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The Prep Hosts 9th Annual Teen Hunger Summit
On December 5 Seton Hall Prep convened the 9th annual Teen Hunger Summit, with student groups from more than a dozen metro-area high schools gathering to brainstorm on strategies to deal with the world-wide issues surrounding hunger and malnutrition. SHP Director of Service Learning Vincent McMahon welcomed the guests with the admonition that a day spent simply concluding that “hunger is bad” or to merely empathizing with those suffering from hunger would be time ill-spent. He challenged the students to devise real-world solutions using modern technology and strategies. The more than 150 students and their advisers set off for workshops, returning later to the auditorium to report on their discussions and their “action plans” that would be brought back to their schools...
... Among the topics of the workshops were: how to direct specific talents towards effective volunteerism; mobilizing community projects; understanding the effects of climate change on global food production; providing nutrition in hard economic times, among others. While the students met in classrooms throughout the building, the advisers convened in the Media Center to exchange strategies that they and their school’s student activists can employ to make an impact.
Each student workshop group came up with three action points to present to the closing assembly. Many of the groups touched on the need to contact area politicians about the issues surrounding hunger and the need to work concerns about a changing climate into the discussion. Other innovative ideas included individual and group challenges to reduce carbon footprints; developing fundraising strategies for local foodbanks and pantries; and providing donation bins outside school cafeterias to collect uneaten or unopened food.
The schools represented were Barack Obama Charter School, Benedictine Academy, Bishop Loughlin, Becton Regional, Jonathan Dayton, DePaul Catholic, High Tech High School, Madison High School, Noble Leadership Academy, Oak Knoll, Paramus Catholic, Readington Middle School, Roselle Catholic and Villa Walsh.
The morning’s activities were directed by Director of Service Learning Vincent McMahon, Director of Campus Ministry Sharon Rondinella, and The Community FoodBank’s Community Outreach Coordinator Diana Levy.
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