Voice, Agency, and Protest-- Student Civic Engagement A Collection of writing and works by Qatar Academy Sidra Grade 9 Language and Literature Students
What is Voice? How do we use it? What is agency? When do we employ it? Why do people protest? How do people protest? When do we feel responsible for our thoughts, ideas, speech and action? How do we "show up"? How do we reveal our responsibilities? *These are questions grade 9 Qatar Academy Sidra students asked during this unit. Background Our Voice, Agency, and Protest unit was framed by the statement of inquiry, “People use voice and agency in the public sphere based on their point of view, the time, place and purpose.” Our key concepts included Time, place and space The intrinsically-linked concept of time, space and place refers to the absolute or relative position of people, objects and ideas. 'Time, place and space' focuses on how we construct and use our understanding of location (“where” and “when”). Our Global concept was fairness and development, specifically civic responsibility and the public sphere. Students engaged in Qatar Debates sessions about Social Movements, read Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott, read Black Lives Matter by Dr. Duchess Harris, analyzed Chloe Collyer’s photo essay, “Youth Activism” and students examined social movements they cared about. Students learned that voice is not just about what we say but where and how we say it. Students learned that agency is about the power they have now to let the world know what matters to them. Welcome to the issues that Grade 9 Qatar Academy Sidra students care about. Welcome to their “voice.” They employed their agency in choosing their social issue and their product or text type. Their work reveals their thoughts about Palestine, climate change, #BLM, biased media coverage, rights of children as well as animal testing. Their work varies from poetry to video PSAs, from Photo Essays to political cartoons and from comics to acrylic paintings. Please take time to read the student’s rationales. They are there to help you take in their choices and shed light on their ideas.
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Title of Work
Creator
Text Type Page
“Memory”
Loura AlShareef
PSA Video
4-5
“Al Quds Will Once Again Come Alive” Reem Mahmoud
Visual Poem
6-9
“Home and Palestine”
Hassan Al-Rashid
Photo Essay
10-13
“Open Letter to the World”
Zeinab Abdelgawad
Epistolary
14-15
“BLM”
Papecheikh Badiane
Comic
16-17
“The Mighty Umbrella”
Ahmed Iqbal
Poster
18-19
“Arab from Old Days”
Rashid Al-Shafi
Poem
20
“Vaccinate Yourself”
Harley Deguzman
PSA Poster
21
“Fire Sky”
Lyes Kalache
Acrylic on Canvas
22-23
“No To Bullying”
Amira Wanace
Watercolor Painting
24-25
“Save Palestine”
Abdullah Al-Alem
Poster
26-27
“Photo Essay for Palestine”
Fares Fawzy
Photo Essay
28-30
“What I Want to Say”
Abdulaziz Al-Enazi
Non-fiction
31
“Palestine’s Freedom”
Abdulla Al-Jehaish
Poster
32-33
“Biased Media”
Nouf AlBakri
Political Cartoon
34-35
“Human Use”
Mathew George
Acrylic on Canvas
36-37
“If you See it, Report it”
Yanis Kalache
PSA Poster
38-39
“Earth Appeal”
Eiddan Cleland
PSA Poster
40-41
“#Killallmen”
Basant El-Sadany
Comic
42
“PLM”
Maryam Al-Shamari
Comic
43
“Home”
Bader Qassas
Collage
44
“Palestine Will Be Free”
Saeed Al-Naeimi
Poster
45
“Golden Dome”
Tasniim Abdullahi
Acrylic on Canvas
46-47
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“Memory” Loura AlShareef’s Creative Rationale:
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hrough my product, I am fighting injustice and oppression because it is my duty as a privileged
teenager living in a safe country to inform and educate people. When people see what I have created using my own choices and agency, I hope that they can see that people in Palestine are oppressed and that we are facing a genocide and that it's our responsibility to help as much as we can, by donating, posting, protesting, etc. Even though I am not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to speak and educate others on this important issue because it is a tool that can connect me to other people and beyond. This is important because everyone should at least be educated on this topic and I hope I can do that through this product. The social issue of war in Palestine has a significant importance to me because I care deeply about Palestine's freedom and their struggle for equality. This is crucial because as humans no one should ever be subjected to violence and tragedy of their own country. This is the reason I want to advocate for Palestines because I believe that everyone should have basic human rights. The purpose of protests is to stand up in what you believe, and to use your voice and power to create change. If I think about point of view and civic responsibility, I think of the actions we can do as individuals to create change in bigger issues, I also think of how we can socially participate in social events that stand up for a good cause. Social media has become a big platform that people use to engage the public sphere. I think this is a great way to deliver your message across to thousands of people, it's also a great tool that can spread your message because in the end social media is helping us tackle some of the world's biggest challenges from human rights violations to climate change. Our part as privileged human beings is to stand up with the less fortunate and the less privileged.
