A class with a conscience and a plan

Whoever says today's youth is apathetic hasn't met the Global Action Group at the English College in Prague (ECP). On top of their rigorous course loads, these students also volunteer their free time to raise awareness about fair trade, human rights and global warming, as well as raise money for charity. Run almost entirely by students, the group puts on themed weeks with fun activities designed to involve their peers in current issues.

Last November, the theme was human rights. Scheduled to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the human rights fortnight provided a forum for guest lecturers from Amnesty International and guests who spoke about the state of human rights in places like Cuba and Indonesia. "I learned a lot about Cuba," said Chhavi Maggu, ECP student and leader of the Global Action Group. "What you see on the news is always different from somebody who has actually been there and seen it with their own eyes."

Chhavi added that Blanka Remešová, who lived in Indonesia, was also very informative, especially concerning the treatment of women in the Muslim world.

Getting involved

"It seems valuable to inform students about what is going on in other parts of the world, particularly when they themselves enjoy certain freedoms like access to a good education and take them for granted," said Alan Law, faculty supervisor for the Global Action Group. "It is hoped that a few students will be inspired by the visiting speakers to either donate to existing aid agencies or, even better, to start participating in some capacity."

When they came back from the holiday break, students reacted to what they learned during the human rights fortnight by creating videos addressing different themes in human rights.

"The competition was intended to encourage students to engage in human rights in a more creative and fun way after they watched a video made by other students with an anti-bullying message," said Law.

In February 2009, ECP held a successful fair-trade fortnight that saw student volunteers distributing donated fair-trade coffee and chocolate from local vendors Mama Coffee, Fair Trade Centrum and Společnost pro Fair Trade, along with information about fair trade. Students listened to lectures from vendors dealing in fair-trade products and were then allowed to react creatively to what they had learned. Second-year student Ivan Mikyska wrote a short play depicting the treatment of workers for multinational corporations in poor countries.

Though participation in the Global Action Group is completely voluntary, Law says the understanding of social and environmental issues gained by students who volunteer will greatly help with the compulsory service component of the International Baccalaureate Diploma that graduates of ECP receive. "It is particularly good if students choose their activities [for the baccalaureate] based on the increased understanding they get from their exposure to the efforts of the Global Action Group."

ECP also works closely with Amnesty International, which spoke at the human rights lectures. "They really encouraged students to get involved and volunteer," Chhavi said.

And get involved they did. A group of students traveled to Uganda last year to help aid workers distribute food and water and visit local schools.

ECP's next themed week will start March 22 and focus on the environment. Law says that, as usual, hands-on involvement and creative response will be emphasized.

"We'll be discussing water conservation issues, and the week will coincide with the drama company's performance of The Birds, which will have an environmental theme," he said.

Emily Thompson can be reached at
ethompson@praguepost.com