What a wonderful first year for the Davie Respect Initiative, which closed on October 10. There were many applications submitted in the DRI challenge, representing all ages from 12 to 21. From that outstanding group, 18 Semi-Finalists were chosen who each had the opportunity to “pitch” their idea to the All-Volunteer Selection Panel. It was a difficult challenge for the panelists to choose only 10 Ambassadors of Respect from such a great set of ideas. The range of creativity was striking, as the award recipient’s list below will show.
The 2018 Davie Respect Initiative Celebrated Success.
On 11/15/18 the 2018 DRI semifinalists and finalists were celebrated by the community at the Farmington Community Center. The audience was treated to “magic” as the youth opened the evening with a dynamic drumming circle. Not one of the young folks had ever participated in drumming before and yet came together in this fine performance with only 30 minutes practice. Then the Ambassadors of Respect shared their incredible ideas and projects for increasing the demonstration of Respect in our community. Click here to see more.
Here are the Award Recipients of the First Annual Davie Respect Challenge:
Kayla Roscoe (15)Representing and working through the DCHS club Catalyst, she proposes to develop a volunteer group which would focus on helping out the elderly in Davie County who need assistance with yard work and related tasks. Through this she hopes to “show respect for elderly people and also let them know that people are thinking about them and are willing to help”.
Jose Garcia (18)Emphasizing the value of the age-old golden rule, “treat others as you would like to be treated”, this project would focus on using art in print and electronic form to post images with the golden rule throughout the community.
Isabella Brown (18)Having a family member become involved with an innovative program in WS called Cam’s Coffee inspired this applicant to propose that a similar program be developed for the “differently-abled” in Davie County. This would involve developing a coffee house that would primarily be staffed by young folks with challenges like autism, attention deficit disorder and more.
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Kaylee Lanning (16)Through videoing interviews with school staff “role models”, she would highlight how the interviewees “believe respect can best be shown and spread around the community”. These video interviews could be shown in class, and students would have an opportunity to complete a survey in which they could share their own ideas about respect.
Taylor Bare (17)Having come to Davie County after 5 years abroad (military family), this applicant experienced the challenge of entering into a large high school with minimal support. She proposes the development of a group of “student ambassadors” who would be paired with new students to assist them in settling in at their new school.
Morgan Creason (14)This applicant observed, first-hand, the unequal treatment often experienced by minority students when faced with behavioral problems. He proposes that a “student advocacy” council be created that would include students, teachers and school support staff working together to “create a more caring and understanding school environment for everyone”.
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Sydney Walterman (17)Having experienced directly the damaging impact of gossip and rumor, she has developed a program called “Smash It”. Using banners and by developing a “panel” of volunteers who would be willing to share their own stories of the impact of gossip and rumor, she hopes to encourage young people to stop talking negatively about others.
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Mackenzie Smith (14)This young teen “would like to set up a place for teens to attend and be able to vent and let out their emotions” safely. Her plan is to create a support group for teens who are struggling with the challenges of adolescence. This could go a long way towards addressing the “stigma” that often accompanies mental health challenges.
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Madi Rogers (13)Through the creation of a “Banishing Bias Bingo” game, she would invite participants to reach out to individuals who are simply different from themselves. Participants would win prizes through completing all or certain parts of the card. Her goal is to have people in Davie County come to know more about their neighbors.
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Jaeline Anguiano (21)The idea behind this project is to create a video web series in which Davie County community members would be interviewed and asked to share about their occupation and career. The video series would be made available to all members of the community through the Internet. This is a perfect project for Davie County Economic Development and helping to draw the community more together.
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We could learn to be accepting of differences and find comfort in them. The world would be pretty boring if every person was the same. I think if we are comfortable and aware with the fact that all people are different, respect will come easier."
Kayla Roscoe
Wow, what a great set of project ideas! We are looking forward to these ideas being put into practice here, in Davie County. Stay tuned and check the DRI blog for updates! We'll keep you posted on progress and results as these projects develop.
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In addition, eight applicants were awarded an “Honorable Mention”. Each of their proposed projects are quite inspiring. Congratulations to: Adrianna Barber
Brandon Durham Savannah Jones Brianna Lewis Asuncion Martinez Julie Miller Noor Shehata Abigail Wells |
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Treat others how you want to be treated... is timeless." |
When one person is brave enough to speak up and help spread respect, a domino effect is created." |
But more prevalent... is the respect you have for all others in the world besides the small circle of people with whom you interact." |
Respect is the feeling of being treated and viewed as an equal despite one’s differences." |
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Davie County Enterprise Record shared this article on the first DRI Award Recipients Celebration.
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