Dec. 29 meeting

During this meeting, we focused on clarifying the different projects we could do and tying them to the 10 goals of the Nobel Peace Laureates. We focused in on 5 potential projects:

1) Donating in the wake of Natural disasters and where the money goes: Nobel goal = "Home Security". This project would involve looking at perspectives of students at Eastside toward organizations that handle donations following a natural disaster. We would examine how students perceived their money would be handled and how likely they would to get involved in helping following a natural disaster.
2) The influence of t.v. and the media on norms of consumers (in this case, students at Eastside). Nobel goal = "Human Rights and Social Justice". This project would examine the impact of media on the thoughts and actions of students. We would examine what students watched, what they thought about the values and ideas in those shows, and if the perceived similar phenomenon in their immediate communities.
3) Encouraging youth to get away from the t.v. and become active citizens. Nobel goal = "Social Justice and Human Rights for all". This project would be a campaign encouraging youth in elementary and middle schools to decrease the amount of t.v. that they watch and to become more involved in expressing their voices in their communities by getting involved in clubs and organizations.
4) The group divide at Eastside. Nobel goal = "Decreasing Racism and hate". This project would examine the causes of the distance and stereotypes between groups of people at Eastside high school. It would culminate in an awareness campaign to break down barriers between students.
5) Moderation of food and Poverty. Nobel goal = "Decreasing poverty". This project would seek to decrease the rise in obesity by encouraging students to decrease their consumption of fast food. At the same time, an effort would be made to use the money not spent on junk food to make a donation to those that may go without food because of poverty in other countries. The project would increase awareness of poverty and create a respect for food as a resource.

The peacejam group has had 2 meetings this semester. Currently, we are brainstorming a community service project. We will start with general themes and issues, and then we will slowly narrow those down to a focused project and action plans. Our goal is to research and develop the project during Spring of 2007, and to implement the project by Fall of 2007, with a presentation to a Nobel Peace Laureate during Spring of 2008 at the latest.

Current ideas include: health and wellbeing of young people; encouraging youth to be more active; supporting healthy food options in schools; encouraging healthy school environments; breaking down barriers between groups in schools; discouraging judgments and labels based upon external factors; supporting the voice of youth in community politics; examing decisions about the distribution of wealth in community politics; increasing awareness of impact of media on norms in the community; supporting community recreation programs for youth; addressing the arts in schools; addressing healthy choices to prevent teen pregnancy; increasing empathy for those impacted by natural disasters in other states and countries.

We agreed to meet two times a month while the project is in its planning stages. The next date has yet to be set.