by Varlee S Fofana | 10 Nov 2020 | Africa, African Leadership Academy, Contest winners, Educators' Catalog, Personal Reflections, Student Posts, Youth Voices
My family fled civil war in Liberia to a refugee camp in Guinea in West Africa. I learned the power of resilience and the value of diversity. The author, in white next to the woman on the right, at the Kouankan refugee camp in Guinea This story won first prize in News...
News Decoder’s goal is to create a global community, and Varlee Fofana has added his unique voice to the conversation with an essay about growing up in a refugee camp in Guinea. Not many News Decoder students have had to flee civil war as Fofana did, yet many play football, as the author did to connect with other refugee children. Gathering wood, plowing farmland or selling kerosene might not be common chores for most News Decoder students, but they, too, face challenges. Ask your class to read Fofana’s story and then, in up to 600 words, describe a personal experience that shaped their life and character. Encourage them to follow Fofana’s example by using simple words and an unassuming tone to draw readers into their world.
by Helen Womack | 6 Oct 2020 | Human Rights
Millions of people around the world are stateless, with no rights and condemned to living in the shadows, on the margins of society. A Muslim Rohingya boy inside a shelter at an internally displaced person camp near the capital of Sittwe, Myanmar, 9 March 2017...
by Sonia Goyle | 20 May 2020 | School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Youth Voices
An American in Spain, I learned that different cultures and distance could not mask the similar values of my two Moms. María José (L) and Renu when they first met (photo courtesy of Sonia Goyle) Squeezed around the dinner table in a corner of the kitchen, the four of...
by Giavanna Bravo | 25 Mar 2020 | Greens Farms Academy, Student Posts, Youth Voices
Spanish is the language of my roots and family. But when given the chance to learn it, I followed my peers and learned French. I know the taste of regret. By Giavanna Bravo At 10 years old, in the midst of an identity crisis, I was asked to make a decision that would...
by Sadie Dyson | 16 Dec 2019 | Health and Wellness, Student Posts, Youth Voices
At age 15, I was no longer me. Learning about depression taught me about myself, my support group and growing efforts to fight mental illness. The Resilience Project board at Utah Valley University lets students know it is OK to struggle. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)...