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Creator: Loura AlShareef Title of work: Memory Media: PSA digital (Vllo) Issue/Theme: War in Palestine
Link to video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V-FxQlE-w6UiFqL7DGVskqlIRzv0Nm9x/view?usp=sharing
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“Al Quds Will Once Again Come Alive” Reem Mahmoud’s Creative Rationale:
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he issue of Palestine is important to me because it's an issue which has been happening for years, more specifically since 1949. The families in Palestine have been under attack for years, living in terror, anticipating when the next attack will be. This year the Palestine issue has been getting more attention and is trending because Palestine was under attack again, this time it was during the Holy month of Ramadan, where they know that the Palestiniens cannot do anything but watch in horror. In just a few weeks, Israel had dropped more than 50 missiles in each Palestinian area, burning down houses, exploding hospitals, and even taking members of families from inside the safety of their homes. Although many people are pro-Palestine and are fighting for attention towards this issue, I decided to choose this issue because I still see many who are pro-Israel, and I want to make them understand the issue, and understand the terror and destruction they’re causing by supporting the acts of the Israeli Military. To become a member of those with civic responsibility, I chose to represent my agency and voice through a poem. I wrote the poem in the form of a comic, where the main “character” was Al Quds. I wrote the poem for two different audiences, I wrote it as if I was speaking to people in Palestine, specifically kids, but from the other perspective, I wrote it to show pro-Israelis that the families in Palestine are living in terror, with no peace. My poem is titled “Al Quds Will Once Again Come Alive” and from two perspectives, this title shows hope to those in Palestine, and it is also a sort of threat to pro-Israelis to show them that Al-Quds will once again be a symbol for peace and tranquility. That they can try to take it away now, but it will be back. I know there are others who see this issue from a different perspective than I do, but I wanted to create this poem to make them feel guilty and threatened in a way. To show them that at the end of the day, everyone believes that Al-Quds will always belong to Palestine. I think my work shows two different emotions, hope and terror. It describes the fears of Citizens in Palestine, but it’s made to remind them that one day, it will all go back to how it was. With the happiness and peace it once had, the trepidation will disappear. Even though I am not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to use my agency and share my voice on this issue and that is important because, even if I contribute little, I want others to see my work and feel any type of emotions towards my work. Even if they’re pro-Israeli and their emotion towards my work is negative, or anger in any way, I will be very proud of what I’ve achieved. Because this just means that my message got through to them. My creation is an individual voice but it is part of a collective voice as well--I say this because I am only one part of many others, of millions of people who are pro-Palestine. This poem contributes 1/100000, therefore all of us together, we are all collectively using our voice to express our opinions on this issue Civic responsibility is the term used to describe those who are educated and actively participate in communities. To me, civic responsibility is using your agency and voice to form educated opinions and share them with others, to bring attention to issues that are in need of it. To be an informed citizen who believes in what's right, and how to get more people to understand that view. Having civic responsibility, is also knowing the risks to protesting or speaking up about certain issues, in different manners. Depending on the situation, where you are, and what the major audience thinks, protesting can be very dangerous, for example if you’re in a country which is pro-Israeli and a few of the citizens are pro-Palestinian, protesting might lead to certain issues, such as hate
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crimes and violence, maybe even sometimes getting shut off my the government officials who beleive that you should not have the right to speak up on that issue. By speaking up about this Palestinian issue, I am currently taking no risks, because I am fortunate enough to live in a country where the majority believes in pro-Palestian. But I am taking the risk of upsetting pro-Israelis who might get mad enough to fight back at me, which of course I’d be happy with that, because that would just give me the opportunity to try and talk with the person in hopes of educating them, with facts and evidence to back me up. As long as they have any type of reaction, it means that the information is being understood. There are many different types of protests, other than the more known protests, where you march in the streets with signs, you can also protest in sit-ins, boycotts, occupying a space, or simply just gathering in a symbolic area. There are protests which are silent, and some which don’t need gathering. You can protest through drama, art, music, speeches, and through poetry. I think that protesting and engaging with petitions is one of the 10 ways that are the most effective. The reason why is because when you're protesting or donating you're taking an immediate effective action to engage with the movement. Protesting works in situations where you're convincing a large public opinion to try and be more open minded and listen to what you think is right, examples of this could be the protests for racial or social injustice, refugee and worker rights. Usually many people take the action of protesting when it's to convince the government or the hierarchies to listen and understand what they want to change or add to the law. Getting involved in a protest is the best action to take that can make the movement have a great boost. Protests with a larger number of people are known to be greatly shared in the media compared to protests which only have a small number of participants. Therefore, if you take part in a protest, this will count as having more people in that protest, and it will enhance the effectiveness of the protest, which then the protest will greaten the effectiveness of the entire movement.
