After another successful Challenge Day, organizers of the event hope that the spirit of acceptance and understanding will be passed through TJ hallways and carried on through the Be the Change Club.
Artwork by Mia Nogueira. Photo courtesy of challengeday.org
Thanks in large part to the fundraising of the Be the Change club, on Thursday October 14th and Friday October 15th TJ held the second annual Challenge Day in the gym to help students express themselves and to promote acceptance.
Challenge Day is a full-length school day in which students participate in workshops and games that are designed to break down barriers as well as invoke understanding and acceptance. Organizers of the event believe that Challenge Day encourages students to help “be the change they want to see in the world” by stopping oppression and bullying as well as by passing on the kindness intended to be discovered on this unique day. It is geared towards helping students to open up about their lives and their own personal struggles and express themselves and to see those who are around them everyday in a new light. “Challenge Day had such a positive environment that really allowed even complete strangers to be fully open with each other, and feel good about it afterward,” said Junior Will Pearson.
Many participants describe this day as an emotional experience in which they get to see a new side of themselves and the people who they see on a daily basis, and say that they realize that they have common hardships and often share similar stories. Many of these stories are shared in Challenge Day “families,” or groups that everyone is put into for the day. “During Challenge Day people got very close with their groups and I believe the relationships that were forged during that time may remain, and our fellow classmates will always know that they always have at least one person to talk to,” said Junior Mallory Baker.
In the families, each participant is asked to finish the sentence, “If you really knew me…” in a two-minute share session in which they can open up to their family, and can say as much or as little as they want. Many participants were surprised at how much they truly do share about themselves with their peers. “That morning I had told people that I was just not into it so I was incredibly surprised when I began to feel so comfortable with my group and tell them such difficult things. Having a group of people that you can truly open up with and just let everything out without worrying about being judged was definitely the best part,” said Baker.
Outside of the families, participants line up along a line in an activity called “Cross the Line,” and a series of statements are read. If the statement applies to a participant, he or she is to walk across that line and turn to face the group that did not cross. This workshop is designed to show students that they are not alone in their everyday struggles or their life’s hardest battles. “This game showed everyone that they have similar situations and hardships; allowing everyone to really connect through tears and common feelings,” said Baker.
One of the final workshops of the day is an activity called “Shout Out” in which students can stand up, grab the microphone and speak their minds. Participants say many things from reading letters to a loved one or apologizing for past words or actions. “My favorite part of Challenge Day is ‘Shout Out’ because I like how everyone gets to say their own piece. I like that students get the chance to make amends with their classmates,” said Samanda Davis the Social Worker here at TJ and the main organizer of Challenge Day.
The different workshops in Challenge Day such as, “If You Really Knew Me,” and “Cross the Line,” spark a variety of responses in the participants. At this point in the presentation, emotion began appearing, illustrated through hugs and tears. Students reach out to support one another, shown in the signal for love and understanding in sign language participants display across the gym. “I thought that Challenge Day was just going to be a super hard and sad day, but it actually ended up being a really good and overall happy day, despite all of the tears and tough subjects that were talked about throughout the day,” said Pearson.
One student related that a sense of freedom washed over the participants in the gym; a freedom to let go of pain and a new found freedom to express a side of themselves that others rarely see. “Challenge Day was without a doubt the best time for you to really get to know yourself and understand what you are going through and finally let it out, to ‘empty your balloon’. Some people just accept that their pain is just something that they live with everyday, that holding in their secrets is just something that they have to do to avoid negativity. I honestly learned that that is completely untrue and that you have people and support all around you,” said Baker.
The juniors hope to carry on the spirit of Challenge Day and keep the compassion and unity felt between peers long term. “I think that Challenge Day will help unite our class and have a long-standing relationship, despite our past arguments or problems, and make the class seem more like a family,” said Pearson.
Contributing greatly to this year’s Challenge Day, the Be the Change Club aspires to keep the spirit of Challenge Day alive. “We currently have 10 active members and meet twice a month either during excel or at lunch. We do much of the fundraising for Challenge Day and create weekly challenges for TJ to accomplish,” said Davis.
The Be the Change club is looking forward to the future and aims at reaching out into the community. “We hope to do an outreach program at a nearby elementary school in which we will put on an anti-bullying assembly. If you want to join, just attend a meeting and come see what we’re about. Be the Change Club is a great way to get involved in keeping what you felt during Challenge Day alive. It is a good way to better TJ’s community,” said Davis.
The Be the Change Club believes that through Challenge Day, TJ has become the change and leads through example more and more everyday. “I believe that when people walk down the halls they will be tempted to think twice about just walking past a person and consider a smile or a hug. I believe that TJ can look forward to an ongoing feeling of support and care from their classmates and know that they are free to lower their waterline and empty their balloon of troubles,” said Baker.
