Teens Inspire Teens – A MWAH! Tribute at Metamora Grade School May 12, 2014
May 21, 2014
Woodford County Courier,
published in Washington, Illinois
By Deb Adlington, reporter for the Woodford County Courier
Members of the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe sang and danced their message of peace, strength and tolerance for junior high students at Metamora Grade School on Monday, May 12. MWAH! is an acronym for "Messages Which Are Hopeful." They explained recent tragedies and persuaded students promote harmony, to do everything they can to tolerate differences and embrace them. The words of Nelson Mandella explain it best, "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart that the opposite." Students listened intently to the music and messages. There were many solo vocal and instrumental performances by very talented youth. It captured attention and stirred emotion.
Real stories were told about teens that were so injured by words they took their own life. "Be tolerant of others views and beliefs, and love and accept everyone," they encouraged. Some people don't have the strength to overcome this type of harassment. Parents of Joshua Wilson (Jennifer Higgins and Jeff Wilson) attended the event and spoke about their son who took his own life in July of 2013 when he was only a sixth grader at Geneseo Middle School in Geneseo, IL. His father Jeff Wilson explained the importance of holding on to hope. Life is a struggle and has its ups and downs, but life is ever-changing too. Talk to others about what is bothering you. You don't have to struggle alone. Talk to friends and parents. Have a support group. Know that there are people in your school, at your church or in your youth group that can talk with you. Use a hotline if you want to be anonymous. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Have a positive attitude and be conscious of all the wonderful things ahead of you- marriage, a family, grandchildren.
The group explained that before you love others you have to love yourself. They told stories of heros that overcame adversity. The performance was personalized for Metamora Grade School. Teachers and students worked to prepare for the visit. Metamora Grade School accomplishments were applauded at the beginning of the presentation and Metamora student heros were brought to the stage. Performers told their own stories of struggling with issues like ridicule and parents divorce. They explained how they became their own hero and developed inner strength to deal. They also reached out to others for support and encouragement and advised teens to do the same.
MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe is an affiliate of the Chicago Area Project. Find more information at mwah.net . This web site will soon post photos from their Metamora performance. MWAH! founder/director is Ray Moffitt who has a background in social work. Teen performers are auditioned and were extremely talented for their age.