MCS Activism Project: Schools Are For Everyone

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The Manhattan Country School Activism Project is an annual and year-long initiative that is based around student inquiry and leadership on issues of crucial impact in the local and global communities.

The 7^thand 8^th graders have titled their activism project SAFE: Schools Are For Everyone. We, the students of the Fifth Floor, see the bullying of students for their sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, class, or any difference as a violation of civil rights.

Recent media has drawn attention to bullying of Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, Questioning or Intersex (LGBTQI) youth. LGBTQI young people, as well as straight kids that do not fit gender norms, are often verbally and physically abused by peers in schools intentionally or unintentionally. We believe that students can only reach their full potential when they feel safe and accepted in school. Through this project we hope to become more conscious of the power of our words, to raise awareness within the MCS community about how to take a stand against bullying, and to build partnerships with other New York City schools to create more safe spaces for all youth.

Activism at MCS:

The MCS seventh and eighth graders, students of the 5^th floor, define activism as “when a person or group of people work directly to change a cause or political situation, based on their beliefs, through education and a long-term commitment.” Each year, MCS students redefine activism, identify an issue of immediate importance and design a project to address that concern. The student group is led by a small student steering committee, the activism committee, which facilitates communication, fundraising and programming decisions.

The project alternates yearly between a locally-based initiative, and a project based around national and/or global themes, which can require substantial fundraising efforts. Past projects have included lobbying in Washington, D.C. and Albany, volunteering with community-based NYC nonprofits (2005), a trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to assist elementary schools (2006), a “Speak-Out Against Hate” in Central Park (2007), a collaboration with Camp Sunshine (2008), a walkathon to raise funds for the MCS Farm’s new solar panel system (2009) and a trip to West Virginia to engage in comprehensive programming in opposition to Mountain Top Removal (2010).

For more information on upcoming activism events, check out the MCS Activism blog.