Introduction

In the beginning of December 2004, I was approached by Colleen O'Patry, the AmeriCorps consultant, regarding my students' involvement in the Amnesty International letter writing campaign. Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. The organization works for the release of prisoners of conscience, fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners. It also works for an end to torture, executions, political killings, and "disappearances," and to fight impunity by working to ensure perpetrators of such abuses are brought to justice in accordance with international standards. The students in each of my classes had been journaling and discussing service learning initiatives with Colleen approximately once a week since the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year. I collaborated with Colleen in her attempt to incorporate service learning into the high school curriculum.

Timeline and Description of Student and Program Participants

Initially, my students participated in journal writing activities with Colleen, in order to prepare them for a service learning opportunity. These journal prompts included, but were not limited to; "Whom do you admire most?," "Have you ever had the experience of not believing that you could make a difference and then finding out that you could?," and "If you could change one thing about the world right now, what would you change and why?" After my students became more familiar with Colleen, we decided that partaking in the Amnesty International Holiday Card Action Campaign 2004 would create a natural connection to our involvement with the Amnesty International letter writing campaign requesting the release of specific political prisoners.

Materials and Resources Needed

  • Journal prompts
  • Contact with the Spaulding High School and Barre Technical Center Amnesty International chapter
  • Internet access to www.ainnestyinternational.org
  • Seasons Greetings cards
  • Amnesty International Letter Writing Guide

Essential Questions

Are my students willing and able to participate in service learning?
Will my students recognize the benefits of service learning in my classroom?

Focusing Questions

How can Colleen and I present this material to my students in an interesting, yet educational, format?
How can Colleen and I stress the significance of Amnesty International?

Rationale

It is crucial that Colleen and I are able to thoroughly explain the value of service learning to my students.

Addressing Service Learning Best Practices

Curricular Goals

  • Students will use journal writing activities to familiarize themselves with the components of service learning.
  • Students will create holiday greeting cards, as well as letters for the Amnesty International letter writing campaign.

Assessment

  • Students will be evaluated on their participation in the Amnesty International Holiday Card Action Campaign 2004.
  • Students will be evaluated on the content, grammar, and presentation of their letter to the president of the Republic of Belarus.

Service Goals

  • Students will establish a connection between the academic content and the "real world."
  • Students will gain self-confidence, responsibility, and leadership qualities.
  • Students will serve alongside the SHS/BTC Amnesty International chapter, hoping to make a difference in the lives of others, more specifically, the life of Yury Bandazhevsky and his loved ones.

Participation

  • Each student will be required to participate in this service learning project. There are 32 high school freshmen participating from two classes.

Diversity

  • The students will be introduced to the personal lives of political prisoners all over the world.
  • The students will also be introduced to the various forms of government throughout the world, many of which operate much differently than the United States.

Preparation

  • The students completed journal entries regarding service learning with Colleen prior to their involvement with Amnesty International.
  • Colleen researched Amnesty International and the special focus case of Yury Bandazhevsky.
  • Both Colleen and I met with John Lewis (academic advisor for Amnesty International) in order to discuss my students' involvement in the organization.
  • Colleen prepared the holiday greeting cards that would be sent to political prisoners all over the world.

Reflection

  • Students will be required to reflect on their service learning experience with Amnesty International at the end of the project.