Project Hello

Notes from the Edge of the World

Project Hello: Notes from the Edge of the World launched November 2009 so that students in California and Sierra Leone could share stories.

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abdulaikamara posted a status
"What are hi sabelda curlel,is your friend abdulai kamara from sierra leone,how have you been doing.i hope every thinyou up to?"
Jul 10, 2011
0 Comments
abdulaikamara posted a status
"hi sabelda curlel,is your friend abdulai kamara from sierra leopne,how have you been doing.i hope every thing is well"
Jul 10, 2011
0 Comments
abdulaikamara is now a member of Project Hello
Jul 8, 2011
Welcome Them!
Alex Capilla left a comment for Junisa Kallon
"i'm doing fine man. thanks for asking :) how about you?"
May 10, 2011
Junisa Kallon left a comment for Alex Capilla
"Hey man how are things? Hope cool. Long time ...."
May 10, 2011
Mary Haffner is now a member of Project Hello
Mar 16, 2011
Welcome Them!
Michael Lahoud is now a member of Project Hello
Nov 13, 2010
Welcome Them!
Junisa Kallon posted discussions
Oct 4, 2010
Junisa Kallon posted a blog post

Freetown City students Missed Mrs Wantz Miss Eulau and of course Our follow students.

Freetown City students Missed Mrs Wantz Miss Eulau and of course Our follow students. Our fellow students are the one we really missed because now that the is less work on project hello the inter-lecture between us is kinda weaken. We pray that God Bless the organizers and we the workers of this noble organization. We ourselves do want to thank our friend in California encourage them to continue this good work and hope thatas we have started this good work internationally we shall continue this…See More
Sep 29, 2010
0 Comments
Junisa Kallon updated their profile
Jul 10, 2010
Mary Sankoh replied to Melissa Wantz's discussion Week 17: What do you and your friends do for fun?
"after every time of exam me and my friends go to the beact talk and play we have different thing we talk about like people we love like boys men. we like are self"
Jun 29, 2010
Mary Sankoh replied to Melissa Wantz's discussion Week 16: Who is your best friend?
"my best friend is no other but the one that make me see the light of the world. That is my one and only mother that love me mor than any body after God. she is a friend in need and i deed no one can every love me like she dose"
Jun 29, 2010
Melissa Wantz's discussion was featured

Freetown students Mrs. Wantz's plane was turned back to London

I am still coming to Sierra Leone, but will be delayed by one day. We flew five hours from London and were nearly to Freetown when the plane got mechanical difficulties and the company made the pilots turn back to London. I hope to still have our get-together on Wednesday evening, but it might be later in the evening, or we might have to reschedule it for two weeks when I return from the Bo teacher conference... Please contact Joseph Lamin to find out the details. I really want to meet with you…See More
Jun 22, 2010
0 Comments
Melissa Wantz posted a discussion

Freetown students Mrs. Wantz's plane was turned back to London

I am still coming to Sierra Leone, but will be delayed by one day. We flew five hours from London and were nearly to Freetown when the plane got mechanical difficulties and the company made the pilots turn back to London. I hope to still have our get-together on Wednesday evening, but it might be later in the evening, or we might have to reschedule it for two weeks when I return from the Bo teacher conference... Please contact Joseph Lamin to find out the details. I really want to meet with you…See More
Jun 22, 2010
0 Comments
Kadiatu Koroma replied to Melissa Wantz's discussion Week 11: What music or bands do you like?
"Music,as they is a food to the soul.I like music very much,listening to it gives my spirit a boost.Mostly,I listen to sentimental s,Hip hop songs etc.However I love all songs that are being sang from the depth of a person's being;a song that…"
Jun 22, 2010
Mary Sankoh replied to Melissa Wantz's discussion Week 14: What is your biggest fear?
"my bigest fear is to get a baby without a father to cear for him. and to love without loving intoun. because i may loss my mother who i love so mouch"
Jun 22, 2010
Mary Sankoh replied to Melissa Wantz's discussion Week 13: If you had one day left to live, what would you do and why?
"if i have one more day to live the best i can is to thank God and ask him to for give for all my sain and like to look my mother and say i lover and paul too. i will to see my friends and tell them they are the best thing that has happen to me in…"
Jun 22, 2010
Eva M. replied to Melissa Wantz's discussion Week 13: If you had one day left to live, what would you do and why?
"If I had one day left to live, I would try to do everything I had ever dreamed of doing and I would try to accomplish all of my goals. But I know I would just waste time trying to think of all things I ever wanted to do. Things such as traveling…"
Jun 16, 2010
 

Forum

How did you spent you end of school year holiday?

How was your holiday spent?Continue

Started by Junisa Kallon Oct 4, 2010.

How is it you're going to make the world a better place?

How is it you're going to make the world a better place?

Started by Junisa Kallon Oct 4, 2010.

Week 17: What do you and your friends do for fun? 12 Replies

Explain how you and your friends have fun. What do you do when you hang out?Continue

Tags: friends

Started by Melissa Wantz. Last reply by Mary Sankoh Jun 29, 2010.

Week 16: Who is your best friend? 12 Replies

Who is your best friend, and what makes you so close to them? What do you like best about them?Continue

Tags: friends

Started by Melissa Wantz. Last reply by Mary Sankoh Jun 29, 2010.

Freetown students Mrs. Wantz's plane was turned back to London

I am still coming to Sierra Leone, but will be delayed by one day. We flew five hours from London and were nearly to Freetown when the plane got mechanical difficulties and the company made the…Continue

Started by Melissa Wantz Jun 22, 2010.

