the change of little monsters.

                I am sure I am not the only student that wondered what creating a television show starring little fifth-graders speaking up for change had to do with a speech class. I still had these sentiments even during the residency at Lafayette. However, when I attended the screening for “Speak Change Live” and was able to see the final product, it was then that I realized why this service-learning project was incorporated into our class. When we first gave the kids their 2-cent dollars and challenged them to speak up for the changes they wanted to see in their lives, they did not really understand how doing this would help them in anyway. After they saw themselves projected on the screen, they realized that no matter how small and insignificant they thought their voices were, all kinds of reforms could be made by just using it to speak out.  The reason I thought that the project had no prevalence to our class was because I just assumed that public speaking dealt with speeches and things of that nature. I later realized that public speaking encompasses many different aspects of life. Media is a great tool for speaking out to the masses and that is what we (along with 2-cent and the students) did to convey the message of change. Our project definitely demonstrated the fact that public speaking does operate as a tool for change because it allowed the kids to speak up on issues that were important to them and not be afraid to let their voices be heard. It taught them that their voices can and will be heard…no matter how big or small it may be and I am so glad that we had a major part in teaching them that.