2008 Woodie Awards
Trying to make the invisible, visible
Jordan Crook/RHA Reporter
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: News
Puricelli said she presented the film for her students because she wanted to expose them to a subject not widely discussed in America.
"I wanted to make sure students were aware of a war that has been going on for the past 20 years," she said.
After showing the film in one of her classes this semester, Puricelli was approached by two students about creating a student group to become involved in the "Schools for Schools" program. She said she was "pleasantly surprised" by the student response.
Puricelli said she had not expected students to want to be so proactive after viewing the movie and was glad to see students become involved in a problem from another part of the world.
"I'm proud of Eastern students for taking an interest in events that have no effect on them," she said.
Senior FCS family services major Amanda Suggs, president of the Eastern Invisible Children student group, said the main goal of the group is to raise awareness on campus about the situation in Uganda.
Suggs said many students may be, as she once was, unaware of the long-running civil war in Uganda.
"I had no idea there was a war going on there for 20 years," she said. "It really blew my mind."
She said the group has raised about $400 for its school in Uganda with candle and water bottle sales over the past year.
The group also recently sponsored a viewing of the documentary for students, where afterwards several students expressed interest in joining the group.
Wood said the Invisible Children movement has several goals. Most important among them is the education and safety of the millions of children caught in the middle of the conflict.
He said the founding trio had originally envisioned a kind of fortress where Ugandan citizens could live to escape the war but were told that might only put the people in more danger.
What the Ugandan citizens and government believed would be more effective than the fortress idea, Wood said, was money and manpower to help reinvigorate the country's educational system.
"I wanted to make sure students were aware of a war that has been going on for the past 20 years," she said.
After showing the film in one of her classes this semester, Puricelli was approached by two students about creating a student group to become involved in the "Schools for Schools" program. She said she was "pleasantly surprised" by the student response.
Puricelli said she had not expected students to want to be so proactive after viewing the movie and was glad to see students become involved in a problem from another part of the world.
"I'm proud of Eastern students for taking an interest in events that have no effect on them," she said.
Senior FCS family services major Amanda Suggs, president of the Eastern Invisible Children student group, said the main goal of the group is to raise awareness on campus about the situation in Uganda.
Suggs said many students may be, as she once was, unaware of the long-running civil war in Uganda.
"I had no idea there was a war going on there for 20 years," she said. "It really blew my mind."
She said the group has raised about $400 for its school in Uganda with candle and water bottle sales over the past year.
The group also recently sponsored a viewing of the documentary for students, where afterwards several students expressed interest in joining the group.
Wood said the Invisible Children movement has several goals. Most important among them is the education and safety of the millions of children caught in the middle of the conflict.
He said the founding trio had originally envisioned a kind of fortress where Ugandan citizens could live to escape the war but were told that might only put the people in more danger.
What the Ugandan citizens and government believed would be more effective than the fortress idea, Wood said, was money and manpower to help reinvigorate the country's educational system.
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