Alsion’s Middle Schoolers Making a Difference
In lieu of the cancellation of the Biome trip, Alsion middle school had an extra week on its hands. Instead of simply extending the curriculum, the teachers opted for a far more rewarding use of time. What was supposed to be Biome Week became Change for the Future, 5 days of working in groups of 7-8 students across all three grades, on a community service project of their choice. The projects range from wellness cards for the elderly, to advocating for racial justice, to spearheading a vaccination campaign, to creating goodie bags for children in hospitals. Each group has a drastically different focus but is undoubtedly making an impact in their field of choice. Read on to learn more about the 4 projects, what they have accomplished so far, and how you can aid their efforts moving forward.
Project Pro-Vax
Project Pro-Vax is a digital campaign, conducted over various platforms, with the goal of getting everyone in California vaccinated. Project Pro-Vax was created in response to the fears regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, such as its accelerated timeline, side effects, and to bust myths such as the vaccines containing microsoft chips. The Project Pro-Vax team includes 7th graders Riley and Sophia, 8th graders Izak and Kane, and 9th Graders Jayden, Nitya, and Anya. The group works together to create digestible videos and infographics that break down the behemoth of conflicting information regarding the vaccine. The videos include 1-2 minute animated educational clips chock-full of information, as well as interviews with people who have gotten the vaccine, including health-care workers, employees of the Alameda County Public Health Department, essential workers, service workers, child care workers, and more. Each interview provides unique insight into the vaccine experience and aims to make the vaccine experience less daunting for people who are hesitant to get vaccinated. Along with working on the social media campaign, members of the Project Pro-Vax team have been hard at work making calls with VaccinateCa, (https://www.vaccinateca.com/) whose volunteer-run database provides one of the most comprehensive vaccine finders in the state. Additionally, the more mathematically inclined members of the team have been polling as many people as possible about their vaccine experience to gather a more detailed understanding of how the vaccine affects us. If you want to help Project Pro-Vax with their data collection, feel free to fill out their form:
forms.gle/1PxQE6FsSkq26Nng8 and to keep up with Project Pro-Vax, check out their instagram and facebook page @project_provax. (https://www.instagram.com/project_provax/)
Link to a video we made: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMkOaQ4p1D_/
Asian American Peace Agents
Asian American Peace Agents are a group of Alsion students dedicated to promoting racial justice. In light of the recent uptick in hate crimes against Asian Americans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian American Peace Agents (AAPA) have made it their mission to help educate young people about the effects of hate crimes on minorities and work alongside organizations helping to empower Asian women. The AAPA team includes 7th grader Adi, 8th graders Armaan, Ishita, Moksh, Ami, and Cally, and 9th graders Alana, Amrita, and Kyan. A few words from AAPA about their mission: “As an organization, one of our main goals is to spread awareness regarding the issue of Asian American hate crimes. Now, spreading awareness means a number of things. It could and does mean:
• Reaching out to more people.
• Informing them on the topic, and/or deepening their knowledge.
• Advocating for important groups and organizations that lead classes, seminars, etc…
• Engaging others in the topic, causing change demanded.
• Educating both sides of the story, making a difference within.
As this fight against Asian American racism and violence continues, we need to be sure that we are not catering towards the accumulation of hatred towards this community. Little things like the jokes we make or other remarks can be harmful, therefore, it is extremely important that we are aware of all the facts before being an effective ally.” AAPA is doing their first presentation with a school in Florida soon and is also going to be on the cover of the Tri-City Voice. AAPA has an incredible website (https://aapa.saberchat.net/) designed by 11th grader Kabir Samsi, that describes the work they are doing in further detail. To Donate to AAPA’s GoFundMe in collaboration with Asian American Women Advocates, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-local-asian-communities
To stay up to date with the #StopAsianHate movement and the AAPA teams work, visit: https://www.instagram.com/asian_american_peace_agents/
Video they made: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMrdVkanami/
Project Positivity
Project positivity is based around the goal of spreading positivity to those most isolated in this pandemic- senior citizens. This group, which includes students Rhiannon, Connie, Akshara, Penny, James, Anushree, and Duronto, has been sending cheer packages to create “a sense of unity in the community,” and their outreach attempts have had great results so far (see photograph above). These cheer packages include cards with kind words, small trinkets, and activity books they have created. They also frequently call elders to spread their message of positivity and create a system of support and communication for those who need it. Their goal is ‘cheering people up, one day at a time’ and they have devoted a lot of time in their efforts to uplift the community around them. Here’s a short statement from this group about what they have been doing and some ways you can help their efforts:
“Our project is about helping senior citizens in rehabilitation and retirement centers. Seniors can feel lonely and not cared for in the senior center. Many of them are suffering from depression and other illnesses. We are trying to help them by sending cheer packages, handmade cards, facetiming them, and spreading awareness about their situation. These packages and cards present a solution by creating a feeling of unity in the community. To have a bigger outreach, we have an instagram account that builds awareness about the issue and what we are doing to tackle the problem. Please make sure to follow @project_positvity_ and try to take initiative using some of the suggestions we mention in our posts. Also make sure to fill out the form in our bio!! Thank you!”
Their instagram: https://www.instagram.com/project_positivity_/
A form to fill out:
Wellness Cards
The COVID-19 pandemic has had many casualties, and those who have been hit the hardest are those who have been hospitalized, either due to the virus or other underlying causes. Hospital overcrowding has been a huge problem as of late and it is very difficult to find hope and look on the bright side in a situation like this. In order to spread positivity and support to those who are suffering, Alsion students Ananya, Kalyna, Rithvik, Taran, Sean, Hiren, and Makeila are sending cards and wellness packages to people in hospitals. Their project shows that kindness goes a long way, and they are making a great positive impact on the community around them. They have reached out to St. Jude Hospital and continued to make important efforts with this project.