I first met Miriam at Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Pacoima, CA in Fall 2009. She was the start of something great called Project ETHA: Engaging Teens in Humanitarian Action at their High School. They hosted Camp Darfur and by the following February 2010, they had trained a group of 8th graders to also host Camp Darfur and engage their peers. The following year, they launched their first ETHA Human Rights Conference. The original group of ETHA students was an exceptional group whom I was fortunate enough to work with for three years in a row. The last time I saw Miriam was just a few months before Leila was born in April 2012. Miriam and several other students were attending Jewish World Watch’s annual Walk to End Genocide and helped me break down Camp Darfur.
Miriam has followed our work over the years, taking our actions, donating, and reposting updates on social media. Most recently she has become an i-ACT Ambassador. We were finally able to connect last Thursday and I left the call eager to continue working together. She has fresh ideas and limitless energy to engage her local community, including some of her past Project ETHA crew members.
Here’s a little bit from Miriam:
My name is Miriam Rueda and I am 21. I have been a supporter of Stop Genocide Now since I was a high school student back in 2009. I am so excited and honored to be a member of the i-ACT Ambassadors team. I am an English Major at Los Angeles Mission College and work at my local church in Sylmar, CA. I’m hoping to use the power of prayer and activism to bring together a strong and united team to raise awareness about today’s issues to our Catholic Community and branch out towards schools and other organizations. I can’t wait to work alongside everyone and bring new and innovative ideas that will hopefully benefit our brothers and sisters. My main goal is to reach out to the youth and teach them to teach others about the issues we don’t hear about. I believe that bringing our faith and the faith of others into this amazing organization will bring us that much closer as a worldwide community.
Here are a few photos from Camp Darfur with Project ETHA:
Project ETHA: Engaging Teens in Humanitarian Action at Vaughn Charter in Pacoima, CA
It was a packed schedule, with almost every class visiting the camp.
Project ETHA students prepared presentations and hosted each tent. The peer-to-peer education was inspiring. This is how Camp Darfur is done!
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