The students who spoke today all had a diverse amount of topics. I was very impressed by the different time periods and topics that were addressed.
Jackie Krevitz presented on Hope for Haiti, an organization that is related to my research. I chose to analyze the “We Are the World 25” ad campaign for Haiti relief efforts. While I believe this campaign was very effective in advocating and raising awareness for the cause, I understand the validity of her presentation. Unfortunately, charity is not always a long term solution to relief efforts. Healing takes time. For instance, New Orleans still hasn’t made a full recovery from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is very easy for the public to be aware of an issue when it is blatantly thrown in their face, but not as simple to keep the movement alive. Jackie was right when she stated that people tend to forget that struggling nations still face hardship after the campaigns die down. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that people are interested by what’s new, current, and frequently publicized. There must be another way to hold individuals’ attention.
I thought Josh Bram’s presentation on victory gardens was very informative and enlightening. I have a mental block when it comes to history. So whether or not I’ve ever heard of victory gardens in past curriculum is currently a mystery to me. I thought that the concept of a victory garden was an incredibly smart idea. I’m a big advocate for limiting food waste. Seriously. It’s my biggest pet peeve. During his talk I imagined the effect that gardening would have on today’s population. Everything is mass produced. Perhaps an increase in individual gardens would be not only healthier, but allow the world to more equally distribute the food source. That’s a thought.
I could honestly comment on every single individual’s presentation. They were all well researched and great examples of rhetoric. I wish luck to all the students who have yet to deliver their speeches!