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Al quds will once again, come alive How can one sing Songs of pleasure In the lands of gnashing teeth? The tranquility gone And left no treasure ‘Cept for carts of Ashen greif Fine songs lack Rules for measure And no dreams do The citizens believe In trepidation The wind still sings Fear not the darkness That evil brings Feel on your skin The breaths of spring The hour is high Children under the desolate sky Fear not the darkness Al quds will once again, come alive
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Creator: Reem Mahmoud Title of work: Fire Sky Media: Paper, pen, Colored pencil Issue/Theme: Climate Change
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“Palestine and Home” Hassan Al Rashid’s Creative Rationale:
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s a risk-taker, I chose to make a photo essay, because firstly, I have never created or planned for
a photo essay, and secondly, I thought that using pictures and trying to make people actually pay attention. Photos seem to be the most effective way to captivate my audience and share my views. The focus of this photo essay is generally Palestine, but firmly Gaza. This is really important to me, because everyone in Palestine is suffering, dying and suffering the consequences. I hope others who don’t see it the same way can change their perspective. I think my work shows a clear POV of what is happening in our world and especially our country Palestine, because I used some methods that actually show trapness, freedom, and war. Even though I’m not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to remember, convey, indicate exactly what is happening everyday, and never forget about this mess. My creation is an individual voice part of a collective one and people have the ability to change their minds and help reconstruct Palestine. I hope that they are able to understand, and never forget about this situation, so I’m raising awareness, generally trying to spread the word to the world. I know that protests can be risky, the greatest and most dangerous risk is COVID, because of the pandemic it is really dangerous to protest and gather with people you have no idea who they are. The second risk would also be violence. There have been a lot of incidents reported, the use of guns, knives, other objects thrown at police and military. Because of people's decisions, the police and the military have to do something; the people will suffer because of their decisions. The cops now deal with protesters with water cannons, tasers, gas canisters, baton rounds, or other weapons. Also another reason for not taking kids/teens to protest, is because of the threats and abusive language. When I think about voicing or using my agency for a social issue, the risk is COVID, because I haven’t been vaccinated yet, and this pandemic is a huge deal. I cannot socialize with anyone. For me, civic responsibility means the liability to be called upon to respond to an action or law for an injury caused by a crime. I think the most effective ways to use my voice and agency include creating huge posters that are attractive to the eye. During this unit, I have seen, read, and researched various ways people protested, like individual, collective, and social voices. When different points of view are in conflict over an issue, this can cause the people in the conflict to be stuck in the first position, they lack the objectivity of shifting to third to get the bigger picture. In my own words, the purpose of protests is to make people accept what’s happening, and to send a message to the world.
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“Interlocking Mechanism”
“Disoriented Cavity”
“Stealthy Youngster”
“Sensational Trap
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“Fascinating Speed”
“Abandoned Accommodations”
“Panic Reliever”
“Superior Rage”
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“Deceived Hole”
“Marvelous Avalanche”
Creator: Hassan Al-Rashid Title of work: Palestine and Home, a Photo Essay Media: iphone Issue/Theme: Home, Belonging, Palestine
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“Open Letter to the World” Zeinab Abdelgawad’s Creative Rationale:
I
wanted to spread more awareness for the people in Palestine and be the voice for the people
who have been silenced. I've always liked talking about human rights and what's happening in Palestine is messed up. People aren't posting much about what is happening and other people are taking advantage of it because they want to get famous. But spreading awareness isn't “fame,” it's called having humanity and standing up for what you think is right. “To stand with Palestine is to stand with Humanity”. This has been happening for over 5 decades with nothing on Palestine's side, no army to help, no weapons to defend themselves. But yet, till this day, Palestinians are fighting for their rights and for the freedom they deserve. They would be protesting knowing they are risking their lives--knowing that at any point an Israeali soldier could take away their lives. This recent awareness about Palestinian struggle and the recent attacks prove how ppl aren’t ready to accept the truth. So I'm writing a letter to the world to tell them about it and show how Israel treats them. And a letter is more personal than just an informative paragraph so it makes the words more heartfelt and meaningful.
Dear WorldHello. My name is Zainab and I'm a 14 year old and I am not from Palestine but I have been seeing what's happening and I'm not going to stay silent about the horrible things happening to innocent people in Palestine! Palestinians are being assaulted and executed. Several lynchings of unarmed and unprotected Palestinians have effectively occurred over the most recent fourteen days. Families in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheik Jarrah are confronting ethnic purification and removal from their homes. I have seen too many photos and videos showing me that we have lost humanity. Seeing the posts and photos and videos of the horrible things Palestinieans have to go through almost everyday is heartbreaking. Watching them suffer and trying to seek refuge-- they are losing lives of people who were so close to them whether it's a parent or a child or a friend. Watching them beg and cry for mercy is heartbreaking.
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I have been posting on Instagram about what's happening in Palestine. I have even made my account public for more people to witness what's happening. People are getting tired of posting about what's happening but imagine having to go through it in person. Nothing is guaranteed. No stability. No shelter. No medical care. No education. No future. No tomorrow. We are fortunate enough to be able to shut off our phones and sleep peacefully. We can go off social media and forget about the struggles of the world. Unfortunately, others do not have this advantage. Their suffering does not end with a night's sleep. They wake up from a dream to live a nightmare. The world has been silent for too long. We have failed for so long to acknowledge the ongoing oppression and ethnic cleansing. As if it is some sort of video game. A child's life has become so worthless to these people, it is seen as another token. Each human life is not a trophy that soldiers are collecting. How is a child with a rock equal to a soldier with thousand dollar ammunition? COVID is a pandemic but you know what else is? The lack of humanity. Humans without humanity are monsters. We have the brains and materials and money and resources but our humanity determines whether that is a good or bad thing. Lacking human emotion makes all the power we have, very dangerous. We must act now before we are too late. Pick up your phone. Post. Donate. Raise awareness. Educate yourself. Do not stand aside and watch. There is nothing that gaurentees you will not be in the Palestinian’s place one day. If that day comes, the world will be with you and stand by you just like you stood with them. Yours truly, Zainab Abdelgawad
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“BLM” Papecheikh Badiane’s Creative Rationale:
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he reason I chose to do a comic strip is because I wanted to demonstrate a fun way to solve a
serious problem. I also wanted to be creative and figure out more about that software. It was a website with lots of tools and was perfect for a comic strip so I chose that and I started. The reason I chose BLM is because I feel like it's the most important to me now; people are dying because of police brutality and I feel it's wrong even kids are being killed for holding toy guns. It's not fair and more often someone that does not appear black or brown are warned or arrested but if they are black they kill them without hesitation. I think you should let your voice be heard but you shouldn’t risk your life for it. The risk I am taking is the risk of people not agreeing to my ideas or maybe turning me down and I will be less confident in what I say. I feel like being civically responsible means to be active in events and help the city in a way you could maybe contribute by getting a job and working to help the civilization. BLM helps and works to help civilization.
