Changing Perspective

Carolyn Wilson would argue with anyone who suggested that today's teens are lazy, insular and selfish. "I have found that young people today are very interested in the world around them," says Wilson. "They have boundless energy, a thirst for knowledge, and incredible optimism. What I hope to instill in my students through our experiences together is the belief that they have a contribution to make, that they can make a difference in this world."

This is best exemplified through the social justice activities her students at St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in Stratford become involved in each year, and Wilson's weeklong trip to the Dominican Republic with senior students. "An important goal of the program is to provide students with the opportunity to experience a new reality, and to be able to see the world from a different perspective. This is where real learning and the possibility for change exists."

Wilson's school had long been involved in social justice activities in the local community prior to hearing about an opportunity to have students billet with local families in the Dominican Republic.

Students now go to the village of Consuelo, which is mostly populated by families who work in the sugar mills or in free zone factories. The students live with Dominican families for the week. What the students do not do, however, is go prepared to take on a charitable project. This sets Wilson's program apart from many others, where students help build schools or dig wells. (The group does take plenty of goods and supplies, and does fundraising behind the scenes.)

"There isn't a lot of 'doing' in the North American sense of the word," says Wilson. "The Dominicans are in control for the week and they don't want the students to keep themselves busy with work projects and not spend authentic time with the people." Instead of working on a particular project, the students go to schools and meet their Dominican counterparts. They also meet cane cutters, sweatshop workers and human rights activists, and are encouraged to be open and listen - "to be moved and challenged by the people they meet and the stories they hear."

Organizing such a trip began with Wilson cultivating relationships with people she knew in the community who were active in the social justice field. She offers advice to other educators that are interested in trying something similar: "You never have to start from scratch. There is a whole network of educators involved in social justice. All you have to do is tap into that network." As for funding, Wilson says she has found that community groups have been keen to help fund the trips in exchange for students making presentations to their members when they get home.

It may also be that an overseas trip is not possible for every teacher or every school, but there is no shortage of opportunities for students to have this sort of learning experience right here in Canada. "It's equally important for students to learn about justice issues in our own society and my school provides these opportunities as well. The Dominican Republic experience is really part of what we see as a life-long journey in social justice. The learning doesn't begin and end with the trip to Consuelo. Past experience has proven that students, upon their return, are motivated to become involved in social justice issues in their own communities and beyond. For many students, stepping out of North American culture and spending the week in the Dominican Republic gives them the perspective necessary to look critically at their own lives and at our society. The experience removes the protective barriers that we tend to build up here at home, so when students return, they are able to really see for the first time just what is happening around them. The trip helps to remove the 'blinders' so to speak."

Wilson holds several preparatory meetings with the students to deal with the practical aspects of travelling overseas. These are followed by an overnight retreat to deal with emotional aspects of immersing themselves in such a different culture. One of the things she has to deal with is the students' guilt and worry that they cannot solve all the problems these people face. "What I stress with the students is that the problems in the Dominican Republic have built up over hundreds of years, and they are not going to be solved overnight. What we talk about is the importance of our own education about what is happening in the world. If we don't educate ourselves, how will we know what to pay attention to, where to begin, or even what questions to ask? Only with education will we be in a position to make a difference in our own lives, and in the lives of others - and this has to be done one step at a time. Act by act, step by step we move forward. That's where we have to put our energies."

The bottom line for Wilson is that, through the trip experience, students are changed. "What is, converts us," she says. "It's my obligation as a teacher to provide these kinds of experiences."