The past week definitely had its ups
and downs! I was really sick for more than half of the week but by the weekend
I was definitely starting to feel better! Being sick made me really worn out
and down, and almost feeling as if I just needed a break from being away but
obviously now that I’m feeling better I am back to the simple happiness of
being here.
We just got back from Human Rights
Weekend. Overall, human rights weekend was definitely very insightful. To be
completely honest, before the weekend my definitions regarding human rights,
civil rights, political rights, socio economical rights, etc… were all not
quite accurate. I am definitely glad that I now have a secure definition of
these and can therefore actually apply what I know about them to real life now.
Before this weekend, everything regarding human rights for me was just so vague
and I definitely didn’t feel confident in my knowledge, so how could I feel
confident in acting on what I think?
The weekend started off right when
we got on the bus, and all of us sat in the back and didn’t even really
acknowledge when the other people of the group got on the bus. However, the
cohesion that our group formed by the end of the group was noticeable when on
the bus on the way home we were all spread out throughout the bus and
intermixed.
I really enjoyed getting to know the
people from other parts of Africa because they were similar to our age, but
have completely different lives. They have all seen or experienced human rights
violations, whereas I could barely define that concept. It also helped to get to know people a little
deeper when we were divided into our groups that we would be working closely
with throughout the weekend.
I think the assignment in which we
had to present our chosen country and the history and current conditions was
really helpful to grasp the concept of human rights because we had to explore
all aspects of the country and really prove that our country needs help. Acting
out the aspects of society and making ourselves personal with the country and
its issues really forced us to open our eyes and realize that even though we
are just acting it out, it is actually occurring.
I also really appreciated how
sharing people were. We met these people this weekend and they were all so
willing to share their knowledge and their experiences. When we were talking
about refugees and individuals told their stories I really was taken aback.
Somebody also mentioned how you never think its going to happen to you, but
before you know it you are being violated in all sorts of ways and have no
choice. It is so sad that so many people are forced to leave their own country
because of violations of human rights.
All of the activities that we did
taught us something and made us look at things in a new way, and I’m very glad
that I can now look at real life situations with these insights.
I am very much looking forward to
going back to Christel House tomorrow for internship!! I have seriously missed
the amazing kids so much in just a week! This week Molly and I are also going
to get started with our activist project which I am really excited about!!
Molly and I are planning to teach a
dance class in Mannenburg at the people’s center. We both have vast dance
experience and are very excited to share our passion for dance with other
individuals.
We are targeting Mannenburg because
we know that there is a lot of gangsterism that occurs and we want to provide
kids with alternatives. We also know
that they have a perfect facility for our dance class! Dancing for both Molly
and I has always been a great hobby and escape, and we want other children to
find that. We want kids to find a passion and an alternative than staying on
the streets and being more prone to gangsterism. If children find a new hobby
in dance, it gives them something to work at and want to be better at.
I also think dance will be a good
hobby for them because I personally know that dance is such a good escape and
relief from any stress. I think that
these kids go through so much and are exposed to so much that they shouldn’t be
and having a special hobby especially one that is being active and allows for
creativity would be perfect.
Molly and I will have to assess the
specifics of our dance class once we see what kids show up and what different
levels they are capable of, but we plan to have Molly do most of the technical
teaching and I will do the choreography. We are also having our parents send
over dance clothes and speakers to make use of during our classes.
We are so excited to share our
passion with these kids and hopefully have them enjoy it and motivate them to
work at it and show them that there are alternatives.
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