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Creator: Papecheikh Badiane Title of work: #BLM Media: digital Issue/Theme: Police Brutality
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“The Mighty Umbrella” Ahmed Iqbal’s Creative Rationale:
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he reason why I chose my topic to be climate change is because I think climate change is the
biggest issue in the world that I am willing to protest about. The reason why I think climate change is important is because Climate change affects everything on earth including nature, animals, humans, natural disasters and many more. Climate change just won't affect our generations but many more to come, and even more animals that don't deserve to lose their homes or become extinct such as the passenger pigeon. Climate change also makes the earth warmer which makes it more hot during the summer in some countries which can massvilt impact nature and human lives. Rising sea levels is a cause from glaciers melting from climate change which means in the future some islands would be gone because of rising sea levels. My thought process with my work is I want people to understand ways that they can help stop climate change by Recycling, Using natural energy, planting a tree, stopping deforestation and reusing. The umbrella is supposed to show by doing these things such as planting trees and recycling it will protect the earth. Also I added some text to the side to get my message across to the people who don't understand what I am trying to draw and imagine. The main reason why I made my PSA poster is to spread awareness to people so they can understand about climate change because I think it is the biggest issue the world faces today. I hope that people can become more knowledgeable about climate change when they see and read my PSA poster, because that is the purpose of it. I think that joining a physical protest requires you to be an IB learner profile which is a risk taker, because I think joining a protest is risky. The reason why I think it is risky is when you protest you are spreading and sharing strong beliefs that you believe that other people may find to be offensive or be mad at which could result in some violence. Also if you are a leader of a protest people may send death threats to you or your family and sometimes they may even kill you which happened to Martin Luthur King Jr and Malcom X. I think the best way for me to protest and voice my agency is by using social media. I am able to reach out to more people on social media than I am in person. With 1 post or tweet I can reach 10s of thousands of people if it goes viral, which would show some awareness for my issue and topic. I believe the point of protests is to spread awareness for a topic and I think to make a change because the people are not satisfied with what is going on in the country. Protest may take a long time to set in such as BLM becuse they were protesting ever since slavery and there has ben a big improment, but people are still not satisfied in the way African Americans are treated in America. In this unit I learnt the many ways people protest such as music, art, and social media. I think music and social media have the biggest impact, because they both have access to more people than art would. It is easy for someone to stumble upon a song which talks about protest and the same with a post. Also, it is easy to take music and a post at face value compared to an artwork which requires you to decipher what is in the art and what the artist wanted to communicate about.
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Creator: Ahmed Iqbal Title of work: The Mighty Umbrella Media: Colored pencil, markers, paper and pencil Issue/Theme: Climate Change
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“Arab from Old Days” Rashid Al-Shafi’s Creative Rationale:
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alestine is important to me because what happens there for the Palestinian citizens is not fair because they are being killed and kicked out of their country. I wanted to clarify my ideas in poetry. My poem is a way for me to show my opinion. I'm not the only man that protests through poetry, we read Say Her Name by Zetta Elliot and all the poems were protest poems. I hope people try to search and know the truth, not what some biased channels publish. When people see what I have created using my own choices and agency, I hope they appreciate the time it took me to work and try to search about what happens there. I think the most effective ways to use my voice and my agency is when you protest but many do it online because these days social media feels less risky. I know that is different than someone who protest in real life because the rules are different. We learned many ways to make your voice heard--holding posters, writing poems, banners, and lastly going to protest in real life and having mic and talk with a loud voice. My poem is not loud but it is my voice.
Palestine Poem I am Arab From old days Tales of war Bombs are flying Bodies multiplying See the people crying What are you fighting for? Oh Palestine Oh Palestine
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“Vaccinate Yourself” Harley Deguzman’s Creative Rationale:
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ro vaccination is important to me because people are dying. I chose to use my agency and voice
using a poster because it’s my best and easiest way to do things like this. I know there are others who see this issue from a different perspective than I do, but I wanted to create this to show people that they’re putting people’s lives at risk. Even though I am not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to use my voice and that is important because I want to help people. I’m giving my opinion and that’s risky. When I think about voicing my ideas or using my agency for a social issue, the risk I am taking is voicing my opinion because there’s going to be lots of people telling me I’m wrong. To be civically responsible means a list of rules but for me personally, it means normal responsibility.
