The Red Party!

I attended this event in the Bronx with Samantha on November 21, 2009 for 3.5 hours. This event was sponsored by the Dreamyard A.C.T.I.O.N project which works towards providing a community resource center for teenagers in the Bronx and hosts events like the Red Party to raise awareness about AIDS and HIV. This event focused on helping the teenagers realize that the part in the Bronx that they live in has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS out of the entire New York City. For this reason, they were conducting free testing all throughout the party. The majority of the teenagers that were there got tested and received condoms and preventive measures to hopefully stop the spread of HIV.

During the party there was music, chips, soda, and best of all-their friends. It was interesting what a big effect the comfort of friends had on this whole experience. I lingered in the waiting room area for a little bit where they were showing an MTV documentary on different teenagers who had AIDS. Through my various conversations, I focused on making them feel less nervous and congratulate them for being brave and responsible for getting tested. Although they were nervous, much of the anxiety was eased because the event created a comfortable environment for them since their friends from school or the Dreamyard A.C.T.I.O.N project were there to support them.

Throughout the party there was also an open mic session that allowed these amazing teenagers to express themselves through poetry, singing, or rapping. So many of them had such powerful words and some of the performances even gave me the chills. Open mic allowed me to see how passionate and knowledgeable these students were about HIV; it also made me realize that these teenagers eyes have seen more in their lifetime than I have. Their words were so passionate and were driven by the desire for social change.

At the end of the event, the A.C.T.I.O.N group presented a documentary about their trip to Washington D.C. this last summer. Their purpose for that project was to interview people who had HIV/AIDS in the area and also bring awareness through protests. I was so amazed at what these students did there and how they pulled this Red Party together.

Although the topic of HIV and AIDS can not necessarily be studied in depth at the Elementary level, this night showed to me how powerful students can be and the amount of social change they can bring to their community and to the world. I am definitely looking forward to attending their next event.