Dangerous Games Project Wins Grants
Five students at Lyman Moore Middle School in Portland have been awarded two, $300 grants to print brochures that they wrote about dangerous adolescent games. Kids Consortium’s Dara Fund awarded the team the initial $300 grant. YOUTHINK, a youth-driven philanthropy organization based in Portland, presented the students with another $300 check in May.
The Dangerous Games project was one of several undertaken by seventh graders in David Hilton’s social studies class at Moore last year as part of Project Citizen, a civic education unit. Students investigated community issues that were important to them and developed strategies for addressing those issues.
Olivia Wilkins, Ellen Jewett, Katie Donlan, Rachel Luebbert and Nicole Mason had heard of “the choking game,” but did not realize how widespread it was before undertaking their research. Through polls taken at school, interviews and research, the team learned that the game has caused many injuries and deaths across the country, including two deaths in Maine in recent years.
The grants covered the cost of printing 3,000 pamphlets, which will be distributed to all eighth and ninth grade students in Portland next year. The Moore students have presented their work in a variety of settings to audiences that include students, teachers, the Portland School Committee and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine).
“Project Citizen has made me realize what a big difference kids our age can actually make in the world,” said team member Katie Dolan.
Teacher David Hilton said, “These students have worked amazingly hard for well over a year. It is inspiring to watch young people set out to change the world and then make it happen.”
