Lipan Spreads the Global Issue
High School students learn about world hunger problems.
Solving hunger has been a recurring generational problem that seems to be affected by four components: technology, distribution, government and politics.
Lipan HS teachers, Mary Ervin and Callie Pack came together to demonstrate how we can end world hunger. Dividing their students into different social groups helped them see different perspectives on the issue. The upper class, seated with an elegant table set and fine china, received a fancy sparkling water and blueberry muffins. The middle class was situated at a mediocre table with cereal, while the lower class was placed on the floor with rice and “dirty” water.
After sitting in their respective areas, Ervin and Pack presented the students with a TED Talk on a program called Hunger Banquet. The video explains how Hunger Banquet uses local farmers to supply the communities with food, allowing them to be self-sufficient. For example, if a village had a good year of producing with enough supplies, they will put some back and use it whenever needed.
As an upper-class country, most people believe the U.S. doesn’t suffer from this concern. However, there are more than 41 million malnourished Americans and about 70% of the world is lower class.
The purpose of this activity was to open the eyes of our students and let them see everything from a different perspective.
“We wanted our students to be more aware of the issue and appreciative of the opportunities they have,” Ervin states.
“As for me, I wanted my students to consider others' home lives and realize the importance of global hunger,” says Pack.
Hunger is a very serious problem that needs to be addressed and Lipan’s teachers have done their part in spreading awareness to their students.