School Board Member Urges Community to Give Money to Send Group of UCHS Students to Study in Africa

Editor's Note: The following are two postings by University City Board of Education Director Rodney Jennings concerning what he sees is the lack of financial support for a group of U City High School students that have been invited to study in South Africa this June.

Jennings says the financial goal for the trip is to raise $18,000. He believes less than $500.00 has been raised so far.
University City Patch has re-posted Jennings' communications per his request as well as the article about the student's invitation to South Africa.

Hello U. City Community,

I know everyone has talked about the positive impact that the Peace Committee has had on UCHS but I have to chime in and say, you as a community are not supporting these young people. Did anyone of you the read the article that they needed to raise thousands of dollars to make this trip? How many of you have offered any financial support for these young people that have the potential to affect hundreds if not thousands of lives? 
Community family, you suck! 
We always are shocked and appalled when our young people do something horrible, and many have commented that it is a breath of fresh air compared to the crime bulletins. But you stopped there. 
The UCHS business office has received very little money from the UC community. I have met and worked with two of these young ambassadors in volunteer projects and they are phenomenal. But they don't think they are going to S. Africa and have all but given up in their expectations to go. 
continued below.......

Myra, please rerun this article and tag it with a challenge. I am putting up the first $100.00 to send these young people to S. Africa and I challenge every U. Citian to match or exceed my donation. Even if you can't match the 100.00, let's just send what we can afford to help and support these young people.

BE AN EXAMPLE TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE BY SUPPORTING PEACE. WE SPEND MILLIONS ON NEW JAILS THAT HOUSE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. INVEST IN THEIR JOURNEY TO BRING PEACE TO U CITY AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. DO IT FOR THE SEVERAL U CITY YOUTH THAT WERE SHOT IN THE LAST YEAR, DO IT IN HONOR OF UCHS GRAD THE LATE SARGENT MICHAEL KING, DO IT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE, BUT PLEASE U. CITY LET'S DO SOMETHING POSITIVE TOGETHER FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. PEACE STARTS WITH YOU!

ROD JENNINGS

Here is a link to the article University City Patch posted earlier this month. Or, people can read the article below:

Schools, The Neighborhood Files

The University City High School students will travel to South Africa in June

By  and  |  | March 18, 2011

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon.  It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding, and ennobles the man who wields it.  It is a sword that heals."  -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The journey to South Africa began in University City and made a stop in Atlanta.

In the fall of 2009, a group of students rallied together and formed The Peace Committee with the goal of raising awareness of nonviolent conflict resolution.

Ernest Carter, a UCHS alumnus who also serves as Assistant Principal at the school, played a role in helping the students form the committee. 

“We wanted to organize the Peace Committee so that our students could spread conflict resolution for gang violence.  We had tremendous problems last year and we wanted to let students be a part of the solution,” Carter said.

Sophomore Monet Grant, who is also a Peace Committee member, said “We have already lost three students in my graduating class." Even though violence is a reality in town, Grant said it's just a small part of the picture.  

“When I came in as a freshman last year, every time I turned on the news they were talking about fighting in University City.  When we formed the Peace Committee, we threw a big concert for peace and had an assembly where we outlined the statistics about violence in America,” Grant said.

In an effort to move the committee's mission forward, Carter met with Chuck Alphin, another UCHS alumnus and founder of Building Life Foundations Nonviolence Center, to discuss establishing a Young Ambassador Kingdom House, which was a series of non-violence sessions.

Alphin, who is also a certified trainer in Kingian Nonviolence, arranged for Peace Committee members Breasia Thomas, Lynden Peoples, Jenee Chisholm and Monet Grant to participate in The Kingian Nonviolent Teaching and Education Certification for Youth and Adults at The King Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

“I wanted to get the youth in University City involved with the Kingian Nonviolence training, so I sent a letter to The Peace Committee inviting the students to The King Center,” Alphin explained.

The students who were selected were responsible for raising their own money to fund their trip. They received donations from their families and the community and were determined to represent their school and their community in Atlanta. 

“We told everyone we were coming back certified,” Grant remembers.

After a rigorous week-long training, each student returned to the community as a certified trainer. But Alphin believed the students needed to go beyond the training they got in Atlanta; so he urged them to apply for an opportunity to study non-violence teachings in South Africa.

All four students applied and were accepted to participate in the program. They will travel to Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, South Africa from June 10 to June 21.

As Young Ambassadors for Nonviolence, they will study, “The Struggle from Apartheid to Democracy” and the role nonviolence played.

During the program, they will meet Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter. They will also visit Nelson Mandela’s home and the prison where he served time for his involvement in the apartheid struggle. The students will speak with South African high school students about issues related to violence in Africa and North America.

Alphin, who has been traveling to Africa for many years, said he loves taking young people to Africa. 

“Most of them have never left the country and have different perceptions of Africa," Alphin said. "So through this opportunity, I believe that their lives will be forever changed.”

Grant agrees. “To go to Africa is a dream, and I will not believe it is real until I am there,” she beamed.

A special account has been created to help the students at UCHS raise money for their trip. Donations and sponsorships can be sent to: 

University City High School Business Office 
Attn: UCHS Young Ambassadors for Nonviolence
7401 Balson Ave., University City, MO 63130

For more information, contact the School District of University City communications office at (314) 290-4016.