Cultural Education & Study Abroad Readiness

This morning's reflection involved a poignant discussion of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's life, values, and accomplishments. The group focused specifically on his 'I Have a Dream' speech and, after doing so, spent fifteen minutes contemplating their own various 'dreams' for their families, for their country, and for the world. Some responses included:

-->I have a dream that all poverty is, at the least, reduced, and that there be peace
-->I have a dream that we can all learn to love each other no how matter how rich or poor or what country we live in
-->I have a dream that we appreciate things we take for granted because people in other countries have a lot less
-->I have a dream for the world that we get better protection than we have and to stop violence
-->I have a dream that me and my sister will live past the age of 21 and to go to college
-->I have a dream that we can live in a country with no more war
-->I have a dream that people can just accept people for who they are
-->I have a dream that there be no more racism in the world-that in a couple of months there will be no more racism
-->I have a dream that violence around the world could just stop so no one else has to die

I speak for all the other leaders when I say we were extremely impressed with the seriousness with which the students first discussed Dr. King, and then recorded and shared their own dreams. In fact, five of the students chose to read some of their dreams aloud to the group, which to me indicated the comfort and trust these kids have developed among one another. This morning reflection moved all of us quite a bit, across the various ethnicities, nationalities, and ages present in the exercise. Through so doing, the C.E.S.A.R. students were able to bring parts of Dr. King's 'dream' to life while simultaneously exploring their own visions for the world. It was a phenomenal beginning to the day!

Myzel writes what some of his dreams are