For the past few weeks, I've been meeting with members of the White Ribbon Group at North Primary - a group of boys who come together at lunch to plan activities as part of the school's "16 Days of Action" for White Ribbon.
For those unaware, while I'm not running the news page, attending meetings, or trying to work out how I can get my daughter to clean her room - I'm often writing and recording my own rap music - something I regularly use as a way to address social issues. So when I was approached by Simone Badenoch at North Primary and Craig Wood from CentaCare to work with some kids to create a rap about standing up and speaking out about domestic violence - I jumped at the opportunity.
I'm often surprised by how switched on young people in our community are, something I've learned a lot in my short time so far working as an SSO at North, and these workshops were no different.
So let's get down to business. We had just a few weeks to put together a rap song to be performed at the school assembly in Week 7. I started writing down everything these boys had to say about what message they wanted to get across in this song. "No Violence, No Silence" was a common theme, and helpful because it rhymed. One boy said they wanted "to change the world" - "That's the rule - it's not cool" said another, smiling at his rhyming abilities.
So I went home, and transformed their thoughts and feelings on the matter into lyrics that I recorded over some music I'd had sitting here for a while that just worked perfectly - and we had ourselves a song. (which you can listen to below)
For the past couple of weeks, these kids have been reciting the lyrics. In class, at home - some even mentioned how they can't get it out of their head (mission accomplished!) I observed Sharon Mount's class in Room 15 sitting together reciting the lyrics out while the music played, all in preparation for the performance.
One thing you can absolutely not fault these kids on is their dedication to this cause. From daily news-style video productions, creating banners and badges, and coming up with some big ideas for how they can get their message out that there can't be anymore violence, and we won't remain silent.
Today is the day, time for the kids to showcase all their hard work and perform their song in front of the school - and a last minute change of plans had be sitting there with a microphone in my hand performing it too. Having all these young voices around me as we perform together, all reciting the lyrics so passionately and with so much heart was inspiring, and the applause and smiles from the crowd showed I wasn't alone with that thought.
It's so great to see a school community not only acknowledge a problem within our society, but to actively be part of the solution. While my time at North so far hasn't been lengthy, the connections I've formed with students have left me a very, very proud man today.
For those unaware, while I'm not running the news page, attending meetings, or trying to work out how I can get my daughter to clean her room - I'm often writing and recording my own rap music - something I regularly use as a way to address social issues. So when I was approached by Simone Badenoch at North Primary and Craig Wood from CentaCare to work with some kids to create a rap about standing up and speaking out about domestic violence - I jumped at the opportunity.
I'm often surprised by how switched on young people in our community are, something I've learned a lot in my short time so far working as an SSO at North, and these workshops were no different.
"Whenever I see anything about 'No Violence' I think eventually it's going to carry on, and it'll change the world." said one Year 3 boy about the posters and banners in classroom windows.
So let's get down to business. We had just a few weeks to put together a rap song to be performed at the school assembly in Week 7. I started writing down everything these boys had to say about what message they wanted to get across in this song. "No Violence, No Silence" was a common theme, and helpful because it rhymed. One boy said they wanted "to change the world" - "That's the rule - it's not cool" said another, smiling at his rhyming abilities.
So I went home, and transformed their thoughts and feelings on the matter into lyrics that I recorded over some music I'd had sitting here for a while that just worked perfectly - and we had ourselves a song. (which you can listen to below)
For the past couple of weeks, these kids have been reciting the lyrics. In class, at home - some even mentioned how they can't get it out of their head (mission accomplished!) I observed Sharon Mount's class in Room 15 sitting together reciting the lyrics out while the music played, all in preparation for the performance.
One thing you can absolutely not fault these kids on is their dedication to this cause. From daily news-style video productions, creating banners and badges, and coming up with some big ideas for how they can get their message out that there can't be anymore violence, and we won't remain silent.
Today is the day, time for the kids to showcase all their hard work and perform their song in front of the school - and a last minute change of plans had be sitting there with a microphone in my hand performing it too. Having all these young voices around me as we perform together, all reciting the lyrics so passionately and with so much heart was inspiring, and the applause and smiles from the crowd showed I wasn't alone with that thought.
It's so great to see a school community not only acknowledge a problem within our society, but to actively be part of the solution. While my time at North so far hasn't been lengthy, the connections I've formed with students have left me a very, very proud man today.
Comments
Post a Comment