This is my third time on AWB, and this trip has stood out to me in particular. Why? It’s because we dove into the heart of one of society’s pressing issues, one that questions an ideology that Americans have struggled with for over 200 years. . . racism.
The educational programs have gotten me to think a lot more about different American social policies. I’ve obtained a greater understanding of what makes a person who they are can be either beneficial or detrimental in society. This has me thinking about a program that was done at Camp Sprout Lake where we made it a mission to combat all forms of hatred. At the end of the program, all campers and staff went up to a poster with the word “hatred” written in English and Hebrew and put down post-its of ways they were going to fight hatred in the world. Fighting hatred is always a good thing, but at the same time I reached a conflict: how do we fight hatred in America when hateful speech is protected by our freedom of speech. Fighting hate in America is incredibly difficult because our constitutional rights protect all Americans in public and in the privacy of our homes, including Americans with hateful ideologies. Finding ways to end hatred in America can prove difficult because it can affect freedom of speech and expression for all Americans, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the struggle.
A few months ago I was awarded the Milly Kubrick Youth Service Award. It is an award given to high school seniors every year by Westchester County recognizing them for their devotion community service. I owe a great deal of my achievement to Alternative Winter Break. This may be my last time participating in the program, but I hope to come back soon and continue devoting my winter breaks to making the world a better place.