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“Fire Sky” Lyes Kalache’s Creative Rationale:
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he social issue of Wildfires and Climate Change is important to me because these issues are
affecting my generation's future lives and world. I chose to use my agency and voice using a painting to express the cause of climate change and Wildfires in nature. Even though I am not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to show others how these issues are affecting a small part of nature and that is important because we are already losing so many trees per year due to lumber and other reasons and wildfires are a big cause of that too and I want to show people why. Protest means a group of people or even a single person advocating for their opinion in the world on the internet or in real life. Social Media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are most commonly used. For example the BLM movement had their own pages on each platform with millions of followers updating people on protests and other things. Many people in the world wont accept others' opinions and protest against them or just judge them for it but others may agree with it and stand alongside them while they get judged by others. Everyone thinks that someone else's opinion is wrong while theirs is right. Many different places in the world have restrictions to things on the internet so base on where you are you might only see 1 side of a topic in the media so that changes your opinion on it instead of knowing the other sides to that certain topic
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Creator: Lyes Kalache Title of work: Fire Sky Media: Acrylic on Canvas Issue/Theme: Climate Change page 23
“No to Bullying” Amira Wanace’s Creative Rationale:
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ivic responsibility is the act in which you are doing your duty to your society or community. For example,
believing in a good cause, starting donations for something that is happening in the world, or merely just raising awareness about something you think needs to change in the community. For me the meaning of protest is to support creating change in the world. Whether the change is ‘bad’ or ‘good’ it is up to the protesters and what they are fighting to change. Some platforms that are used to engage in the public sphere are social media, protests, and campaigns to raise awareness about a cause. I think we can weigh someone else’s point of views that don’t align with ours by first educating the other person, and if they aren’t convinced with your point of view then there is no use to try to educate them further because when someone is stuck with something it is their choice whether they want to be open-minded or not. I think, where you are and in what era can influence your point of view. This is because if there are protests around you, you will be educated on the topic and your ideas would most likely support it. A person’s purpose can impact the way we engage in public platforms because more people will learn about the purpose and want to support it as well. I think an individual voice can be dangerous when they are advocating for something not many people believe in. A collective voice can be dangerous when they are doing violent protests and many people could get hurt. I am willing to risk whatever it takes to create change in whatever I am advocating for, because that is what I believe in and that is what I will always believe. I chose this topic because it is very common with kids and teenagers to experience bullying in their lives. In fact, one in five students report being bullied. Next, I chose this media because I intend for it to go up on walls of schools or areas in which students gather. This poster would be eye-catching to them and very clear. I hope my audience learns more about this topic and hopefully we will get to see change in our community/society.
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Creator: Amira Wanace Title of work: No to Bullying Media: Watercolor and marker on paper Issue/Theme: Bullying
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“Save Palestine” Abdullah Al-Alem’s Creative Rationale:
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he social issue of the struggle in Palestine is important to me because the same thing happened to my country, Yemen, when people had to leave their homes because of war. I chose to use my agency and voice using Canva because The purpose of my work is to raise awareness to the issue so people can stop Israel from attacking Palestine. Even though I am not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to raise awareness about the injustice which might pressure their governments to do something about it. When people see what I have created using my own choices and agency, I hope they spread the message and raise awareness to everyone they know. One of the IB-Learner Profile traits is to be a thinker and this unit helped me think more deeply about this issue of living in your own land. I know that protests can be risky because you either get killed or sent to jail in some places. During this unit, I have seen, read and researched various ways people protested, like signs, speeches, songs, and artwork. In public, there are different ways to voice your thoughts and ideas such as Watch Your Body Language, Stay Calm, Listen,Time It Right. There are five main causes of conflict: information conflicts, values conflicts, interest conflicts, relationship conflicts, and structural conflicts. Information conflicts arise when people have different or insufficient information, or disagree over what data is relevant. In my own words, to be civically responsible means active participation in an informed, committed, and constructive manner, but for me personally, it means I have to do something as a civilian to get rid of the issue.
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Creator: Abdullah Al-Alem Title of work: Save Palestine Media: InfoPoster PSA Issue/Theme: Palestinian Freedom
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“Photo Essay for Palestine” Fares Fawzy’’s Creative Rationale:
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he purpose of using voice and agency or even protests is to tell people and show them how hard
other people are living their lives and how it's not okay for us to leave them to suffer like that. In public, there are different ways to voice your thoughts and ideas such as shouting with the people that fight for the same thing as you and writing on papers and cardboard what the thing that you fight for is. During this unit, I have seen, read and researched various ways people protested, like protesting in real life and writing signs and showing the people them and shouting what they want, in social media by posting on your accounts, by making songs about what you're fighting for, and writing books or poems about the things that you are fighting for. My first picture is entitled “Dirt” which shows being used up and thrown away, the way it seems people are treating Palestininans. Next is “Anywhere” which means that they have nowhere to live and anywhere is all the places Palestinians are forced to make a home. “Together” means that no matter what we will always be with the Palestinians and that they are not alone. Then I have a picture called “Defend” which means that no matter what we will always defend Palestine from Israel as much as we can. “Alone” is about all the little boys and girls that just get their whole family killed and just suffer so much living alone with no one in their life to take care of them. My photo “Side By Side” means that we can fight injustice with them even if we are not there. “Leaving” means leaving from their own properties and from their families. My last photo “Never” is to tell them we will never stop supporting them. I think is the most important that Muslim and Arab countries should help because they are our brothers and sisters that keep dying everyday. We all should help them whether it’s with money or with the army. Protesting can be risky because people would want to kill you or hurt you because you believe in something that they don't. When I think about voicing my ideas or using my agency for a social issue, the risk I am taking is that you could upset people that know you who believe in something else. I think the most effective ways to use my voice and my agency include in any way that people can hear me and understand me on social media in real life in front of the people that are against you
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“Dirt”
“Anywhere”
“Together”
“Defend”
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“Alone”
“Side by Side”
“Leaving”
“Never”
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“What I Want to Say” Abdulaziz Al-Enazi’s Creative Rationale:
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hat I am doing now is also risk taking as some people might not agree with me or with my
opinion as they might also have their own opinion. I think that we could avoid anything bad from happening by just putting ourselves in their POV and taking from that way and just thinking before we speak. We learned from Qatar Debates, that before you take part in a social movement, you have to educate yourself. This is my way of contributing to education around this issue. I believe that Palestine should have its own country and that they should feel safe in their country without feeling any kind of threats. I would like to help them by doing something like a protest on social media and I think that we should try to help them in every way that we possibly can. I know that other people might have a different perspective but I wanted to create this to reach out to people to let them know about what is happening in the world.
