Roy L. Williams
Anytown Alabama
Students at Anytown Alabama at Camp Hargis in Chelsea: From left, Adam Jusino of Helena High; Elijah Garrett of Chelsea High and Jere Spillers of Pelham High.
About 70 high school students, gathered this week at Camp Hargis in Chelsea, are having in-depth discussions on the issues of race and socioeconomics that many folks choose to ignore.
They are participating in role-playing sessions and talks about the plight of the poor vs. the benefits of being rich, and the effect it has on relationships during Anytown Alabama, a weeklong social justice leadership camp that began Sunday, May 31 and concludes Saturday, June 6.
The most powerful session took place on Tuesday, June 2, during a simulation known as “The Neighborhood,” which allows student participants to see first-hand what people with and without wealth experience. Groups of students were given varied levels of resources, and tasked with building a community using the funds they had.
The wealthy group built a healthy community with amenities, schools and other benefits that come with money. The middle class group was able to to build a partial community, with some amenities but not as much luxury as those in affluent neighborhoods.
The poor group was tasked with building a community with limited resources, struggling to survive. Some student attendees said the session was eye-opening, allowing them to discuss a side of life in communities across Alabama they had never seen before.
The students, a diverse group from 38 inner-city, suburban and rural high schools, talked candidly about how economic status and race can cause you to be stereotyped. They shared how the session provided an opportunity to empathize with what people of other economic statuses deal with, and reflected on their own lifestyles.
Upcoming seniors Elijah Garrett of Chelsea High and Ashlyn Carter of Hoover High, both 17, said it was an eye-opening experience. Carter said she has learned that teens of different backgrounds share similarities.
“What I’ve enjoyed most so far is meeting new people who have drastic differences than me and just being able to connect with new people,” she said.
Added Garrett, “What I hope to get out of this is make a whole bunch of new friends and to be with people who see the world as I do, and learn from others.”
Adam Jusino, 14, an upcoming sophomore at Helena High, said the camp has enabled him to learn about diverse cultures.
“What I hope to get out of it is to learn about different people and how no matter where we’re from we are all the same,” Jusino said
Anytown Alabama is a week-long residential camp started by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) in 1989, and since 2011 has been held each summer in partnership with the YWCA Central Alabama in Birmingham. At Anytown, students are challenged to consider how they can make their schools and communities more fair and inclusive for all.
Participants learn to respond to difficult real-life situations with kindness, courage and respect, said Rebecca Harkless, co-director of Anytown Alabama and coordinator of social justice at the YWCA Central Alabama. She said interaction with a diverse group at camp prepares students for life after high school, where cultural sensitivity and the ability to communicate with all types of people are crucial.
Other life-changing topics to be covered include: racism, religious oppression, sexism and heterosexism.
“They come to Camp Hargis for a weeklong of learning about social justice issues like race and privilege,” Harkless said. “We want the delegates to get out of their comfort zone and be empowered to be leaders in their communities. We want them to go back to their communities and make positive changes.
Sarah Lib Patrick, 15, an upcoming sophomore at Homewood High School, said she was amazed at how economics impact life in so many areas.
“I learned more about different people, different cultures and the way they are affected by the way they live,” Sarah Lib said.
Jere Spillers, 16, an upcoming junior at Pelham High School, said the camp has inspired him to be a better person especially when it comes to treating others of diverse backgrounds.
“So far I’ve enjoyed having to come together, rely on each other, build trust in each other and make new friendships,” he said.
