What Can Kids Do?

Last year, middle school students in Illinois were so shocked to learn of the genocide in Darfur that they felt compelled to take action. In order to "make something that would touch people," they set out to create 400,000 paper dolls: one for each person who had died in the genocide in the last three years (according to some estimates).

Drumbeat for Darfur is now inspiring UU youth throughout Illinois to take action and to follow the example of Mrs. Levi's social studies class. UUSC volunteers Michael and Deidre Schwartz have visited youth groups and religious education classes throughout their community to talk about the genocide in Darfur, and help guide children and youth to take action.

To them, their efforts are not only about impacting a child’s commitment to take action for justice, but also about parents learning from their children. They hope that each child goes home after their visit and says, “Mom, Dad, do you know what we learned about today?” And thus a family learns and takes action together.

Director of Religious Education Bob Fox and the sixth grade class at Unity Temple UU Church in Oak Park, Ill., have done just that. The Schwartzes recently visited Oak Park to share how the students could be true global citizens and put their UU values into action by raising the Drumbeat for Darfur.

Pointing out Darfur and their own location on a world map helped illustrate that we are all citizens of one world. And information from UUSC about what is happening in Darfur helped inspire this special class to take action. The class has involved all of the children in their congregation in raising awareness by decorating "paper people," representing the victims of this genocide, during religious education classes.

The youth and religious educators in this congregation are an inspiration!