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Youth ‘Step on Hunger’ on Way to Tally

MARATHON, Fla. (363 words) -- Thunderous booms. Shattering claps. Melodic moments. Each rose in unison from more than 20 trained youth who presented a multi-media presentation with stepping, dancing, singing and acting at the “Step on Hunger” performance. The Feb. 17 event was to raise awareness about the global issue, act locally and help prepare them to go to Tallahassee this Spring.
This was the first public event in Monroe County hosted by members of a Keys-wide PeaceJam Youth Board in response to PeaceJam’s global call to action on one of the 10 prominent issues identified by Nobel Laureates.

 Entry to the Step event was a food item suitable for donation to KAIR, a non-profit organization that provides food and emergency services to locals. “They filled my whole van,” said Marj Roberts, the executive director of KAIR. She adds, “You could tell the kids had really taken the event to heart. They interwove entertaining performances with statistics about this very sad, very serious subject in a way that kept everyone’s interest.”

While the high school students helped locally, they also took one step closer to getting to Tallahassee where they will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with the Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum from Gautemala.

As part of the county-wide effort to promote peace and develop youth leadership skills, Monroe Youth Challenge Program plans to take 45 students to the PeaceJam Conference held in March at Florida State University’s Center for Leadership and Civic Education.

Participation in the Step event exhibits the student’s dedication and eagerness to be considered for the honor to attend the conference. They practiced for weeks with guest choreographer Elizabeth Shanks from New York City. Marathon High School students and PeaceJam Youth Board Members Alexander Morato and Alaina Davis created the concept and lead their peers.

To request a repeat of this high-energy performance at any upcoming civic events, contact MYCP Director Sunny Booker at (305) 293-1400 ext. 53319.

The Peacejam Youth Board is sponsored by MYCP. Monroe Youth Challenge Program is a project of the Monroe County Education Foundation to build Developmental Assets® and create opportunities so every child in Monroe County can feel safe, loved, and celebrated. For information visit http://mycp.keysschools.com/.