“What I Want to Say” Palestine is a country that is located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1948, the Jews ruled Gaza and that led to war with Palestine for (73) years as it started in 1948. Palestine and the Palestinian goverment had a very very limited amount of money so that caused them not to have less materials to fight back. They had to fight back using rocks or throwing metal and much more. The conflict started because the Jews did not have a home or a place to live in and they came and started war with the Arabs so that they could take Gaza as a home. The Jewish soldiers shoot children and shoot innocent people. They also sometimes kick the Palestinians out of their home for no valid reason. I think that we could help the Palestinians get their land back by donating. We also think that you should donate as there are people in need of medications. Creator: Abdulaziz Al-Enazi Title of work: What I Want to Say Media: Non-fiction Issue/Theme: Education about Palestine
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“Palestine’s Freedom” Abdulla Al-Jehaish’s Creative Rationale:
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he issue in Palestine is more than a social one, and it is important to me because they are killing innocent people and stealing their homes. For this reason I chose to use my agency and voice using a picture essay because I think a drawing can speak a thousand words. I know there are others who see this issue differently than I do, but I wanted to create this as it is happening right now and something that has been going on for over 70 years. I think my work and drawings show that this is a humanitarian crisis and what is happening goes against the Palestinians basic human rights. This is not about religion but about if we should live in a world where a country gets away with killing women and children. Even though I am not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to protest using my drawings and that is important because I cannot stay silent. My creation is an individual voice but it is part of a collective voice as well--I say this because all over the world people are coming together and protesting to end the violence against Palestinians. The purpose of my work is to highlight the issues through raising awareness and speaking for the people that can’t. When people see what I have created using my own choices and agency, I hope they will understand the pain of the Palestininan people and why this is important to everyone regardless of age, race or religion. My drawings are a way for me to show what I am feeling and that we should be free. I am free to live safely but the Palestinan people have nothing. When I think about voicing my ideas or using my agency for a social issue, the risk I am taking is having my social media accounts shut down. Another reason is bullying online. To be civically responsible means not telling other people to do bad things or fight, but also for me personally, it means that we share our beliefs in a kind manner with respect. I think the most effective ways to use my voice and my agency include using social and protesting. I know that is different from someone who is signing petitions or living through this. During this unit, I have seen, read and researched various ways people protested, like in America about the Black Lives matter cause. When different points of view are in conflict over an issue, this can lead to fights and protests. Not everyone believes what you do. In public, there are different ways to voice your thoughts and ideas such as through a protest or march or boycotts. Some people in the past even stopped eating to protest this is called a hunger strike. The purpose of protests is to bring a change or to end a bad thing. If I think about my point of view and civic responsibility, I think it should be fair and equal. I think we are all human and should be kind to everyone. We should not steal food and land from each other.
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Creator: Abdulla Al-Jehaish Title of work: Palestine’s Freedom Media: paper and marker Issue/Theme: Freedom, Peace, Humanity, and Palestine
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“Biased Media” Nouf Al-Bakri’s Creative Rationale:
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y issue is propaganda towards Hamas. This is important to me because as an Arab Muslim, I
feel it is my responsibility to educate myself about this topic and learn the FACTS about the ethnic cleansing going on in Palestine. The Western media usually gives biased news making it seem like Israel and the IDF are victims. I think if people were to see my final product they would have a better understanding of what is actually happening, since it's going to be really easy for all ages to understand. Even if I'm not physically protesting IN Palestine, this is gonna be my way of showing agency and using my voice to stand up for my people. I also think (and hope) this would help Israelis understand that it is NOT a religious issue. Hamas are NOT terrorists since there are Christian, Jewish and Muslim Palestinans and any person in the world would do the same as Hamas if they were in their position. My creation is an individual voice but it is part of a collective voice since I'm creating my product ALONE but I know that many people will agree. I really hope my final product changes the way people view things and makes a difference. One of the IB-Learner profile traits is risk taking. I know that protesting can be risky because you are putting your life on the line to go for or against something,it can also be dangerous because many countries are against protesting and it is illegal. When different points of views are in conflict over an issue this can lead to violence, this is called counter-protesting. Usually when a group protests, for example (“BLM”,”Free Palestine”) other people that are usually far right want to counter protest and start “ALM” (All Lives Matter) and Zionists, because they are AGAINST that thing and violence usually starts from then.
