As November 2nd began, Wayland was expecting Augustino Mayai to give a presentation on the situation in Sudan.
Mr. McDonnell expected to “be exposed to a 1st person account of how it is to live in one of the toughest places on earth.”
As to the motivation of the speaker, Mr. McDonnell assumed \"the goal of the speaker is to awaken our compassion and our understanding.”
In regards to how Wayland can help, Mr. McDonnell continued, “Even if we can't do something to help right now as students and teachers, down the road we might be in a position to help prevent these struggles from happening.”
Freshmen Brooke Schumann hoped to gain “more knowledge on Darfur and the issues.”
Schumann thought, “There is a lot to be said. There are problems that need to be solved and people need to recognize them. I look forward to learning how to help.” Schumman was excited to have the opportunity to hear Mayai because she “was not able to make it to the video” which Brendan Weinstein showed earlier that week.
Junior Andrew Haberman expected to gain from Mayai's presentation “a better understanding of what is going on in Africa.”
Meanwhile, senior Sarah Murphy was articulate and passionate about her thoughts, saying, “I think the presentation is going to be really insightful because we have someone that has experienced the event.”
Turning her thoughts to the victims of this crisis, Murphy said, “It is very easy to forget the down trodden in the world, leave the problems of others behind and concentrate on yourself.”
Murphy continued, “I think it was a really good move for Brendan to get someone who has been in Africa. It will be really beneficial in getting people to donate. I appreciate and commend Brendan for his work.”
Senior Josh Hoeft summed up the thoughts of the community. “Mayai will help us to see what is going on outside the U.S. After all, we're not the only people in the world.”
After experiencing the presentation, Jacqueline Hill said, “It was overwhelming that millions of people are being affected. It was really upsetting. I felt uneducated about the genocide in Africa.”
Student Leadership
Junior Brendan Weinstein is the student Darfur activist and coordinator of the various Darfur-related events on campus. Brendan offered some comments at 9:25 while waiting for Mayai to arrive for the 9:40 presentation. Was he worried that the speaker would be late? Not at all; he confidently replied, “He is going to be here in time.”
Brendan informed me of the groundwork that he laid beforehand. \"Last night, we had about 100 people in the Science Lecture Hall [watching a National Geographic documentary on Darfur.] I saw people laughing and crying. I don't think one person left the room. I talked afterwards and we had Q & A. There were people in the dorms talking all night about how moving the documentary was. People have been asking for a second showing.”
As to what students can do to help, Brendan said, “I don't worry about donations that much. People talking is much more powerful than one hundred dollars. Tell your friends about what is going on. If you can change people on an individual level, that is very powerful.\" This is same reason that “[Mayai] is trying to educate people.”
Brendan offered Gandhi's words as a model to follow: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” But his personal dream is that “people will be inspired to become better individuals.”
Sharing Stories
Some students received extra time with Mayai when he visited various classes throughout the day, such as Journalism, World Civilizations and European History.
During one class, Mayai shared quirky memories and incidents. Mayai said, “I had never seen snow. I didn't know that people walked through it.”
Mayai also revealed that Halloween was not a favorite holiday of his. Kids in strange costumes came to his door one evening and asked for candy. He wondered why they did this and told them he didn't have any candy. Not missing a beat, the kids asked for some dollar bills. Mayai grabbed his wallet and handed them a few singles. Halloween in Madison also caused traffic problems on his way to his apartment. This was extremely frustrating.
Mayai also said that, “I had to learn the traffic lights,” because, back in Africa, the colors represent different commands.
Ending up in America because of the U.S. government, Mayai said, “I was received well by the public, but the government didn't do enough.” Mayai expected that the government would give him more training on how to live in America. Instead, the public was what acculturated Mayai to American life. But his first living arrangement in America was with fellow Africans in apartments so they could remain in contact.
When asked about religion, Mayai said, “Religion is one of the mechanisms that the boys use and still use. [They would think to themselves that] maybe God wanted me to go to Kenya. We thanked God for the days that had passed. Some of us can use religion to fulfill our needs.”
In regard to what Wayland can do, Mayai said, “Students make a great impact in any political crisis. Students can educate the public and raise money. Increase your effort to inform the public. Use the funds you collect to further inform people.\"
This is because, as Mayai reminded us, “Death due to diseases is very prevalent in Sudan.”
Ausgustino Mayai recommends donating funds to the Genocide Intervention Network (http://www.genocideintervention.net/), as he knows that they use the money well. Keep Africa in your thoughts and prayers.
