[tsl/public good] Deconstructing Darfur Week 2 Wrap-Up
Workshop 3
During Week 2 of "Deconstructing Darfur", we shifted our focus to look at activism and how our own beliefs play a role in our involvement before creating our own action project. We started our third meeting by looking at how we view our own moral obligations and how they impact our actions. As a group we read two different scenarios. The first scenario involves a man injured by a car right in front of you. In the second scenario, you receive a letter asking for a donation to help save dying children. For each situation, we silently gave ourselves a moral grade for not acting in that situation. The majority of the group gave themselves much lower grades for not acting in the scenario where the man was hit by the car. From here, we began to look at why this was. We weighed out the factors in each situation, who was innocent, what was the worst consequence, and how many people were harmed or helped. As it turned out, the second scenario had much harsher consequences and our contribution would help many more people, so we asked ourselves why was our moral judgment so off? We discussed and debated how factors such as proximity both physical and social, the potential to fully solve the problem, and urgency all affected what we saw as moral obligations. The aim of this activity was to make the teens aware of how their own morals and those of their peers will influence both the development and the reactions to their action project.
The second half of the workshop gave us the chance to do some hands-on (team) building! We split into two teams and as a group had to create a visual representation of what "Deconstructing Darfur" means. In just a short amount of time, each team put together two very complex and different builds. One team portrayed a diverse group of people coming together while another group portrayed their vision of spreading a message around the world. As our workshop came to a close, we spent some time processing both the strengths and weaknesses of working as a team. While some individuals had to take on new roles in the group dynamic which could be frustrating at times, I was very impressed at how quickly both teams began to work together and incorporate multiple viewpoints into one visual representation. This gave me, and I hope all the members of "Deconstructing Darfur", confidence that their action project will be impressive and impactful.
Workshop 4
The second workshop of the week was our opportunity to examine different forms of activism, both in the real world and in Second Life. To start off, we brainstormed specific examples of the six ways to take action around Darfur, as discussed in Don Cheadle and John Prendergast's book, Not On Our Watch. We then watched a video that showed a variety of ways Second Life has been used as a platform for activism. The examples ranged from more traditional picketing protests to human chains and museums as forms of activism. With these elements and examples in mind, the teens then decided how they wanted to go about making the decision as to what form of activism their project would take on. I was incredibly impressed at the efficiency and diplomacy the group displayed in their discussion and in forming a consensus. The group decided they will put together an event and an object to raise funds and awareness for the people of Darfur. I am excited to see how this framework will develop over the next few weeks.
Wrapping up the second week of "Deconstructing Darfur", the teens once again had to decide how they envision positive change in Darfur. This week's change in the build focused on basic needs. The team chose to add a well for water, a solar cooker (an exact replica of those being distributed throughout refugee camps in the region), pencils and papers to signify the importance of continuing education, humanitarian aid from the Red Cross, and a radio for both entertainment and education to help keep people informed of what is going on around them. A special thank you to our hard-working builder, Calade, and GK Intern, TheCoolLeader for their efforts and creativity in translating these visions into reality!
