That Landmine Thing

Today is a guest post by Eric, a student.

My name is Eric, and I suppose I will be guest-blogging for the day. I am an active member of the Landmines Task Force here at the school, and hopefully I can provide a little insight into what goes on. Today was a special day, as Zack Hudson, a representative of the UN, came by to speak with us about all that we have done. He seemed genuinely appreciative of our work and encouraged us to continue. It was particularly interesting to see that our work has not been going unnoticed, having been featured on an official Adopt-a-Mine Field promotional video as well as the That Landmine Thing newsletter.

Being new to the task force this year, I am surprised by the initiative of my fellow students, although I am aware of a few students who merely take part in the project to fulfill their community service requirements. (This is a requirement stipulated by the International Baccalaureate Program. Fifty hours of creative service, fifty of active service, and fifty of "misc. service.")

For the most part, nearly all of my fellow classmates are genuinely concerned with the cause and take appropriate action. (And, I believe this is perhaps a necessity in order to be successful in such tasks.) Meetings are conducted primarily by students, and all are encouraged to take a leadership role in planning and executing activities and fundraisers. Our success can likely be attributed, at least in part, to our diversity. (By diversity, I mean in almost every way--our economic background, our ethnic background, our cultural background are all different. Despite this, we work together very well.) With such a diverse group with such diverse talents, nearly all goals we set our mind to seem within our reach.

Originally, I must admit, I had joined the task force thinking of it as simply a convenient way to round off my community service hours. Yes, the thought that I would be helping people half way across the world had occurred to me; however, at the time, I had thought of such ideas as a sort of "romantic propaganda." However, as I was introduced to more concepts and philosophies in my Human Rights course, I began to have a revelation of sorts, best reflected in the "Why Landmines?" post on our website. My understanding of the issues and of my role were developed and fostered in such a way that now, I can, in absolute truth, say that I am passionate about our cause and what we are doing (and I believe this passion is perhaps a necessity in order for the group to be successful).

I have always read of and heard of, while attending other schools, instances in which similar organizations have managed to achieve similarly high goals. However, I have never, until now, experienced or been a part of this. It is, I must say, a very rewarding experience.

Join That Landmine Thing by e-mailing info@ThatLandmineThing.org to register your school and receive copies of a newsletter, videos and pictures.

A thank you to Eric for a student perspective and thoughts on an important topic. Again, an important part of the life of the school that often goes unnoticed and un- or under-appreciated.