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Creator: Nouf AlBakri Title of work: Biased Media Media: Colored pencil, markers, paper and pencil Issue/Theme: Political Cartoon--Western Media Coverage of Hamas
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“Human Use” Mathew George’s Creative Rationale:
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rt changes people's opinion on an issue because art helps provide information and is able to
provoke your emotions. Protesting physically somewhere is not an option that is available everywhere but I think creating art on an issue that is important to you is something that is a unique way for anyone to express your opinion. The purpose of my work is to persuade other people to boycott companies or brands that use animal testing and I also want people to acknowledge that animal testing is not a good thing and use their agency to support this issue. Some companies that I do not use because of animal testing are L’Oreal, Calvin Klein, Burberry and Dolce and Gabanna. Some companies I use that don't use animal testing are Body Shop, Lush and Dove. During this unit I have seen, read and researched various protests such as the BLM protests, the farmers protests and the Hong Kong protests. People can protest by using their social media platform to spread information, by making a painting on a certain issue, creating poems, posters, infographics and by protesting physically somewhere. Protests are for people to express their own opinion to the public to make themselves heard, maybe to change a law or something or some issue. Civic responsibility means the active participation in an issue. The social issue of animal rights/animal testing is important to me since animal testing is something that is usually not talked about in media and is something that is still happening to make various products such as makeup and medicines. I chose to use my agency and voice using acrylic paint on a canvas to create a painting because I think paintings are very eye opening and are able to persuade people to believe in your issue and try to do something to help this issue.
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Creator: Mathew George Title of work: Human Use Media: Acrylic on Canvas Issue/Theme: Animal testing page 37
“If You See It, Report It” Yanis Kalache’s Creative Rationale:
C
ivic responsibility means to socially participate and interact with society in general. but for me
personally, it means to be part of society and take part in what it has to offer. This would include things like politics. Being active in politics means you know who you are voting for example. You are taking interest in what different parties have to offer and voting for the one you think is right and not for example voting for something someone else told you is right. I think the most effective ways to use my voice and my agency include in a way where the most people can hear it and the most people will understand it and in the way the least people will get offended by it. I think my work shows that even something simple like a paper with some images slapped on a wall can have enough effect to change a child's life for the better. Even though I am not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to do my part in doing something right for future generations. and that is important because we own this world now but later on others will own it and we need to make it so that they know how to live in it. The purpose of my work is to get people to stand up for the problem and not just myself. When different points of view are in conflict over an issue, this can lead to people fighting for their side which can in turn lead to certain people getting hurt over an opinion. In public, there are different ways to voice your thoughts and ideas such as through art or music. In my own words, the purpose of protests is to make yourself be heard and to make someone else change something for you because without protest you don't have the “power” to change it. The social issue of children being badly influenced by others is important to me because I feel that everyone has the right to live life in a good and honest way. Your path of life really gets chosen as a child and your personality gets influenced by others the most. It's unfair for kids who don't get to have a fair and honest life when others wrongly influence them. I chose to use my agency and voice using a poster that will be hung around areas where children spend most of their time and most of their time with others because this way when someone sees that a kid is being wrongly influenced by another person, they can report it to someone and the poster is supposed to make people aware that they need to report the problem to someone. I know there are others who see this issue from a different perspective than I do, but I wanted to create this to show people that the problem exists and show people how important it really is because some people when they hear about this problem they look over it instead of looking at it and thinking about it for a second. I used Canva to create the poster and it is about children being wrongly influenced or neglected by others. It is a poster that would be hung in public places where children spend a lot of time and it tells you signs that tell whether my social issue is happening. It's shows so that it's not too hard for children to read, and colorful so that people notice it.
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Creator: Yanis Kalache Title of work: If You See It, Report It Media: PSA digital Issue/Theme: Treatment of Children
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“Earth Appeal” Eiddan Cleland’s Creative Rationale:
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hat would I risk to employ my agency? I would risk everything because what exactly are we as
people if we don't think for ourselves. We become undefined and mindless because our individual thoughts are what makes us unique and special and if that was taken away I would have already lost myself. Lack of water was the issue I focused on and it is important to me because 2.2 billion people are deprived of a human right and are forced to sacrifice to acquire unclean, disease ridden water. The purpose is to shine light on the people who don't have access to an essential resource. No person should have to doubt whether or not they have clean water or worry about giving their own kids the only water they have access to might kill them. The goal I want to achieve with the poster is to spread awareness about the issue 1/3rd of our species are facing and to help people be grateful for what they have. Having a civic responsibility to me means playing an active role in a town, city, or country. One of the ways people exhibit their voice and agency/civic responsibility is protest. Protest means to show your support or resistance to something or other. The social platforms these are taking place in are on the internet and social media, in person protesting, and supporting the cause from the side. In my opinion, changing someone's view depends on the topic, because if the perspective you are trying to change is friendly such as their favorite icecream flavor or favorite football team it might not be as difficult to change as the political party they support, biased views, or what they support.
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Creator: Eiddan Cleland Title of work: Earth Appeal Media: Colored pencil, paper and pencil Issue/Theme: Access to clean water
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“#Killallmen” Basant Elsadany’s Creative Rationale:
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he social movement is important to me because I have had this happen to me and saw it happen to all of my friends. My creation is a way for me to show what I know about the situation. The purpose of my work is to make people rethink the phrase ¨Kill all MEN.” I hope they start to see things in a more logical way and not take the phrase to heart and be on our side. When I think about voicing my ideas or using my agency for a social issue, the risk I am taking is shadowbanned or people taking against me and turning everything I said against me to make me seem like the ¨bad guy.” Civic responsibility means I stand up for what I believe especially if no one else would and try to bring justice. During this unit, I have seen, read and researched various ways people protested, like art, music, speeches, and obviously protests. When different points of view are in conflict over an issue. This can cause many problems-- war, violence and cause countries to fall apart so that people unnecessarily lose their human rights. In my own words, the purpose of protests is to speak up for the people who either have been speaking for so long but no one ever listened or for the people who can't talk for themselves.
