To be a good ally it's important to use the information you learn to take action in a way that will help support social justice.
~ One very important action that everyone can to is to use the information you learn to analyze and think about your own attitudes and actions towards others and the environment. For example, many of us have prejudices against people different from us, sometimes without even noticing. Can you notice your own prejudices and change them? Also, we buy and use things everyday often without thinking about the consequences of our actions. Use the new information you learn to see if there is a way you could change your daily habits to actively support social justice or lessen the impact on the environment. For example: buying organic or fair trade products, buying products that use less packaging, etc.
~ Write your new Guatemalan friends a letter. Tell them what you enjoyed learning about their lives and country. Tell them about your life. Talk about the things you have in common. If you don't speak Spanish, maybe you can find a classmate or a friend who can translate for your letter. You can draw a picture or send photographs. You can send them to their teacher:
Profesor Gaspar Quiejú Mendoza
Santiago Atitlán, Sololá
Guatemala, Centro America
~ Learn more about Fair Trade coffee and chocolate. Coffee and chocolate are two Guatemalan exports that many children help harvest. Coffee is harvested in the months of November and December. Many students in Panabaj told us that they spend these two months of school vacation helping their families pick coffee. Unfortunately, these laborers are generally paid very little for their hard work. Find out how buying Fair Trade coffee could help your new Guatemalan friends and other children around the world. The non-profit Global Exchange is a great source of information and can easily be found on the internet. After you learn more, can you find a way to convince your family to buy Fair Trade coffee or chocolate?
~ Find out more about the injustices faced by poor communities around the world who live in environmentally unsafe conditions. Then get involved! Find out how you can support local youth or community groups near you in their fight for environmental justice. In the San Francisco Bay Are there are active environmental justice groups working in East Palo Alto on the Peninsula, Hunters Point in San Francisco and in Richmond in the East Bay.
~ Write a persuasive letter to the Guatemalan government to convince them to find safer, better housing for the community of Panabaj affected by Hurricane Stan.
~ Find your own way to Take Action! Share what you chose to do with other Kid-Allies on the discussion board.
