A Sampling of Student-led Action Projects that
Made a Difference
Videos and Photos of student action projects
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Fall, 2011
Mott Hall School, New York City: Neighborhood Safety
Students at this middle school in Harlem sometimes felt unsafe in their own neighborhood, specifically worried about safety near public bus stops that students used to get home after school and extracurricular activities. These bus stops were off school property and thus outside of their school’s jurisdiction, so the students’ concerns had never been addressed. Students got in touch with their local police precinct, invited an officer to visit their eighth-grade class, and presented their concerns and suggestions. Ultimately, they ended up establishing a liaison within the student body to regularly communicate with a member of the local law enforcement so the police could be made aware of and better respond to students’ needs and so that the liaison could help communicate police priorities and programs to the students.
Spring, 2010
Urban Assembly for Green Careers, New York City: Public Transportation
A classroom at the Urban Assembly School for Green Careers in New York City chose to address the questionable status of New York City’s student free Metrocards. All of the students in the class had to travel each morning from all over the city in order to get to school. Eliminating this free service would be a great expenditure on their families just to get to school. The classroom researched how many students use this service city- wide as well as how much it costs per a student to fund. They then attempted to show, through a YouTube video, what life would be like in the city if students had to pay a large amount to get to school. An increase in student arrests, crime, and school dropout would be likely to occur as a result of making it harder to get to school each morning. They then plan to present the video as a form of petition to the mayor, state legislature, and the MTA.
Fall, 2010
The Engineering School and the Social Justice Academy, Boston: School Closure
In response to and protest of the shocking news that their school would be closed at the end of the school year, classes created signs to display around the school in order to garner the attention of their peers. They attended school board meetings, wrote letters to the editor, and drafted a video to be shown to the administration. They spent time interviewing students and teachers and gathering information to argue against the closure of their school. In addition, students worked collaboratively on letters to be sent to the Mayor of Boston and the Superintendent of Boston Public Schools that outlined their feelings on the school closing and alternative courses of action that could be taken in order to keep their school open.
Spring, 2010
Hope High School, Providence: Hunger
The students of Ms. Rainone’s Current Events class at Hope High elected to combat the issue of hunger in Rhode Island as their Generation Citizen project for the semester. They organized a food drive at Hope High, wrote to legislators proposing an addition to the RI personal income tax form which would enable people to easily donate to food banks of Rhode Island, created a Facebook group to further educate others about the issue and our efforts, and wrote an article that was published in the Hope newspaper.There were a few students who went above and beyond all expectations. One student, for example, went on her own time to procure additional food donations from various organizations, expanded the food drive to an elementary school, and began working on an opinion article, The class heard from guest speakers Senator Metts and Farris Maxwell (procurement coordinator from the RI Community Food Bank), which was particularly empowering as they both both happened to be graduates of Hope High.
Fall, 2009
Charlestown High School, Boston: Teen Pregnancy
Students at Charlestown High School recognized that teen pregnancy is an issue that affects more and more Boston-area teens, but is rarely talked about. They met with a representative from a local non-profit, which alerted them to a campaign to ensure that the state government maintains and increases its levels of funding for resources for teen parents. The students wrote letters to the Governor and local legislators, asking them to maintain funding for resources such as shelters, day cares, nutrition programs, and support groups.
Spring, 2009
Central High School/Hope High School, Providence: Gang Violence
In February 2009, a series of gang shootings shook the Providence community and affected students at Hope High and Central, many of whom lost friends to the violence. The incident sparked a dialogue amongst students about the prevalence of gangs and gang violence in the community, and both Hope High and Central decided to focus on gangs for their action plan. Students at Hope began by researching past interventions used to prevent gang violence in Providence, meeting with Sergeant Wheeler, the head of the Providence Police Gang Unit, as well as representatives from theInstitute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence. Ultimately, students decided that the best way to take action was to work with younger students to share what they wish they had known when they were in late elementary and early middle school. Hope students partnered with Carl. G. Lauro Elementary School, teaching gang violence prevention workshops to over 100 fifth and sixth graders.
Students at Central decided to focus on raising awareness of gang violence in the community by creating a documentary film. Partnering with the ProvidenceStreetworkers Program, Central students interviewed former gang members and families affected by gang violence, as well as local residents about the ways that gangs have affected the community. Students edited the footage into a 12 minute video to be shown throughout the community.
Fall, 2008
Central High School, Providence, Rhode Island: Public Transportation
Most students in a U.S. history class at Central High School took public transportation to school every day, using the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA). However, recent budget problems meant that RIPTA was cutting important bus routes, mainly those that impacted lower-income areas. The students decided to take action, learning about the reasons for the budget cuts, meeting with RIPTA representatives and state legislators, and ultimately, getting over 500 signatures on a petition urging the state to put more money into RIPTA.