Change the World: #RaisetheCheeryRoof
by Claire W.
Perhaps my greatest aspiration in life and the vision of my school’s Model UN club this year, I hope to harness what I’ve had the opportunity to learn in schools and through moving to make the world a better place. Interacting with individuals in my community, across the country, and even internationally through endeavors in my previous human geography class and Model UN, like #RaisetheCheeryRoof, have opened my eyes to worlds outside my own and humbled me to seek change for the better. Efforts like those of Jarius Makambi, the founder of the Cheery Education Center, a school built by the community in the Kibera Slum of Nairobi, Kenya, to educate and inspire impoverished youth; those of my Model UN mentor and human geography teacher to raise funds for Cheery’s new building; and even those of MissHeard Media to provide voices to teen girls represent just a few of the many ways projects, starting small, can transform the lives of many.
The United Nations collaborates to solve world problems; Model United Nations simulates this experience. The need to change the world after practicing, researching, and brainstorming such solutions is unavoidable, and at my school, my human geography teacher acted on this need. He launched the #RaisetheCheeryRoof campaign across our school district in collaboration with our Model UN club to send funds to the Cheery Education Center to rebuild and reinvigorate the school with a new building and new supplies. Last December, the campaign raised $8,300 for Cheery. This year, Mr. Makambi and my Model UN advisor hope to collaborate with 26 schools across the globe to equip and expand Cheery’s facilities to accommodate students up to the 8th grade. Knowledge truly is power, and such change would enable greater opportunities for Cheery’s students and continue to connect international classrooms.
If you would like to donate to the Cheery Education Center, their GoFundMe campaign is still active. Additionally, if your school would be interested in joining this endeavor, please email 19wyszynskiC (at) masdstudent (dot) org.
At MissHeard, September constitutes a time to reflect and act in our writing on the Advisory Board. This month, I challenge you to channel your passions—be it drawing, writing, graphic design, athletics, speaking, video editing, connecting, and anything and everything beyond and in between— to create a difference in your family, among your friends, in your community, and across borders. We can change the world.
Related Reading:
Making School Memorable & Standing Up for Education by Hajra Salim