Dear Friends,

This week, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are in town talking about compassion; what it is and how to grow it to make a better world. The front page news is filled with stories of the conflict between Tibet and China and the surrounding protests related to the Olympics.

I know when I was in high school, this would not have been news of interest to me, or most of my fellow students at Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Washington. Not on our radar screens. At all. We cared about the football game coming up on Friday, the math exam next Wednesday (maybe), and could we get up the gumption to finally ask that girl to the sock-hop in a couple weeks.

But it IS news of importance to students in Bridges classrooms this week. They are talking about it passionately in school because they have made real and human connections this year with other students in the Tibetan Children's Village and in townships in South Africa. They have connected through on-line discussions this fall and spring, through exchanging videos they have made that share their stories with each other. And through the current face to face exchanges going on this month.

This past weekend students from India and South Africa gathered with local students and adults to learn how to tell their stories through multi-media videos. If you want to see the six stories produced by teams like the one pictured here, go to King-TV's website where they are being shared. http://www.king5.com/video/seeds-browse.html - After opening, scroll down to find Bridges’ videos

As I type this, these international students and local Bridges students are serving as youth journalists at the Seeds of Compassion events and reporting on the Dalai Lama's discussions and those of Archbishop Desmond Tutu with over 150,000 people here in Seattle You can view their blogs and reports on these links. http://bridges2understandingstudent.blogspot.com - And check your paper and TV for more news of these local and international Bridges' students in action in the coming week.

It’s not a school assignment. They are doing it because they care. They want to know more, and they want you to know more. They are doing it because they understand that it does matter to them what happens in Tibet, in South Africa and in other places around the world. It matters because they have friends there now who matter to them. And that is why this work is powerful. And why, in addition to the football game, who is dating who, and grades, they have a radar screen that is big enough to care about this too.

Greg

Greg Tuke
Executive Director, Bridges to Understanding

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