Educating Youth in the Fight Against Injustice and Violence
As several of the affiliates in our group are also involved in youth ministry within our local diocese, we were thrilled to see the SOA highlighted in the teen group literature to be used for one of our fall weekend sessions. We were able to take this opportunity to present the film Convictions: Prisoners of Conscience, depicting the peaceful demonstrations that have taken place at Fort Benning over the last 20 years to close the School of the Americas.
This film centered specifically on demonstrators who have crossed the line and the punishments, including prison time, that they have received. We were somewhat disappointed that, although the group of approximately 50 teens were extremely attentive during the film, there was little discussion afterward. We did, however, discover in the weeks to come, that our young audience needed time to digest the information they were presented that evening. Many discussions were overheard in the following weeks, hinging on the edge of argument, defending different viewpoints about the SOA; it was clear the teens had taken the message home for further discussion. Excellent!
