Challenge Day at PUSH 2008
| posted by Push InstituteIn an extraordinary hour after lunch, Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. John, founders of the Challenge Day, gave participants a taste of the transformative experience, which is now practiced with youth in almost all US states and Canadian provinces as well as in Germany and elsewhere in the world.
The vision of the program is "that every child could someday live in a world where they feel safe, loved and celebrated." The founders launched it after years of professional work that dealt with symptoms, such as drug addiction and crime, and wanted to address the real causes of these symptoms – separation, anxiety and loneliness in our society, in their view.
"Why do some people need to get "into the system" after drug treatment or something else before they can get the love and attention they deserve?" Rich and Yvonne asked themselves. "21st Century teens are under more pressure and less equipped than ever before," they said.
"Our goal became to create a program that was safe enough and powerful enough to bring everyone together on campus," Yvonne said -- different races, body types, economic situations and all other factors that separate people. "If we settle for tolerance, we have failed. Our goal became to bring them together in love."
Videos in high school settings showed how the Challenge Day program achieves its goals of breaking down barriers, starting with games to loosen things up and proceeding quickly into participants' revealing some of their most difficult experiences, each completing the sentence to their peers, "If you really knew me, you would know …" They took a stand -- "crossing the line" across the gym – admitting to difficult issues in their lives, issues that are rarely discussed: if they had ever been hurt or judged because of the color of their skin, because somebody thought them too fat or thin, if they had ever been humiliated in a classroom by a teacher or student, if they had ever been teased or hurt for a need to wear glasses, and more.
The process ends in an amazing level of new understanding and commitment to take on the challenge of changing the environment in the larger student body.
In a similar vein, PUSH 2008 participants were asked to stand in silence at their seats and recognize their colleagues who answered positively if they had ever felt alone in school (almost all audience members), been called stupid or lazy or not good enough, been hurt or judged because of the color of their skin, ever been or had a family member homeless or on welfare, ever witnessed or been part of an act of violence, ever seriously considered or attempted suicide or knew someone who had, and more.
A second audience exercise asked participants in teams to practice the tools the Challenge Day leaders believe to be the two most important tools that are needed in our lives, in their philosophy: being "real" by telling the truth, and offering the gift of listening.
To "be the change" we have to accept the challenge to do our part. "Be the difference," Yvonne and Rich urge us. "Find out what we are passionate about in this world. Commit to doing one intentional act to make a difference every day" -- something of service to help another human being.
Just think what a difference it would make if you consider the multiplier impacts of the days, weeks and months of these simple acts.
Posted by Wallys Conhaim
