Written and filmed by Destinee Duarte, Marlyn Barajas, Samantha Gureghian, and Stephanie Puente, Northridge Academy High School students
In January, we published a blog about the California high school classroom who ran a fundraiser for KIND through a class project. They were reading We Are Not From Here, a novel by Jenny Sanchez Torres about the journey of three unaccompanied children from Guatemala who make the dangerous journey to seek safety in the United States. This blog and video were created by some of the students who participated in the fundraiser. Stay tuned for an interview with author Jenny Sanchez Torres.
Northridge Academy High School English Teacher Michael Gross created a sponsorship program for his junior and senior students to raise money for KIND by achieving certain academic goals. As the class was reading, analyzing, and discussing Jenny Torres Sanchez’s novel We Are Not From Here, a story which chronicles the experience of three teenagers from Guatemala who travel alone to the United States in search of safety, students were given the opportunity to contribute to KIND through donations made in their name whenever they received an A on one of 25 assignments.
Nearly 40 students earned the sponsorship, and the class contributed $1,350 to KIND. Since the money was donated during a 3X-match period, the donation resulted in more than $3,000 for KIND.
Many students were impacted by this project and moved by the story. One student who participated, Natalia, shared: “We are lucky to be born in a place where we don’t have to make a dangerous trip to be safe. This project has shown us that we have power to help these children.”
Another student, Marlyn, who contributed $180 through her academic achievements, stated:
Working to support Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) has helped me realize how high schoolers like me can make an impact on unaccompanied children. It made me realize how it’s not just about getting a high grade but about saving a child’s life. Participating in this project and learning about unaccompanied children and KIND has impacted me by giving me hope for humanity and reminding me that there are still good people in the world who want to make a change.
Considering what she learned, Marlyn said:
This civic class project has made not only me, but everyone else who has participated, less ignorant about the world around them. It has also helped me see life differently by causing me to be more grateful for my current living situation and for being able to be with my family. I hope for the best for all the families that migrate to the United States, for those children traveling alone, and for kind souls like the ones in KIND to be able to support them through their hardships.
Through this project, the students know that spreading awareness on the issue of unaccompanied children is something that they and many people can contribute to in even the smallest of ways.
Stay tuned for an interview with Jenny Torres Sanchez, author of We Are Not From Here.
