Mayra's Story- Children's Peace Prize Awards

Alexandra Flynn

Humanities Period 1-8

17/Oct./2012

Mayra’s Story

About 25 percent of the poorest children do not attend school(pubmed.com). In Rio, many children in the favelas (of Rio de Janeiro) do not go to school, and thousands of homeless children lack any opportunity to better their lives(Brazilian Streer Children). Mayra, 15 year old girl who lived in Rio de Janeiro, was lucky enough to get an education until her school was closed down due to safety reasons. She grew up in one of the most violent favelas in Rio de Janeiro, and it was not possible for herself and the rest of the children in her favela to attend school. This is why Mayra decided to take a stand and defend her rights by marching against violence along with her friends and family. Because the conditions were so bad in Rio de Janeiro, Mayra gained the will power to fight against the violence and strive to help everyone stand up for their rights.

Because Mayra knows how important education is for her and others, she chose to defend her right to education. ‘When Mayra was only 11 years old her favela was closed off by so many checkpoints that schools and clinics had to be closed because doctors and teachers could not reach them.’ (kidsrights.org.) At such a young age, it is crucial to have education as this is when one is  learning how to live and make the right choices. Obviously because Mayra was not able to go to school safely, she did not want the rest of her favela to have the same disadvantage. With Mayra being so young, it took a lot of courage to stand up to the police and the government, nevertheless, not once did she back down. Mayra stoof up to the government by marching against violence along with her friends and family by her side in 2008. ‘This took great courage, as the march passed by many of these armed police patrols.’# When it was no longer safe to attend school, she immediately took charge.

Even at such a young age, one can tell that Mayra truly cares about the citizens of Rio de Janeiro by taking a stand. By the way her actions have affected the rest of her favela, it shows that she was not afraid to defend her right to education. ‘When Mayra was 15 years old, she mobilized hundreds of youths to participate in a community march against violence.’(http://www.kidsrights.org)  This shows that Mayra truly cares about education and the rest of her favela, as it would have been hard to stand up to adults or people who may feel they are superior to her because of her age.  Mayra knows because of her courage and bravery, it has given children and the rest of Rio de Janeiro hope for the future. She took the time to fight for her right to education. As a result, the police soon agreed to make things safer, rather than patrolling the school with guns in their hands.

Mayra continues to stand up for children’s educational rights, as she knows what it is like to live in brutal and violent conditions. By protesting against the government, Mayra has not only given the children but also the rest of Rio de Janeiro hope for a better future. In 2007, 4 million children of school age are not in school(Mayra’s Story). In some states in Rio de Janeiro, almost 80% of children do not attend school(Kidsrights.com). This is why it was crucial for someone like Mayra to come and defend the people of Rio de Janeiro.
 

1. http://www.kidsrights.org/InternationalChildrensPeacePrize/Winners.aspx
2. http://www.abctrust.org.uk/useful_docs/Jubilee_Action_EN.pdf

I Am From...

Clear Blue Oceans Sparkling in The Sun

I am from the clear blue oceans, sparkling in the sun.

 From the playgrounds, with ‘real’ grass, the kind that sticks to you when you run.

I am from the perfect weather, even on a

Cloudy day.

I am Hi5 and The Wiggles, Polly Pocket and Barbie Dolls.  I am vegemite sandwiches eaten every meal of the day.

I am my sister, my role model since forever; I am my brother, who makes me feel like I am the boss of everything. I am my parents, who will always be there for me.

Carefully put in the back of my draw, in an orderly sequence, is an album, full of evidence of all these unforgettable moments.

Was it Fair?

Was the Treaty of Versailles- fair or unfair? Justify.

I feel that it was quite fair, or at least as fair as anyone could make it. I think the Germans were to blame. When I say Germans, of course I do not mean the whole of Germany and every citizen, I mean the ones who started the war; the ones who needed to be blame for causing such a commotion.

Many Europeans believed in punishing the Germans and they were to blame, no one else. The 'Great War' went on for just over 4 years! The German society had a lot to pay and give back. In fact, they had to pay $33 billion dollars! Here are a few "rules" Germany had to go by:

80. Germany will respect the independence of Austria.
81. Germany recognizes the complete independence of Czechoslovakia.
87. Germany recognizes the complete independence of Poland.
119. Germany surrenders all her rights and titles over her overseas
countries.
159. The German military forces shall be demobilized and reduced not
to exceed 100,000 men.
181. The German navy must not exceed 6 battleships, 6 light cruisers,
12 destroyers, and 12 torpedo boats. No submarines are to be included.
198. The Armed Forces of Germany must not include any military or
naval air forces.
231. Germany and her Allies accept the responsibility for causing all
the loss and damage to the Allied Powers.
233. Germany will pay for all damages done to the civilian population
and property of the Allied Governments. [The figure was later set at
$33 billion].
428. To guarantee the execution of the Treaty, the German territory
situated to the west of the Rhine River will be occupied by Allied
troops for fifteen years.
431. The occupation forces will be withdrawn as soon as Germany
complies with the Treaty.

