You can all make a difference. You can all take a stand.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. ~Edmund Burke
Edward (Mpagi Edward Edmary) - Uganda
Our Executive Director recently had the honor of having a conversation with Mpagi Edward Edmary("Edward").Read Edwards's story and the impact that his situation had on him. People around the world suffer injustice, his was extreme. Some people come out bitter and angry, some people come out inspired and determined to make a difference. Can you imagine being on death row, facing execution for a murder that you not only did not commit, but one that never happened at all? I don't know how this man's story has not become a movie. It is that big.
When Edward was released 18 years later, he was sad to learn that his children had not been educated in his absence. Edward took a stand and did big things with his ambition for change. Edward started a school and has done much in the way of advocacy around the world. "I was betrayed by my country and I lost a cousin brother on the same case, besides 52 of my close friends who were executed during my time in jail, the school I have shared was started by me to help troubled community kids and children of inmates .thank you ,Edward"
Young Kids Hard TimeFor the past three years my students at Nannestad vgs have been writing and receiving letters from inmates all over the United States of America. We write to juveniles who have been incarcerated as adults where many of them are serving life without parole. Their ages differ as some of them who were sentenced as thirteen and fourteen olds are now in their thirties. The youngest inmate we are in touch with was sentenced when he was twelve. Others have only been in prison for four, maybe five years. A few of the inmates are mentally disabled and have an intelligence level of a first grader. Their crimes vary from parricide, to robbery and felony murder. Most of them are victims of abuse, poverty, neglect and drug use. For the moment we are only writing to males, however, we will be expanding our list and project to reach out to females.
Our interest for all of this started after watching the documentary film and the students expressed a great desire to write to the two individuals in the movie, Colt Lundy and Miles Folsom. The letter writing developed on its own and gave us knowledge and insight. The letters the students received in return not only contained the prisoners’ stories, but poems they had composed, reflections and discussions on books they had read and some very beautiful artwork. We are in touch with many intelligent and talented young people here. This has motivated students to reflect and ponder on their own lives, as the inmates have helped them put into words the emotions they feel, and burdens they carry. The project has been most successful with our at risk students, our students with special needs and our advanced students who seek more knowledge and the opportunities to obtain it.
Two of our graduated media and communications students, Andreas Lange and Markus Tangre, made a video of our school. It is an upper secondary institution that provides two-year vocational studies in Health and Social Sciences, Restaurant and Food Processing, Services and Sales and Media and Communications. Other college bound programs include Sports Science and General Studies. Watch the film. Here are some examples of the various activities and tasks that this has lead to:
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