Words of Wisdom

Twumasi Trivia

2/21/2019

So when we’re talking about women’s education in underdeveloped countries, we definitely need to not only talk about what’s happening in these countries, but what other countries are doing about the issue.

Of course, I’m talking about foreign aid. It can sometimes be a bit controversial because some cynics doubt that it does anything. Which leads us to our question about American foreign aid.

Indeed, contrary to popular belief, not all foreign aid goes directly to the government. In fact, a lot of it is diverted to non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, and private companies to avoid the grimy hands of corrupt leaders.

But this virus of corruption simply can’t help itself. It is a treasured African tradition after all. So it must hack other institutions as well; including the sanctuary of education. A big reason why it does is because, shockingly, it’s really, really hard to get a good-paying job in Africa. Many young students depend on college to get them that job. It’s actually a lot like America, but 300 times worse.

And so, educational leaders, knowing that students can’t really complain, take a slight sum of half a million dollars. Just a cool bonus, you know? This sort of corruption drips into other organizations and rewires their purpose for more nefarious, evil means.

All of this might seem a bit loosely connected. But the big picture is this: when we support women’s education and rights, we don’t just support Songtaba. We support Global Mamas, which gives job opportunities to women who may not have had the most expansive education. We support Wisdom Academy, which gives scholarships to students, allowing both girls and boys to go to school and thrive. We support organizations that really might cultivate…world leaders.

These world leaders are just women who finally have a stake in their community. Before, they were dependent. They had to sell their looks. Themselves (sometimes, literally). But not their skills. Their purpose was seized. But with our work, they have a stake in their community. They make money. They put it into their community. They want their people to succeed. They want their kids to succeed. They ache and pray for their people. They ache and pray for their kids.

And when these women see corruption in their universities, corruption in their local governments, corruption in their national governments, and they are financially independent…well, let’s just say that, like the Ariana Grande song, those are some dangerous women.

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I'm 16.

7/31/2017

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Peyton Lawson (High School Class of 2018) shares her opinion on a common trend felt among teenagers: older generations tuning out to the thoughts of teenagers. This action may not be intentional, however is discouraging nonetheless. Peyton disproves the stigma of lazy, senseless teenagers and expresses her desire to be listened to.

By Peyton Lawson

I am a 16-year-old high school junior.

Wait, don’t close your laptop, lock your phone, or put down the paper.
What I have to say is important.
If you doubt that, I’m writing this for people like you.

Teenagers have ideas, valuable ideas. Teenagers can be successful and do incredible things. Teenagers are not unworthy of your attention. Our opinions have weight. We hold a specific point of view; we are more mature than children but are still living under the roofs of our adult parents and their guidance. Contrary to the popular idea, we have brilliant ideas and we understand the world around us. We are deemed too naive or too inexperienced to understand or converse about things like politics or poverty, too rebellious to go to the bathroom without asking an adult. But, we are deemed mature enough to drive a car, plan our college future, and hold a job. When I put it that way, it seems pretty silly, right?

After 13 years of having the school system educate me on subjects like math,science, history, and English, I have learned things. I have knowledge. I can contribute an understanding of facts.Yet so many times, this preparation is not enough for adults to even give my ideas a second thought.:

This isn't a problem within the bubble of a high school classroom. Us high schoolers work together to develop solutions to problems, and with the support of adults and the ability to flourish, we are capable of doing some pretty cool things. In Heritage High School’s GLS classroom, we have been working hard to positively impact the world around us and develop an understanding of the world’s major problems. Believe it or not, in a few weeks, we have created a human trafficking campaign week throughout our school, sold several hundred tee-shirts to help end child slavery, communicated with local and international organizations, and created a school-wide environmental awareness social media campaign. The thing you might be shocked by is we are not mega-geniuses, child-prodigies, or mini Einsteins, we are just a bunch of regular high schoolers. We come from different walks of life, never really knew each other before, and yet, accomplished so much. This only occurred when we were given the freedom to take our own curiosities and passions and do something great. Our teacher and admin have given us the platform to do things and we did not let them down. When put into an environment where we feel empowered and trusted, we do great things. The majority of teenagers could, but are never empowered to do so.

The real point is that nothing changes on the morning of a teens 18th birthday. We don’t become instantly smarter or learn the truths of the world overnight. Too often, adults disregard the opinions and ideas of teenagers simply because of their age. If you trust an 18-year-old to vote, why do you not trust a 17-year-old to provide their political opinion or pursue and plan an anti-hunger campaign. If you say teenagers have inflated egos or immature understanding , maybe you need to look in the mirror and reflect on the extent to which you’re judging a young mind simply for being a young mind. Teens are not puppies. Adults can stop putting us on leashes and strapping muzzles over our mouths. Let us bark. Let us run. We cannot continue our training until we are trusted to walk on our own.

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The Refugee Crises

6/2/2017

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Kara Haselton (High School Class of 2018) created a podcast as a way to share her thoughts on the current Refugee Crisis, an issue she feels cares very strongly about. In this podcast, she addresses many of the controversies surrounding the crisis and interviews some peers on their thoughts of the issue.

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- Words of Wisdom -

Twumasi Trivia

I'm 16.

The Refugee Crises

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