Week 11: What music or bands do you like? 20 Replies

Describe the type of music you like the best. Name bands and songs. If you want to link to them, go for it.Continue

Tags: music

Started by Melissa Wantz. Last reply by Kadiatu Koroma Jun 22, 2010.

Week 14: What is your biggest fear? 15 Replies

Please describe your biggest fear and why it frightens you.Continue

Tags: fear

Started by Melissa Wantz. Last reply by Mary Sankoh Jun 22, 2010.

Week 13: If you had one day left to live, what would you do and why? 12 Replies

Please tell all the things you would try to do with your one day.Continue

Tags: day, one

Started by Melissa Wantz. Last reply by Mary Sankoh Jun 22, 2010.

Week 18: What is the farthest you have traveled to? 10 Replies

How far from home have you been and what did you see and do there?Continue

Tags: travel

Started by Melissa Wantz. Last reply by Celeste L--per.4 Jun 16, 2010.

Week Nine: What have you learned from this project so far? 13 Replies

What have you learned fromthis project so far? What surprises you? What do you enjoy about it? What do you want to change about it?Continue

Tags: Hello, Project

Started by Melissa Wantz. Last reply by Sydney Hansen Jun 14, 2010.

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The Power of Stories


"It was nighttime and we sat by the fire stretching our arms toward the flames as we listened to stories and watched the moon and the stars retire. The red coal from the firewood lit our faces in the dark and wisps of smoke continuously rose toward the sky. Pa Sesay, one of my friends' grandfather, had told us many stories that night, but before he began telling the last story, he repeatedly said, "This is a very important story." He then cleared his throat and began:" -- Ishmael Beah, from A Long Way Gone

Project Hello: Notes from the Edge of the World exists as a space for students from Sierra Leone and the United States to share their stories. It is a place for exploration of culture, of history and of literature. It's a place to examine the past and the present and, of course, the future.

This site offers the means for teens across the world from each other to "meet" and form friendships and hopefully grow in understanding of what life is like for other people. It is a learning place. A space for creating and growing, both personal and public.

Freetown and Ventura, California, rest on the very west coast of giant continents. They are both on "the edge of the world," so to speak.

These are some notes from those places.

Photo: Creative Commons photo by Doug Beckers on Flickr.

Blog Posts

Freetown City students Missed Mrs Wantz Miss Eulau and of course Our follow students.

Freetown City students Missed Mrs Wantz Miss Eulau and of course Our follow students. Our fellow students are the one we really missed because now that the is less work on project hello the inter-lecture between us is kinda weaken. We pray that God Bless the organizers and we the workers of this noble organization. We ourselves do want to thank our friend in California encourage them to continue this good work and hope thatas we have started this good work internationally we shall continue this… Continue

Posted by Junisa Kallon on September 29, 2010 at 3:56am

Thank You

I want to personally thank all the members at project hello for.....giving off their best.Bravo

Kadiatu.

Posted by Kadiatu Koroma on February 14, 2010 at 12:48pm

Like Brandon I would also like to thank Mrs.Wantz and everyone else who took part in making this possible. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity and to be able to learn about different…

Like Brandon I would also like to thank Mrs.Wantz and everyone else who took part in making this possible. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity and to be able to learn about different cultures and people. I know we can all benefit greatly from this in so many ways and once again I am forever grateful. Thank you. Continue

Posted by Celeste L--per.4 on December 8, 2009 at 6:46pm

blog

i just want to say that im pretty excited to meet all these new people from across the world. i cant wait to see more pictures and maybe videos of how they live and what they do. i want to thank for Mrs.Wantz for setting this up for us. its a great life experience and personal experience.. thank you!!

Posted by Brandon Davis on November 29, 2009 at 9:17pm

 
 
 

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About this project

Inspired by two incredible stories of perseverance and hope, "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah and "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, I applied for a Student Achievement Grant from the National Education Association. As a teacher my job is to help open new worlds to students, and what better time and place than now is there to do that?

I believe in the power of stories to increase understanding, and so my idea is to connect students in Sierra Leone and Ventura, California, in a Web 2.0 environment for the purpose of sharing their stories, hopes, and dreams for the future. One tangible outcome, aside from this social network site, will be to produce a book of writing and art.

I wrote the NEA grant in May 2009 and was informed several months later that it had been approved. The hard work then began, because getting a good idea out of the dream stage and into reality is always difficult. When I thought up this project I knew nobody in Sierra Leone. In fact, I knew no one who had ever been to Sierra Leone. According to Internet World Stats, 6.7% of Africans are online. But I felt called to communicate with Sierra Leoneans, and I had faith in the power and reach of the internet to connect people.

This week, thanks to fortuitous connections made with a non-profit organization called Schools for Salone, the first exchanges of tools, technology and goodwill between our students will begin.

Using grant money, I've purchased two HD Flip video cameras, one for the students in Ventura and one for those in Freetown. These cameras are easy to use, smaller than a cell phone and can upload straight to Youtube. The teens will capture their every day lives on film and share images and voices from across the world. One of the cameras, along with some grant funds for internet cafe use in Freetown, hand-written letters and photographs will be hand-delivered by Schools for Salone board member Michael Gibbons to Joseph Lamin of Masanga Children's Fund. Joseph has signed up some motivated Freetown-area students to match the students from Foothill Technology High School that I will oversee.

Once the kids get online, we will see what emerges. I can't wait.

-- Melissa Wantz
Foothill Technology High School
November 8, 2009

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