"Many Europeans were more interested in punishing the Germans than in preventing another world war. After all, the United States had been at war for just one year. Its European allies had been fighting for over four years. David Lloyd George of Britain demanded that Germany pay for the trouble it had caused; Vittorio Orlando of Italy insisted on a share of

Germany’s colonial empire. And France’s Georges Clemenceau required not only the return of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, but also assurances that his nation would be safe from future German aggression."

-Treaty of Versaille

Learning Profiles... Again.

1. I learn best when......

I am alone and I can concentrate well. I learn best through movement and by focusing on the whole picture. When I am relaxed, I may see, hear, and easily communicate details and sequences of information, both verbally and written.

2. I need to .....

Make more lists, learn to time manage, force myself to finish what I start, break large concepts into smaller ones to help process information and understand, I can use outlines, draw pictures, make maps to clarify relationships between pieces of information, and many other things.

3. The strategies that would help me in my learning....

• Sitting where I can process internally.
• Things like Lazy 8's and Thinking Caps Brain Gym will help.
• Activities like writing, drawing with non dominant hand, playing soccer, and doing martial arts will help a lot.

4. I would like my teachers to know this about me.....

I may not be looking directly at the teacher or speaker, but it does not mean I am not listening, and there are something I cannot help but do like clicking my pen, or swinging on my chair, but it is just the way that I learn.

Me in 3

I could choose any old thing in my room. As I look around there is a whole bunch of things that could describe who I am, but then I look over to my desk where piles of things lay and I know now, that these three things that I have chosen are not just any old items. They will tell you who I really am, on the inside and out. The number one item that I knew I had to choose was a calendar my best friend gave me before she left for Turkey at the end of last year. The next item does not mean too much to me, but I’m sure in a way it will uncover me and my story; my Thoroughly Modern Millie DVD. And ‘finally’ the last item I choose is my planners. These three items may seem like the normal things that anyone would have in there room, but this shows a lot of who I am, and here is why.

My first item is a calendar that my Best Friend gave to me before she had left for Turkey. This calendar was actually put together by her; she put pictures of us together in times from second grade and above. This means a lot to me because even though I can skype and chat to her, it will never be the same, but when I look at this, I remember all the good times we had and all the fun.

My second item is my planners. If you look at my desk or around my room, there are millions of them everywhere. That is because I always like to write things down and be very organized. For example if I do not write something down then I will forget it and never do it. But my planners always keep me very organized and on time for things, so they are very helpful.


Finally my third item is my Thoroughly Modern Millie DVD, this is the DVD of the school play I was cast in last year. I was very proud of myself when I got in, seeing that I wasn’t expecting it at all. I auditioned because I thought I would get a good acting experience out of it. Ever since second grade when I did participated in a drama activity, I have always wanted to be an actress. I swore that when I grew up I would become famous and be in the most well known films and plays. I’ve always loved being on stage and getting in the spotlight and all the attention.

So these items are just a few that explain who I am, and what life is to me. As I said these three items may not mean a lot to me, I hope they have described to you life in the eyes of Alexandra Flynn.

Behind the Name

My Name

Darcey, Bridget, Molly...None of those names fit me. When my parents told me they considered calling me, those names, I nearly vomited. Not that names like Bridget, Molly and Darcey aren’t good ones; it’s just that Alexandra is so much better. When you say it, it just rolls off your tongue and you know exactly who you’re talking about. Whenever I say my name, I hate it; it never seems right. It doesn’t feel like my name -- almost like I am a whole different person.

When I was younger, I was sure I would legally change my name to Charlie. First of all I really liked the name, and second of all it was the name of my favorite star from the show Hi-5. I never really liked my name when I was younger, but as I got older I started to enjoy it more. In my family everyone has normal names, names that are so common like Nick, Maddy, Harry... but my name, it was so different to me. If I can remember right, I’ve only ever met at least 3 Alexandra’s. 3, that’s it. Can you believe how many Maddy, Nick, or Harry’s I would have met if I counted them all.

Teasing. No one ever really teased me. Nothing that ever really hurt. Some people would tell me I was “definitely” a boy, for they called me Alex, but I never took any of that too seriously. Alex is something everyone has been calling me since I was in 1st grade. I never even wanted people to call me Alex; I thought it was a boy’s name. In fact I hated it. Everyone started calling me it because they said Alexandra was to long. When I moved from place to place, I guess it just stuck with me.

I think Alexandra fits me perfectly. It describes exactly who I am; Different, but shy at the same time, not afraid to tell people who I am. Everything I am, amusing, lovely, cheerful. I could go on forever on what this names means to me. Well, I love it, and I’m glad my name is what it is.

My Bio Poem

Alexandra Mary

Restless, Amusing, Impatient,
Best Friend of Caoimhe, Close to family,
Adores food, Adventure, Justin Bieber, and friends.
Once felt embarrassed, trapped, alone, and isolated
Hates Criminals, and losing close family members and friends,
Dreadfully scared of clowns, being trapped,
Luckily got into the play last year, learned to play touch rugby very skillfully.
Would love to go Skydiving, cast in another play,
I would love to get into the play this year, get better at acting, dancing, and singing,

Ampang, K.l, Malaysia

Flynn