Challenge
THE AUSTIN CHALLANGE
Seventh and eighth grade students are in transition and it is a tough journey in any era, but it is especially arduous in today’s world. These youngsters are between elementary school and high school, they are no longer children, but not quite adolescents. They are undergoing intense physical, neurological and hormonal changes in a society that fails to protect and guide them through this bewildering process.
The Austin Do the Write Thing Challenge is a youth anti-violence program implemented in schools. It is a writing competition that engages students in discussion and composition to thoughtfully analyze the causes and effects of violence, and to propose solutions. (School guidance counselors were notified when there was an indication of an at-risk child)
The young authors, in their own inimitable style, lament the lack of positive social controls and indict a contemporary culture that glorifies deviant behavior and mocks decency. In their writings, they describe the stress and pressures they contend with daily. Major themes emerged from a review of their manuscripts: family violence and neglect, vicious verbal and physical bullying, increased gang activity and the toxic entertainment media. The anger they express is alarming and the despair they echo is disheartening, but there is also optimism in their resolve when they conclude that they are agents of change, possessing the ability to make a positive difference in their lives and environments.
The participating youngsters feel respected because the Challenge seeks their thoughtful opinions and involves them in the quest for solutions. The Challenge stresses personal responsibility and asks for commitments by the children to actively help construct a better civil society.
We can do no less for them. As Mrs. Griffin writes, “They had the courage to write about violence. Do we have the courage to DO THE RIGHT THING to change the violence?” Please support the Do the Write Thing Challenge.
