Spotlight On: Skye!
When Skye was in middle school here in Vermont her social studies class became part of the TGPP family. She not only participated in the retreat that year, but returned the following year for a more in-depth experience. Now a rising high school junior Skye is returning this summer yet again, this time as a CIT. We couldn’t be more thrilled. Here are some thoughts Skye recently shared with us.
TGPP: What is your name and where are you from?
SY: Skye, and I am from Essex Junction, VT.
TGPP: What’s your role at TGPP?
SY: I was a student for my 7th and 8th grade year.
TGPP: How did you initially become involved with TGPP?
SY: My teacher, Ms. Eldridge, introduced my class and others to our community service unit and we all got pen pals from Wyoming. We spent the rest of the year talking to them about our different communities and certain issues and qualities having to do with them. Jacqueline [TGPP director] came to our school to talk to us more about these issues and at the end of the year I was one of eight people chosen to go on the summer retreat along with eight students from Wyoming. I was actively a part of The Growing Peace Project from 2014 to 2016.
TGPP: What made you want to be part of this particular organization?
SY: I really got interested in the differences between my community and my Wyoming pen pal’s. I wanted to learn more about that and about the work Jacqueline was doing. It felt great to be a part of something special like this.
TGPP: What is it that keeps you interested and active in continuing your peacemaking efforts with us?
SY: I came back to being actively involved in the organization because I felt like I had just started, like I had just been introduced to all of the possibilities out there for me throughout the project. I wanted to continue what I had worked on, and also experience it as a veteran with people who were newly involved in it. I liked the experience going back to the retreat the second year because I was able to take on a sort of leadership role among my peers.
TGPP: What does a typical retreat day look like?
SY: A typical day was waking up in the cabins to the most beautiful view and vibrant sun. It was earlier than a teenager like me was used to waking up, but the view was worth it. We would then take the van down to the main house and have a delicious breakfast planned for us. It was different to get accustomed to the vegetarian meals, but I loved how at the retreat I was always experiencing new things. Our activities would vary but normally we would do a sort of classroom activity to introduce that day’s project and then get some work time in groups. We would then have lunch and if it was nice out we might go swimming in the pond, which was always super fun. Then we might take the vans and go on a hike or go to the food shelter, but normally we would continue our group project. Then we’d have dinner and time to socialize and end up going back to our cabin for the night. The girls’ cabin always had tea and we would talk and play games, and then reflect in our journals until we went to bed.
TGPP: Is there a favorite peace project that you worked on either during a retreat or during the school year that stands out? Why was it special?
SY: One of my favorite peace projects was during the retreat. We got into small groups and were tasked with creating a board game regarding an issue in the world. This was one of my favorites because it was one that was given without a lot of guidelines so there was a lot of room to be creative with it and show what the issue meant to us and our ideas of how to solve it and live with it through the game. The best part was at the end when it was all finished and we got to play our own and other groups’ games. It was really cool to see the differences and creativity.
TGPP: What about another moment or experience that was particularly meaningful to you?
SY: The most meaningful moment and one that sticks with me is from my 7th grade retreat. It was the last night when we had a campfire and made pizza in the homemade oven. At the fire the kids from my school and the kids from Wyoming were talking to each other about our communities, which was really surprising to me how they could be so different when they aren’t even that far away. The kids and teachers had us all convinced that some of them rode horses to school and that they all lived on farms. The joke went on for awhile until they finally told us it wasn’t true, but that was a really mind opening thing that made me realize just how everyone is kind of living in their own bubble and don’t really know much about how everyone has their own story and lifestyle. It got me thinking about how that innocent ignorance could be a factor in why there isn’t world peace. However, that whole night at the fire was really fun and meaningful to me.
TGPP: What is peace to you?
SY: Peace to me is when everyone is able to live their lives without having to worry about their safety due to their race, religion, gender, appearance, etc. When people are worried about going in public places, especially school, because of getting harassed or made fun of for things like that, there is no peace. Peace is when people are able to coexist without violence physically and emotionally.
TGPP: What does peace look like?
SY: Peace looks like unity, empowerment, advocacy, and happiness. Peace looks like the good in a person’s soul, mind, and heart, not what is on the outside. Peace looks like giving someone a smile that you’ve never met before in the hallway at school just because. Peace looks like everyone living their own lives uninterrupted by violence or war.
TGPP: How is it achieved?
SY: Peace is achieved by people being educated about how to advocate for themselves and their beliefs, how to empower themselves and those around them, and how to show more love and less hate. I think a big part of it is education of what you can really do. People need to realize that they can make change no matter how old or young they might be. Lastly, the most important thing in my mind is that people need to realize that we would greatly benefit from world peace because there are problems in our world. You cannot fix something if you do not believe it exists and is an issue. Peace is achieved through recognition of pressing issues and education of young minds.
TGPP: How is TGPP succeeding at bringing more peace into the world? How can we continue to improve at that goal?
SY: I think that it is succeeding because it is educating young people about ways they can help. It is informing the future generations that starting small, doing even the littlest thing to create change, can make a difference and make peace. By targeting the young people, this organization is really impacting our world for the better. I think that you can continue to improve by expanding your outreach, be active on social media platforms that are such a big part of young people’s lives like Instagram, Twitter, etc. In my opinion, being more accessible to the younger generations through things they look at everyday will increase involvement and provoke more change.
TGPP: As you know, we often talk about this question, “Can there be peace in the world if people are hungry?” What’s your feeling about that?
SY: Peace is freedom from the world of war and violence, it is innocent tranquility. Therefore, I don’t believe there can be peace in the world if people are hungry because hunger can cause war and violence. Underdeveloped countries are the main places where extreme hunger exists. Underdeveloped countries are also countries that have a lot of violence and war. That correlation is no coincidence. Hunger is an issue that shouldn’t exist because food is a necessity to live. And if someone’s life is threatened, there is no possibility of peace.
TGPP: Imagine for a moment that you have the ability to completely eliminate a problem that is threatening our peaceful future. Which problem would you choose? How would you solve it?
SY: The problem I would eliminate is school shootings and gun violence. I would choose this one because there are a lot of these happening lately and it is especially a huge issue threatening the peace of our nation. I don’t believe that the solution will be easy, but if the right steps are taken I think the number of gun violence related tragedies can be greatly reduced. Some things I would do would include raising the age that you can buy a gun, going through mandatory background checks and training in order to buy guns, and understanding of mental health issues affecting people who abuse firearms and the willingness to help them. There are obviously going to still be people that have guns in the world, there is no way to completely abolish them. But if you start with the young people, the future generations of the world will have a better chance at being better than we have been lately, instead of continuing to spiral downward.
TGPP: Have you had any peaceful successes in your life, family, or community as a result of the work we do together?
SY: I can’t really think of specific successes I’ve had, because it’s been more lifestyle and mindset changes that I have incorporated into my daily life. I am more aware of the ways I can help, and why getting involved really is important especially for younger people like myself. The experience really opened up my mind to how much I could really do to create change, even though I’m young. I will continue to try my best to make everything I do more peaceful and to encourage everyone to do the same. The biggest success I’ve had was realizing that I have a voice and can make a difference.
TGPP: Anything else you would like to share?
SY: I would really recommend this organization to anyone who has the opportunity to be a part of it. Even if it is not something you would normally do, it changes your view on the world and what you can do for it. The people are great and really passionate about everything they do. I am so thankful to have been apart of this and for being able to go the retreat for two years, because it was a wonderful and mind-opening experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat [and lucky for us – she is!].
Thank you, Skye! You are awesome!
