors. And so, for one day in March, an upstairs hallway at the Prague 6 campus stood overflowing with handmade displays and posters and student presenters, some in costume, all eager to get the word out on how their studies have enlightened them.
“We actually got a few people to cry,” Aimel recalls with a smile.
Notes Karla, “Maybe you are not making the world change, but you are making some people change.”
Part of the project also called for the students to raise money for the local branch of La Strada, an international nonprofit group that focuses its energy on bringing an end to human trafficking. Through a variety of different fund-raisers, including a raffle, movie night and T-shirt, bracket and homemade  lasagna sales, Girkin’s students were able to write La Strada an impressive 35,000 Kč ($2,196) check.
Girkin proudly shows off the posters her eighth-graders created during the five-week project. Her classroom is a patchwork of student designs and art, mementos of a year’s worth of lessons.
“The kids really care about their projects,” Girkin says. But this particular unit on slavery and human trafficking is more than just about history and social circumstances. It’s also about honing independent learning skills and teaching these teens how to be social activists, “without stepping on anyone’s toes,” Girkin says.     
Quite possibly, this is one lesson her students aren’t easily going to forget.        
As Aimel puts it, “This project really shocked me.” What some people are getting away with is “just insane. It’s just pathetic.”
Keely says she now spends a lot more time paying attention to world news. The others nod their heads in agreement.
“I think it would be really cool to be famous and use our fame to spread awareness,” Keely gushes.
There is laughter in the room. Someone mentions Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Hollywood’s humanitarian super-couple.
What these kids perhaps don’t realize is that they’ve already managed to spread an important message, and they didn’t have to make Blockbuster movie to do it.       

Julie O'Shea can be reached at joshea@praguepost.com


Other articles in Schools & Education (28/05/2008):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Business Listings

Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.