Recommended Charities:
gfa.org
persecution.com
worldvision.com
globalgiving.com
samaritanspurse.org
redcross.org
salvationarmy.org
Mr. McDonnell expected to “be exposed to a 1st person account of how it is to live in one of the toughest places on earth.”
As to the motivation of the speaker, Mr. McDonnell assumed \"the goal of the speaker is to awaken our compassion and our understanding.”
In regards to how Wayland can help, Mr. McDonnell continued, “Even if we can't do something to help right now as students and teachers, down the road we might be in a position to help prevent these struggles from happening.”
Freshmen Brooke Schumann hoped to gain “more knowledge on Darfur and the issues.”
Schumann thought, “There is a lot to be said. There are problems that need to be solved and people need to recognize them. I look forward to learning how to help.” Schumman was excited to have the opportunity to hear Mayai because she “was not able to make it to the video” which Brendan Weinstein showed earlier that week.
Junior Andrew Haberman expected to gain from Mayai's presentation “a better understanding of what is going on in Africa.”
Meanwhile, senior Sarah Murphy was articulate and passionate about her thoughts, saying, “I think the presentation is going to be really insightful because we have someone that has experienced the event.”
Turning her thoughts to the victims of this crisis, Murphy said, “It is very easy to forget the down trodden in the world, leave the problems of others behind and concentrate on yourself.”
Murphy continued, “I think it was a really good move for Brendan to get someone who has been in Africa. It will be really beneficial in getting people to donate. I appreciate and commend Brendan for his work.”
Senior Josh Hoeft summed up the thoughts of the community. “Mayai will help us to see what is going on outside the U.S. After all, we're not the only people in the world.”
After experiencing the presentation, Jacqueline Hill said, “It was overwhelming that millions of people are being affected. It was really upsetting. I felt uneducated about the genocide in Africa.”
Student Leadership
Junior Brendan Weinstein is the student Darfur activist and coordinator of the various Darfur-related events on campus. Brendan offered some comments at 9:25 while waiting for Mayai to arrive for the 9:40 presentation. Was he worried that the speaker would be late? Not at all; he confidently replied, “He is going to be here in time.”
Brendan informed me of the groundwork that he laid beforehand. \"Last night, we had about 100 people in the Science Lecture Hall [watching a National Geographic documentary on Darfur.] I saw people laughing and crying. I don't think one person left the room. I talked afterwards and we had Q & A. There were people in the dorms talking all night about how moving the documentary was. People have been asking for a second showing.”
As to what students can do to help, Brendan said, “I don't worry about donations that much. People talking is much more powerful than one hundred dollars. Tell your friends about what is going on. If you can change people on an individual level, that is very powerful.\" This is same reason that “[Mayai] is trying to educate people.”
Brendan offered Gandhi's words as a model to follow: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” But his personal dream is that “people will be inspired to become better individuals.”
Sharing Stories
Some students received extra time with Mayai when he visited various classes throughout the day, such as Journalism, World Civilizations and European History.
During one class, Mayai shared quirky memories and incidents. Mayai said, “I had never seen snow. I didn't know that people walked through it.”
Mayai also revealed that Halloween was not a favorite holiday of his. Kids in strange costumes came to his door one evening and asked for candy. He wondered why they did this and told them he didn't have any candy. Not missing a beat, the kids asked for some dollar bills. Mayai grabbed his wallet and handed them a few singles. Halloween in Madison also caused traffic problems on his way to his apartment. This was extremely frustrating.
Mayai also said that, “I had to learn the traffic lights,” because, back in Africa, the colors represent different commands.
Ending up in America because of the U.S. government, Mayai said, “I was received well by the public, but the government didn't do enough.” Mayai expected that the government would give him more training on how to live in America. Instead, the public was what acculturated Mayai to American life. But his first living arrangement in America was with fellow Africans in apartments so they could remain in contact.
When asked about religion, Mayai said, “Religion is one of the mechanisms that the boys use and still use. [They would think to themselves that] maybe God wanted me to go to Kenya. We thanked God for the days that had passed. Some of us can use religion to fulfill our needs.”
In regard to what Wayland can do, Mayai said, “Students make a great impact in any political crisis. Students can educate the public and raise money. Increase your effort to inform the public. Use the funds you collect to further inform people.\"
This is because, as Mayai reminded us, “Death due to diseases is very prevalent in Sudan.”
Ausgustino Mayai recommends donating funds to the Genocide Intervention Network (http://www.genocideintervention.net/), as he knows that they use the money well. Keep Africa in your thoughts and prayers.
Recommended Charities:
gfa.org
persecution.com
worldvision.com
globalgiving.com
samaritanspurse.org
redcross.org
salvationarmy.org
No comments:
Post a Comment