Project IN-Action > Camp Darfur

THE FINAL REFLECTION

This project was the most unique in the process and in the final event. This could be one of my favorite projects ever, since we are actually making a difference. Another aspect of the project that I liked was that we had free reign in deciding how it all comes together. Our highest goal was to raise awareness, and we did plenty of work in order to make that happen.

At first, we were assigned into random groups to investigate the main genocides of the 20th and 21st centuries. My group was assigned the the current genocide in Darfur, and I attended an event in UCSD called "Reach Out to Darfur." This was the first time I learned about genocide and how it continues to happen to this day, and it moved me. After that, we wrote essays and compiled them onto our personally-created websites. I was happy to be able to create an in-depth website on an interesting subject, since it is the most efficient way to offer awareness for the world as a whole.

After we made poster boards for Exhibition Night to display our progress, we started preparing for Camp Darfur. We continued to create more work in the same groups, and developed an action plan. My group, who consists of Jennika Esoy, Sean Fennell, Carolina Martinez and myself, decided to focus on technology, contacting, and media for our action plan. At the same time, we assigned ourselves roles for developing the contents of our tents. We had struggles throughout this process, but it came all together in the end.

Another smaller project within this was to write a letter to four different people, including senators, representatives, and the president, to inform them about the current situation in Darfur. We also had other people sign our letters, which made each of us come up with 44 letters. As a whole team, we sent out roughly 1,950 letters. There were a group of people who thought it was going to do nothing. Nevertheless, by the time that the letters were received, President Bush did a follow-up speech on Darfur and sent his Plan B into action. I don't really understand how pessimism helps at all.

Once we finished our letters, our action plans, and our tent, we were ready to set it all up for Camp Darfur. About 500 people came in both days, and I was happy to have our wonderful last-minute speakers. What the Sudanese-American speakers said to us, I think, is perhaps the clearest call for help that we can get for Darfur. Their peaceful personalities show that it isn't really a battle but truly a genocide. I hope that survivors of the genocide will be unstained by the darkness of the past, and be able to continue their lives peacefully.

Besides this, I didn't care if a lot of people came or if they didn't come. The effort must be made if we want a difference. I am not going to act or think a certain way because everyone else does; this usually leads to ignorance. Therefore, I was happy that we actually did make a difference, even though some people still remain pessimistic.