Peace Day With Secondary

As we entered the room, there were people shouting, some in languages I couldn’t understand, and others being herded into different areas. Each of us was given a card. There were people yelling, and crying, and pleading. In an adjacent room, I could see people enjoying cookies and juice; when I tried to go in, the ‘guards’ threw me back, told me that my card was the wrong color, and called me names. I went to join the others who had the same color card as mine. We waited together, not allowed to speak, or move. One by one, we were taken elsewhere, some to the room with the cookies, more to darker corners that we couldn’t see.

I was participating in a simulation, organized by Qingdao Amerasia International School’s IB Diploma Programme students, to call attention to the ongoing horrors being experienced by refugees, in connection with International Day of Peace activities at QAIS. The experience gave us a tiny glimpse of dehumanization and frustration, designed to look and sound like what refugees might experience, but among friends and colleagues in the context of our Peace Day activities. At the end of the simulation we were all led into the Music Room, where IBDP student James Thompson gave context to our experience, and shared a presentation on the plight of refugees, from conflicts in Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, who are trying to make their way into Europe. After the presentation, we brought out the guitars and violins, and sang ‘Give Peace a Chance’.

This week, students in the Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme at QAIS are discussing possible ways that our community could take action in support of those who have been displaced by war. If you would like to contribute to this discussion, please email students@QingdaoAmerasia.org.