Creator: Basant Elsadany Title of work: #Killallmen Media: paper and marker Issue/Theme: Harassment and Women’s Rights page 42
“PLM” Maryam Al Shammari’s Creative Rationale:
I
made this because Palestine doesn’t have their rights and they can’t live their lives like other people. I choose to use my voice to fight for Palestinian lives. I know everyone has his point of view and one of them is the secular Israelis feel and think that Palestine belongs to them but in reality, Palestine doesn’t belong to Israel. I created this poster to support Palestinian people and to motivate them to fight for their rights. Even though I can’t do much, the thing I can do is share more posters on social media, share the charity links.
Creator: Maryam Al Shammari Title of work: PLM Media: Colored pencil, paper and marker Issue/Theme: Palestine’s Right to Land
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“Home” Bader Qassas’ Creative Rationale:
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his is a flag representing and defending my country. It is for my people that are getting hurt in Palestine. If they were going to see my flag they would feel like someone is caring for them. I think my work shows meaning for and love for my country and also the purpose of my work is to tell the people that anyone's basic right is to live in their country peacefully. The Palestinian flag helps me feel both happy and proud. I chose to use my agency and voice using the flag of my country. I wanted to make it out of pictures of Palestinians fighting for their country and getting hurt for their country, but didn’t have enough time. Even though I am not physically protesting somewhere, my creation is a way for me to express how I feel for my country. I think Civic responsibility means being actively participating in the life of a public community. Most people think the meaning of protesting is just to go and hold a poster or to just shout to make it look like you care. But, for me, protesting is doing all these things WHILE deep inside you is actually caring and wanting to protest--not being forced just so you can change your outside image in front of the people. Platforms that people can use to communicate with others can be active like in person with a microphone or social media by posting a picture and writing a comment on it. If someone disagrees with whatever you are saying it can be something you believe in or religion you can give them evidence, then listen and you can hear them and argue peacefully.
Creator: Bader Qassas Title of work: Home Media: paper and marker Issue/Theme: Home
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“Palestine Will Be Free” Saeed al Naemi’s Creative Rationale:
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alestine is important to me because Gaza is being under attack by the Isreali government. I
think that killing innocent children and people is a huge crime and people should know about it. When I go to New York I would love to join in the protest for Palestine and stand up for them. I hope people get inspired by my work and do the right thing and that's to stand up for palestine. I know that if I protest I might get arrested and deported from the US since I'm not a citizen. Protest is to stand up for something you think of has less rights.
Creator: Saeed al-Naemi Title of work: Palestine Will Be Free Media: Markers, paper and pencil Issue/Theme: Palestine
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“Golden Dome” Tasniim Abdullahi’s Creative Rationale:
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he current situation in Palestine is a social issue that is extremely important to me. I feel this
way due to the injustices that the innocent people of Palestine face because of the occupation by “Israel.” People in Palestine have been through many wars from “Israel”, and the Palestinials have not received any justice, nor peace. The land of Palestine is being stolen and occupied, citizens have been misplaced and stripped of their rights. I chose to make this painting because I want to raise awareness for the injustices in Palestine, and I hope to inspire those who have not heard about it to research it. I choose to voice my agency though art. I decided to paint the flag of Palestine behind the Golden Dome, along with a banner going across the painting, and a symbol of the blood of the innocent, Palestinian children, women, and men murdered by the acts of “Israel.” One of the IB learner traits is being a risk-taker, and I believe using my voice is taking a risk. Once you use your voice and pick a side, you are then subject to disagreement, argument, and even possible violence from the opposing side, or those who think that “Israel” has a right to the land. In my words, protest means to me the act of expressing your disagreement towards or against a certain topic. For example, I would protest against the lack of gun regulation, lack of clean water in Flint, or the Israeli occupation in Palestine. The public sphere can get engaged and involved with protest through social media, or “clicktivism” which is a great way to be involved in protest without attending physical protests, if you are unable to. Clicktivism has played a major role during the BLM protests, when many were not able to attend protests due to COVID. I believe that being engaged in protest is a civic responsibility, because you speak and use your voice for those who cannot, for example, during the internet shut-downs in Kashmir. Civic responsibility is being educated and informed about social issues, and contributing to the issue by educating others and protesting in a constructive manner. Everybody may have different ways of using their voice. Some choose spoken word poetry, music, art, posters, and posting on social media. Time, place, and space affect the point of view of people. Depending on where you live, you might be faced with more people who have certain beliefs, and very few who disagree. The space, or environment you are in is also a factor because of how the people you are around influence your opinion and ideas, even if you do not notice it. When people have different opinions on a social issue, it can cause clashes and lead to bigger problems like hate speech and violence. This is also why choosing to voice your agency could be risky. It is important to not cause any harm to either side of a social issue, even if you do not agree with them. When someone else’s views do not align with your own, try to educate them and listen to their side of the argument as well, and make sure you are educated.
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Creator: Tasniim Abdullahi Title of work: Golden Dome Media: Acrylic on canvas Issue/Theme: Freedom for Palestine page 47
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