7th Grade MDG Experience Begins at Home

The 7th grade is all alone in Armfield Hall this week, as the 6th Grade is at Kanuga and the 8th grade is at Wilderness Adventure. But don't worry about them too much, as they are getting out in the Greensboro community to learn about some of the issues facing the world which affect our neighbors right here in The Gate City.

Each year, the 7th grade goes through the Millenial Development Goal Experience or MDGs. In it, they are assigned a character and a developing country and given the task of solving the problems they face in a real world setting. Some are wealthy citizens of that country, others are poor. Some suffer from a common disease found in that country, while others may be corrupt. It is all meant to provide a hands-on understanding of some of the issues that face the developing world and which the United Nations' MDGs aim to eliminate.

This year, we've begun the research in a new way. We have sought out ways for our students to experience those problems and contrast them with their own life experience. Today we visited Moses Cone Hospital and took a tour, soaking everything that network has to offer. After the tour we visited with Rosario Hankins and Rene Cone from Worlds Apart, One Heart to discuss their efforts to bring medicine and medical supplies to the Philippines. The students noticed the contrast right away.

After a brief presentation, our students took extra supplies which had been donated and helped to inventory, pack and seal them into boxes bound for Philippines at the end of this month. It was a great experience and there was a lot of momentum within the class to continue the work.

Stay tuned for some more updates on this project.