TODAY’S LESSON: REFUGEE AWARENESS

Learn new things, test your understanding and practice writing skills. These lessons are provided free by Achieve3000, an educational technology company that works with schools to enhance comprehension, vocabulary and writing proficiency for students in grades 2 through 12.

Step 1: Write your answer to the questions below before reading the article.

If we all did what we could to make a difference in the lives of others, would it make the world a better place?

What do you think?

Anyone, even young people, can make a difference.

Do you agree or disagree?

Step 2: Read the article below.

MAKING A MARK

SPENCER, N.C.

Don’t let anyone tell you that young people can’t do great things.

Take it from Mrs. Fleming’s 7th-grade class at North Rowan Middle School in North Carolina. This kind classroom is proof that young people can make a difference in the lives of others. And it can begin with four little words: How can we help?

So how do you go from sitting in a classroom to working to solve the problems of the world? For Mrs. Fleming’s class, it all started with learning about tragic world events that devastate individuals, families, and communities.

“We planned a trip to Washington, D.C., so that we could (learn) about the Holocaust and refugees,” said Mrs. Fleming. “We read Achieve3000 articles and novels about refugees. We watched documentaries and news clips.”

The students also spoke to a refugee named Lubo. He is one of the Lost Boys who were displaced or orphaned during a deadly civil war in Sudan. This was in the 1980s. It is believed that there were 20,000 of these boys. The students were very moved by Lubo’s story. He told them about what he witnessed before he left Sudan.

“The enemy from the North attacked, people were caught, houses burned, nothing (was) left,” student Katie P. remembered him saying. “(It was) really sad because all he had and everything he lived for was no longer there.”

It was one thing to read about history. It was another to hear from someone who lived through it. Lubo also made it clear that Sudan is still affected by life-threatening issues. There is poverty. There is a lack of clean water. The students wanted to do something. That’s when they asked: “How can we help?”

The class was invited by the group Mothering Across Continents to host a Walk for Wisdom walkathon to raise money and awareness for poor schools in South Sudan.

“We said ‘yes,’ but asked if we could involve our whole community,” Mrs. Fleming said. She joined forces with Karen Puckett.

Puckett works at Isenberg Elementary School in Salisbury, N.C. That school had taken part in a Walk for Wisdom for several years.

Meanwhile, the students in Mrs. Fleming’s class took action. They designed T-shirts and flyers for the April 2019 walkathon.

They also created an imovie, a website and a Gofundme page to raise money.

The students also planned a Refugee Awareness Community Night at a bookstore. There they spoke to Ngor Kur Mayol, another Sudanese refugee. The event showed their presentations, art and writing. It also had a marketplace to raise money for a source of clean water for the students at Nyarweng Primary School in South Sudan.

Mrs. Fleming and her students hope they will one day be able to exchange messages and photos with the Nyarweng Primary School pupils.

“Our hope is that these events will turn into yearly global events for our county, and that our community will unite for a global cause to help youth in another country,” Mrs. Fleming explained.

Think you might want to make a difference in the lives of others? Student Kimberly F. has some advice.

“You may think that starting a project to change the world would be difficult,” she said. “But if you really put your mind into it, you can achieve amazing things. It can start with a simple act in your community, but you’ll see that it will grow and grow.”

The students have one more message: Don’t ever feel like you’re too young to make a mark on the world.

“There are many things we are limited to do because we are kids,” Katie said. “A lot of people may underestimate (us), but that is what drives us to stand out and help other people.” ■

Step 3: Write your responses:

What problems were the students in Mrs. Fleming’s class trying to help solve? How did they decide to help? Do you think the events started by the class will turn into yearly events? Include facts and details from the article in your answer.