The 1st and 2nd period social studies classes of Mr. Butler have
started up a global issue awareness club—currently referred to as
“Planet Jefferson”. The club participates in the O Ambassadors program.
The O Ambassadors program is a joint project of Oprah’s Angel Network
and Kids Can Free the Children. For more information on the O
Ambassadors program, go to: www.oambassadors.org.
The students in the classes have worked individually and/or in
small groups creating an educational website for the public awareness of
global issues concerning countries in East and South Asia. Some of the
issues that have been researched by the Jefferson students include (1)
the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, (2) the achievement of
universal primary education, (3) the promotion of gender equality and
the empowerment of women, (4) the reduction of child mortality, (5) the
improvement of maternal health, (6) the continuation of the combat of
such diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, (7) the
effort to ensure environmental sustainability, and (8) the effort to
develop a global partnership for development. Recently, the club worked
on the plight of the children affected by the earthquake in China.
Some projects made for this site were done in power point, while
others were made using pod-casting, allowing students of our community
to provide their own voices to the conditions that children face in
other countries.
It is the hope of the students in our club that you will be informed
and moved by the conditions of children in East and South Asia and
decide to make a difference. You can make donations to Kids Can Free The
Children. Checks from donors should be made directly to Kids Can Free
The Children, P.O. Box 32099, Hartford, Connecticut, 06150-2099, USA.
