Reflections on Outreach with Sustainable Options for Youth

Akins High is a school with a wall of honor with pictures of students in the Military, a large JROTC, and many students with family in the Military. Susan, Tami and I recently visited Akins High and it was an epic day. In the first moments of lunch we had visitors to our table in the middle of the cafeteria. There was interest in our pull up bar but embarrassment was keeping them from trying. To get a free shirt they had to do pull-ups, hang, or vote in our penny poll. So to help ease the courage to the pull-up bar I started in on my pull-ups in the middle of everyone. Then an administrator, either a principal or teacher, came to tell me the pull-up bar was a distraction to the students and that I had to move my pull-up bar outside to the courtyard, just outside the doors to the cafeteria, where many students where hanging out. I agreed but wasn't too happy with being separated from the table with Susan and Tami. Outside the students snuck glances at me. So I told everyone I was just kicked out of the Cafeteria for being a distraction. That and a set of 15 pull ups brought a constant crowd for the entire lunch period. A lot of sport jackets and challenges for a polo shirt that one student left at the other’s house. The pressure was really getting to one young man who kept growing more nervous as the crowd grew and grew. His eyes were popping left and right. I told him not to look at the people in the crowd. Look up cause that’s where you need to go. It seemed that he was the focus of attention for forever. In that time a student yelled from the crowd, "A Freshman and a White Girl showed you up". A great opportunity to explain gender dynamics. And I was there to take it. So when he started I was relieved. He knocked out 15 with ease and could have gone further.

For the second lunch we moved the tables outside. Tami gathered rocks to keep our flyers from flying off into the wind and we found our spot at Akins High until further notice. It was this lunch period I heard many times, "Oh , I'm already in". Thinking this was another DEP conned by a recuiter. I was corrected. The National Guard has a program where a kid can go to Basic Training at Fort Benning between their Junior and Senior year. Upon Graduation off they are off to AIT. The kid even showed me his Military ID!! I was shocked. He then took all the flyers on Militarism and thanked me for talking to him. I explained the objectification of people. How in reception all civilians are lazy and stupid then to Pouges and Dirty Nasty Legs. He was concerned. He walked back to his crew in the courtyard and I remembered I had a stack of GI Rights Hotline cards in my bag. Then I broke a rule. I walked away from the table into the yard and explained the Hotline. He said he would keep the card, and I believe him. From my own investigation to how I was militarized, I have been watching the 80's TV show The A-Team. Something from that show is the feeling of Jazz. I felt the Jazz at Akins High today. All the shirts are gone and we got to get ready for Austin High next Tuesday. Thanks to Susan and Tami.

Penny Poll Results are as follows. Humanitarian Aid 11 - Military 43 - Environment 51 - Health Care 56 - Education 72. This vote would give us Free College Education, Health Care and the ability to keep companies from Fracking with Mother Earth. And I let the kids know that. Empowerment. – Hart Viges