Walking for Peace

Students spend a lot of time at school, in class and in extracurricular activities.  So, whether they live across the street from school or ride the bus for miles, all students consider their school neighborhood their home.

One 5th-grade class, wanting to demonstrate commitment to its neighborhood, developed a survey for the households near school.  The students planned to take action on whatever topic their neighbors considered most problematic.  In math class, they learned how to tabulate and chart the survey results, and found that people were most worried about violence. 

After much discussion on how to address this issue, the 5th graders decided to stage a school-wide peace walk against neighborhood violence.  They learned about the history of demonstrations in the United States and were inspired by stories of the Birmingham Children's March.  The class used these events as models in preparing for its own march.  The students created signs, banners, and a peace and safety quilt, to which the entire school contributed pictures of a neighborhood without violence.  The students learned and taught other classes peace songs and chants; their singing during the walk drew community members out of their houses and encouraged them to join.

With one concise project, these students not only affected the present but also the future.  They united the community for a morning and opened the door for a longer dialogue on violence and safety.

Adapted from "Route to Reform: K-8 service-learning Curriculum Ideas," © 1994-95 National Youth Leadership Council.