By Dana Williams
It is a conflict, however, that has caught the attention of Baldwin High School's Human Rights Club, which raised awareness about the issue last week in an attempt to bring attention to the Ugandan children's plight.
The Baldwin students worked with volunteers of Invisible Children, a non-profit organization started by three college students in California, aimed at educating people about human rights issues around the world.
According to the International Rescue Committee, tens of thousands of children leave their villages to avoid being kidnapped by a brutal rebel force that has abducted more than 30,000 children to serve as soldiers and slaves in its 20-year war against the Ugandan government.
"We here in America have and enjoy our childhood, and we take that for granted," said Baldwin High senior Jenny Savribant, the vice president of the Human Rights Club. "The film 'Invisible Children' really touched our hearts very much, so the Human Rights Club decided to do something to let more people know that the childhood's of children in Uganda are being stolen from them."
The Human Rights Club was able to get volunteers from the organization to visit the high school through senior Nicole Mastroianni. The student is currently interning at Hofstra University, one of the many colleges that members of the organization were campaigning at.
"My job was to bring the volunteers from Invisible Children from Hofstra to Baldwin," she explained. "We worked with our teachers here at Baldwin High School to make this day happen, and we're really working hard to let people know about what's going on."
Throughout the day on April 26, volunteers from the organization showed the documentary film "Invisible Children," a movie which discusses the Ugandan civil war, as well as the measures the organization is taking to help the children living in that country. The activists spoke to students in different classes about what they can do to help, and explained that the children in Uganda are being kidnapped and forced to be soldiers in the Lord's Resistance Army, a group rebelling against the Ugandan government.
"After listening to the presentation, I think that this situation in Uganda should get more media attention, and the United States should give more aid to help these children," senior Ricardy Fabre said. "What the students are doing here is very helpful and it shows that our school does a lot of good, and that we are very positive."
Members of the high school's club helped volunteers from the organization raise money for the cause by selling the Invisible Children DVD, bracelets, books, and t-shirts in the school's commons area. Students also sold Baldwin Bruins team t-shirts to raise money for the Heifer International Foundation - a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting world poverty and hunger - and received $300 from Meadow Elementary School.
While changing classes, students at the high school took time to purchase an Invisible Children item and speak with the organization's volunteers to receive more information about the issue. Students also wore red ribbons in honor of Emmy - a young man who escaped from the rebel army's control - and all of the abducted children who have escaped in Uganda.
"It's very inspiring to see our students get so involved and want to do something to make a difference," said Kim Johnston, the co-advisor of the Human Rights Club. "In between periods, the tables where the merchandise is at is crowded with students wanting to know more information, and wanting to do something to get involved."
With the recent fights at the high school in March, Johnston - who is also the chairperson of the high school's social studies department - said that awareness of the event provides a true depiction of "what the Baldwin High School community is really all about."
"The incidents that happened earlier in the semester is not indicative of the real Baldwin, but this event is really the picture of Baldwin High School," she added. "This day shows who our students really are. When our students hear about someone in need, they do everything they can to try to get on board, and they want to help and be active in something good."
Many students also said that the event should be used to show what it is like to be a student at Baldwin High School. "I think it's very important for the media to come here and see the good in our school because our high school has been portrayed very negatively in the media," junior Maya Thomas said, who is the vice president of the Human Rights Club. "I think it's good for people to see that there are people here trying to help others, and do good things for the community."
"The students here at Baldwin like to collaborate with each other and help with causes like this," senior Jeffrey Cruz added. "People like to focus on the bad about our school, but something like this shows the good, and it shows what our school is really like."
For more information about Invisible Children, visit www.invisiblechildren.com.
