Welcome to Perspectives Charter Schools:
For the past 6 years Third Wave have marched for Peace alongside students in Chicago for 6 years now.
I Am For Peace (2014) – Trailer from Perspectives Charter Schools http://www.pcsedu.org/
These ethical teen leaders turned a neighborhood march for peace into an annual global event
A few years ago, Chicago-native Razia Hutchins found herself in a class discussing the recent shooting death of a local teen after a high school basketball game. Unfortunately, stories like this were all too common and most people just accepted it as simply the way things were, but not Razia. Razia wanted change to come to her community. So, she helped come up with the idea for a neighborhood peace march, and the I Am For Peace movement was born.
Teaming up with her best friend Maurice Young, the two rallied people across Chicago together, and the march has since grown from 100 people in its first year to 2800 this year!
In 2018 there was a mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland Florida and a huge movement against gun violence was launched by the students themselves and the Chicago kids became a part of that movement.
Why is it so important for you both to be a positive force in your community?
Razia: It’s important for us to give back to our communities because we grew up on the south side of Chicago. The culture is just so rich and it has built us. The only thing we can do is try to give back and help our community.
Maurice: It’s a way to be the change that you want to see happening in the world.
What’s your advice for another teen who might want to follow in your footsteps and give back in a big way?
Razia: Don’t be a victim—be a voice. If you see something that’s not going right in your community just stand up. Always speak up and don’t let one person or a group of people try to take you off track.
Who are some people that inspire you?
Razia: Everyone who has had a part in just sticking up for what they believe in, whether they played a big role or a little role. They have taught me something.
Maurice: J. Cole and Martin Luther King Jr.
Favorite read or flick?
Razia: I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Big Girls Don’t Cry by Rebecca Traister
Maurice: Pay it ForwardPerspectives operates five open-enrollment public schools serving 2,300 students in grades 6-12 in the communities of Auburn Gresham, Bronzeville, and the South Loop. Committed to providing access to top quality public school education throughout Chicago, Perspectives seeks to ensure that all students graduate prepared to succeed in college and in life.
Unique to Perspectives Charter Schools is the A Disciplined Life® (ADL) education model.
