For the first time in Patchogue-Medford High School history, a handful of students were selected to attend the Oslo Freedom Forum in New York City this past Monday.
Over one thousand people headed to Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, for the event, during which world leaders met to share their stories and advocate for human rights across the globe.
This is the second year the Freedom Forum was hosted in New York, where well-known activists, tech entrepreneurs and artists participate under the slogan “Challenging Power.”
After being delegated for the main summit in May of 2018, the president of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, James Skidmore, thought it was important to invite youth from the Pat-Med area to experience a potentially life-changing event.
So 9th graders Henry Mendez and Daniel Melucci and 12th graders Yolie Guzman, Cameron Wustenhoff and Christopher Spicer headed to NYC on Monday.
“We’re not just citizens of the United States of America anymore, not in this world. Our young people are global citizens and they need to have a voice in that,” Skidmore told GreaterPatchogue. “To have students from the Patchogue Medford High School – which is the first student delegation of that age group on Long Island – is groundbreaking.”
The Oslo Freedom Forum lent its stage to speakers such as Yeonmi Park of North Korea and basketball player Enes Kanter of Turkey.
Both spoke out against high levels of repression and crime inflicted upon citizens from their countries’ governments.
Among the speakers was 14-year-old Fatemah Qaderyan of Afghanistan, who started the first all-female robotics team in an area of the world “where women aren’t allowed to be educated,” Skidmore said.
“Her father was very supportive of her actions and ended up getting killed because of it,” he said.
The students left the event with a sense of inspiration and awareness, especially after being able to relate to a young person like Fatemah, said English teacher and chaperone, Karen Varacalli.
Here’s what the students had to say about the Freedom Forum:
“Hearing everyone’s story made us realize how lucky and fortunate we are to live in the USA.”
— Christopher Spicer:
“After attending this trip it gave me a new appreciation for what most Americans take for granted: our freedom.”
— Cameron Wustenhoff
“This conference showed me that people who’ve suffered the violations of their human rights still had the will and determination to succeed.”
— Yolie Guzman
Varacalli thanked Gloria Sesso, the school’s director of social studies and English, who brought the event to her attention.
“And of course, our Superintendent Dr. Michael Hynes and our Principal, Dr. Randy Rusielewicz for giving me the OK to do this,” she said.
She said the administration at Patchogue-Medford is one that pushes students to think globally and be culturally aware of what’s going on outside their neighborhoods.
“It was a true educational experience for myself and the students, because we live such a sheltered life out here in Pat-Med,” she said. “Bringing them to something like this has really broadened their horizons.”
The Freedom Forum is a way to provide direct education to the students by sourcing original people from oppressed countries — as opposed to reading about global atrocities through textbooks and current events projects.
“This is a rare thing,” said Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer at the Human Rights Foundation. “Typically, these kinds of events are reserved for world leaders, elites in the financial system, policy makers, and diplomats. But we really think it’s important that students from the region get access to hear stories from these activists.”
“At the end of the day we can still use our voice in this country, even when we’re dissatisfied with our government,” said Skidmore. “Over half the world’s population can’t do that without being tortured, jailed, or killed.”
Photo (L-R): James Skidmore, president of the Greater Patchogue Foundation and Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, Yolie Guzman, Christopher Spicer, Cameron Wustenhoff, Karen Varacalli, English teacher and chaperone, Henry Mendez, Daniel Melucci. (Credit:Phil Firetog)
