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Democracy in action
A letter to Annie Lennox
Dear Ms Lennox,
I'd like to draw your attention to one of our students, Emily Whitecross, who is in the process of communicating the SING message.
I attended the GTCS national lecture you spoke at last year and wore my HIV Positive T-shirt for a week afterwards, challenging the stereotypes attached to HIV/AIDS. Subsequently, my T-shirt began to attract a lot of attention.
The fact you are a Scottish woman who identified a global social injustice and used your talents to address it caught the imagination of the youngsters.
Emily was particularly engaged and attempted to engage with peers and some adults on the HIV/genocide assertion made by Nelson Mandela.
Emily became increasingly frustrated at the 'ignorant' and 'apathetic' attitude of the people she spoke to. She eventually brought the issue to me, in her characteristically direct way: 'Miss, what are we going to do about this?'
Emily has decided to educate everyone. She is in the process of visiting every Personal and Social Education class and giving a presentation she's created from the notes I took from your Scottish Parliament presentation, the newspaper clippings donated by other teachers and students and your SING website and of course wearing your SING T-shirt.
She will in the space of one week have spoken to and educated almost 1,400 students, single handedly.
In essence, Emily has resolved to do as much as she can to bring attention to the HIV/ AIDS crisis. She asked me to email all staff with information on SING and is creating a page on our school magazine blog.
At your presentation, tears were shed at your appeal to mothers' solidarity. I hope this story touches you in the same way this girl is 'The girl we can only hope our daughters grow up to be'
Ms Jane Bonnar
Social Subjects teacher, Musselburgh Grammar
Emily's story
'In S6 we were to choose a project to work on and I had heard Ms Bonnar talk about Annie Lennox and the SING campaign and I knew that was the topic I wanted to do. I have prepared a Power Point presentation and a poster board and put together information from a range of sources to help tell the story of AIDS and HIV to other pupils in the school.
It's an important issue and one we should all be involved in. I want to make a difference and make people understand that it is happening here in Scotland. I wanted to warn them of the dangers and how to keep safe through simple measures.'
No one could doubt Emily's enthusiasm, passion or determination to make people listen. She is an articulate and confident speaker and brave for confronting her peers with such a difficult message.
She cannot help but touch hearts and minds and in her own small way has already made a difference.
We run a national lecture each year bringing to the teaching profession high-quality speakers who inspire and educate through their own experiences and values.