Gun Violence Outside the Continental US: Drills and Threats in Honolulu

As of the date of this recording, 154 mass shootings have taken place in the U.S. In her visits with members of UMC Youth across the country, Pastor Robin asks the difficult questions of how students and children feel about school shootings and gun violence.

More and more, the common narrative among school-age children expresses a familiarity with active shooter drills, and unfortunately many students have shared stories of recent lock-downs in their classrooms as a result of "Credible Threats" of violence in their neighborhoods. Hear how these wonderful young women in Honolulu rely on their faith, family, and support systems to in turn offer comfort and support for their classmates and friends in the midst of fear and violence.

High School Students in Florida on Faith and Violence

In a surprise visit, Pastor Robin met with a group of high school students at one of the United Methodist Churches in south Florida in the wake of Parkland and the national crisis of school shootings. 

In the past, Reverend Dr. Robin Blair has had the privilege to speak with dozens of younger students across the country. It was clear that this particular group, following shootings so near to home, had a variety of different responses- and while no one is okay with gun violence in schools, the reality of constant threats and the appeal of simply keeping one's head down or doing what one has to do to protect oneself is a tempting one. How does faith play a role in our children's lives as they grow older in this violent culture? Has the ongoing crisis of school shootings become so ubiquitous by high school that our older students are forced to take them in stride? 

These students are not the activists that were portrayed in the news coverage following the Parkland tragedies. They're youth members in suburban Florida who aren't as eager to share their stories and pain. We hope that you will hear the tension in this conversation and empathize with the struggle of everyday life in high school, and how present danger can seem to be around every corner. Join us and Pastor Robin as we sit in with these strong teens. 

Acceptance for LGBT Youth in Honolulu, Hawaii

Pastor Robin travelled to Hawaii this summer and spoke with two middle-school girls from the UMC in Honolulu. Passionate and active, these young girls share stories of their participation in local political marches and activism for the LGBT community. 

Listen as these young women express their belief that "everyone is welcome" in their church and their community. They take inspiration from scripture and faith teachings in school, politics, and their friendships, and describe how faith shapes their lives in this episode of the Peace Project.

Peace Project with Outward

Pastor Robin and Cass were lucky enough to discuss the topics of Peace, Love, and Kindness with several groups of students at OUTWARD! in the Upper NY Conference of the UMC. Listen as some of the high school students tackle the difficult topic or how to share peace with the world- especially in light of Parkland, international conflict, and a heated political environment. 

We're so grateful for this amazing group of eloquent students- thank you!

The Anatomy of a Lockdown

The students at Williamson Middle School and Pastor Robin have worked together before on a few pieces for Common Good Radio, and we always look forward to our opportunities to talk with the Radio Club about kindness, peace, honesty, and leading good lives. But recently there was a lockdown out their school because of an outside threat. Hear them describe what it was like for these middle school students to experience this in their school, and how they dealt with the stress of the situation. 

Peace Project with the Outward Girls

In addition to scripture and youth group, we discussed pop culture and school life with a lot of the students at Outward. Pastor Robin and Cass asked some high school girls how they defined peace, and how their interests help them connect peacefully with their communities. 

Peace Project with Victor, Kevin, and Caroline

Pastor Robin and Cass were super impressed when they got into the topic of respect and peace with three middle schoolers at OUTWARD! in Syracuse last month. How do leaders of the world today differ from Jesus and the leaders of Roman times? How do people gain respect and keep it in this world? How do we lead, and what do people look for in leaders? Is it possible to do this all peacefully? What can we learn from scripture and the teachings of Jesus when we ask ourselves these big questions?

It's hard to draw conclusions for day-to-day life from history class, but these kids are most definitely making the connections. Listen in!

The Peace Project

It's not an easy time to be a kid. In light of recent events across the country, we at Common Good Radio think it's time to embark on our next venture: The Peace Project. Join Pastor Robin and the Girl Scouts in our hometown as we get acquainted with each others' idea of peace. Do we passively enjoy peace, or actively seek it out? What ISN'T an example of peace, and how do we try to return to a peaceful status quo in our everyday lives? We hope for this to be the first of many Peace Projects with children from all over, in a joint venture to promote peaceful discussions in a world that can seem anything but.