Students Put Talent to Use for Sister Schools Program

At the end of May, the STAND chapter of Harwich High School in Massachusetts hosted a talent show that no one in attendance will soon forget, and which carried a far broader impact than just providing an evening of entertainment. Harwich students combined activism with talent to present twenty diverse performances, interspersed with information about the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. The students impressed the audience with entertaining acts, including poetry recitations, acoustic performances and ballet routines as well as the audience favorite gymnastics routine.

The Harwich High School STAND chapter used the talent show to raise awareness about the on-going crisis in Darfur and to raise funds for their Darfuri refugee peers who are part of the Darfur Dream Team’s Sister Schools Program. Throughout the evening, Harwich students presented videos about the conflict in Darfur and showed a clip of 3 Points, a film which chronicles Houston Rockets basketball star Tracy McGrady’s 2007 journey to Darfuri refugee camps in Chad.

The Harwich STAND chapter succeeded in raising an impressive amount of money for their sister school by using their talent and involving their community. Visit the Darfur Dream Team website for more information on how you can join the Sister Schools Program and host an event like Harwich's talent show.

Photo: A member of Harwich's STAND group delivers welcoming remarks in Arabic.

• Sudan and South Sudan