I think that our activity for the whole group to do went very well.  They were split up into three groups.  One group had to make a song, the other had to make a poster, and the third had to create a skip, each of them related to gun violence and how to raise awareness for it.  I especially think that the skits from the first period and the second period were great.  I wasn’t expecting the students to take it as seriously as they did, and both skits were very well prepared and thoughtful. It was a little tough acting as the teacher because some kids were not paying attention for certain parts and talking to whoever was sitting next to them and I realized how frustrating that is.  But I also liked it, because I enjoy being the leader and being in charge.  What I have done differently is explained more about gun violence and not just give them facts.  I really learned how important of an issue this is and that gun violence is more commonly used than most people think it is.

My Set up group was decorations.  I thought all the posters that we made were neat and informative, but I thought we should have made a lot more posters.  We should have made more to put on doors and stairway walls.

For my group, the process that led up to the teach-in was a little slow moving.  We didn’t really know what we wanted to do as an activity.  We wanted the group to have fun, but we also wanted them to be serious and learn something.  When we finally came up with an idea for our activity, everything else was easier to do.  We then knew what information they should know to do the activity, and we knew that they would need fact sheets so they could incorporate facts into what they were doing.  Over all, I am happy with how my teach-in went and I really think that all the students in my group walked away with a lot of knew knowledge.

Yesterday, Samantha and I went to Times Square to participate in an event to remember the people who died in the Virginia Tech shooting three years ago.  We got to Times Square at 11:30am and we were told to wear all black.  There was a section blocked off with barricades for the participants of the event.  When we got there, we were given red and oranges ribbons (the school colors of Virginia Tech) and met a woman named Helen, who was running it.  She gave us a clipboard and told us that our job was to go around and sign everyone in and make sure they write down their e-mail addresses.  Because 32 people were killed in the shooting, 32 people at the event were there to represent each of the students.  They would read something about who they were and their interests and then lay down to commemorate them.  Before this happened, there were a few different speakers, one of which was a friend of one of the people who was killed that day.  She talked about her friend, and how now she is an advocate against gun violence.  Another speaker was Jackie Hilly (the head of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence).  After that was when everyone spoke about the people killed and laid down.  At that point, Samantha and I were just watching.  Many pedestrians stopped to see what was going on (I noticed that about 60 were standing around watching).

Here is a picture of a few of the people who were lying down.

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On March 9^th we got to the same office we had been the day before at 9:30 to practice.  I wasn’t really nervous until I saw all the other speakers whom had come from all different countries just for this conference at the United Nations. Around twelve we headed across the street to the United Nations for the actual thing.  I got a little more nervous when we actually entered the room and I saw how many people were there.  A few other speakers went before us.  One that I found really interesting was Rebecca Gerome.  She went to a Cali, Columbia and she conducted many interviews with women and shared them with us. She and other speakers spoke about how guns are commonly used to intimidation and to threaten women. She spoke about a woman she met in Columbia, who wanted to get an education, but her husband did not want her to and did not let her.  He threatened her with a gun.  She was too scared that he would kill her so she didn’t try to go out and learn.  Many other women spoke.  I didn’t really know much about what gun violence was like in other countries before, I only really knew about America, and specifically New York City.  I had no idea that is what that bad in other countries as well.  I thought everyone else’s speeches were very interesting and it was definitely a learning experience.

Today, Niles, Samantha, and I met with a woman named Catherine Green.  She is the founder of an organization in East New York, Brooklyn to help bring kids and families together so kids in the neighborhood focus on positive things like art.   She spoke to us about her organization and what they do.  She has a youth program where she brings social workers and speakers to come talk to the kids about gun violence.  She wants to empower the kids to make a difference in their community and focus on what they want to accomplish in life, rather than getting caught up in the dangers happening around them.  She shared with us that she is also has started a fashion program for kids to be apart of.  I think that what she does is great because it gives the children a safe place where they can have fun, learn, and accomplish goals.  Ms. Green also shared with us some statistics.  She told us that East New York is the neighborhood that has the second highest gun violence rate in the state.  She also told us that already in 2010 there has been three murders in East New York, and it is only February!  We interviewed her about how she got started, what she does, and what she would tell someone like the mayor or the president about this issue if she could.  We plan on using this interview for our presentation at the United Nations on March 9th.  We are going to contact her again to find a time in either March or April when we can go to her organization and see for ourselves what she does exactly.  I really look forward to this.

On Friday, Samantha and I went to meeting where people were planning an annual ‘Mothers Day Walk’ to make awareness for gun violence, which will be held in The Bronx.  Most of the people that were at the meeting had personal experiences with gun violence.  Many of them also now have their own non-profit organizations for this cause.  At the meeting they discussed how the event is going to work.  What is going to happen is that everyone will walk to a park, where there then will be a stage with speakers and performers. Samantha and I mostly just listened during the discussion, but afterwards we got to interview many of the people there.  One of the people we interviewed was the person in charge of this event, Gloria Cruz.  She shared with us how she got involved with the issue of gun violence, and what she does exactly to help.  Gloria said that she got involved after September 5th, 2005, the day her niece was shot and killed.  She started an organization in The Bronx so she could raise awareness to get guns off the streets.  She goes and speaks to schools and churches about this issue.  We also interviewed Yvette Forehand who had lost her son, Rory, to gun violence.  She started a foundation called the Rory A. Forehand Foundation.  After her son passed away she felt the need to help.  Doing anything she can to help with this issue gives her more comfort.  These were just two of the many inspiring people we met and interviewed.  Hearing all these peoples stories and what they do for this cause makes me want to do more to help.  Tomorrow we are going to an organization where a woman named Catherine Green runs an arts program to keep kids and young adults off the streets and more involved in things like art.  I am also going to a memorial for Yvette Forehands son, because tomorrow is the three year anniversary of his death.  I am very excited and motivated to do anything I can to help or learn more about the issue of gun violence.