Nov 1, 2011

Faith vs. fear

As a result of local anti-poverty initiatives, Central Lakes College speech instructor Kari Frisch is participating in a world-wide project to end hunger. She is involved with the Hunger and Agriculture Griots Project, a program designed to train passionate volunteers into powerful spokespersons in the fight against hunger. It is sponsored by the World Food Program, WFP-USA and ONE. Her "Service for CLC" blog http://serviceforclc.blogspot.com/ explains the activity. Kari is taking a six-week online "Groit" course, which includes access to cutting-edge articles, videos, lectures and fact sheets about global hunger and sustainable agriculture, as well as skill-building tutorials. In West Africa, a Griot is a storyteller, a singer, a history keeper and an agent of cultural change. As a participant Kari has agreed to organize her own action project to educate and mobilize peers, learn to write letters to the editor and to use new media tools for advocacy, and refine public speaking and presentation skills. She is attempting to recruit at least 11 more and to create a social network buzz at the 11th hour through a "Team11" concept, focusing on 11-11-11 as a day for donors to give non-perishable food items to local food shelves. One may also donate food globally by playing a game at freerice.com and recruit 11 other people. "One of the largest lessons I've learned about myself from the class so far," Kari said, "was that I was going to have to rely on faith versus fear."