#MyFreedomDay at AIS

Fight for the future, for those who have not been granted the same rights as we have. This was the Freedom Prizes’ mission: a voting event held on April 23rd in the auditorium. This event was a partnership between the Freedom Prize Club and the orig

inal organization in the Normandy region in France. There, 9th and 10th-grade students voted on who would be rewarded the freedom prize and receive the $30,000 prize at the June ceremony, where four students, including one of the jury members, will have the honor of attending.

The Freedom Prize voting event is part of a program called The Freedom Prize, which teaches students about freedom, leadership, and human rights. Students spend time learning about different leaders from around the world, people who fought for justice, equality, or freedom, and they explore what these individuals did and the challenges they faced. After that, students participate in a voting event that works like a real election, choosing the person they think best represents freedom. The winner receives a $30,000 prize to support their work, like funding projects or helping communities. Past winners include Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg.

This was the second Freedom Prize voting event held by our school and the first one organized by the Freedom Prize Club. The club is connected to the main organization and helps manage the voting process through multiple steps. At the beginning of the year, students research leaders who have fought for freedom and human rights and send their choices to the jury to decide if that person or organization will become one of the final candidates. Later, they led the voting process at school by preparing interviews, creating presentations, writing speeches, and managing the votes, along with the French consulate.

Another honor for the club is the students who were selected to travel to France. Only a very small group of students each year is chosen from the U.S. to attend the ceremony, with four from our school, including a jury member. These students were selected after a series of applications and, in June, will travel on a special charter flight from the Atlanta International Airport to Normandy, France, through a sponsorship with Delta. On this flight, students will travel alongside World War II veterans. There, they will not only attend the award ceremony but also visit the region, talk to veterans, learn about their experiences, and discuss important issues in today’s world, all while connecting to the event that inspired it all: D-Day.

An important part of this event was the interview with the famous war photographer, Patrick Chauvel. Four members of the club prepared questions and interviewed the guest speaker about his fascinating 60-year career. They asked everything from personal questions about his childhood and family to professional questions about his work and legacy. Every one of his answers was captivating. Stories like smoking with Bob Marley, taking photos in the middle of the Ukrainian battlefield, forming friendships with enemies, and even getting shot less than a minute after taking a picture were just a few of the many experiences he shared during the interview. Finally, the primary purpose of the event was the voting itself. There were three candidates that students could vote for: the China Labor Watch; an NGO that fights for workers’ rights by exposing poor working conditions such as forced labor, child labor, and unfair treatment in factories in China; Nemonte Nenquimo, an Indigenous leader from Ecuador who fights for the rights of her people and protects the rainforest from oil drilling and environmental destruction; and Matiullah Wesa, who fights for education rights, especially by helping schools for them to reopen and supporting girls’ access to education in Afghanistan. Students then chose the candidate they felt most connected to and voted using a paper ballot. All ballots are then sent back to France, where the Freedom Prize organization counts votes from around the world to determine the winner.

What began in an auditorium on April 23rd with 200 AIS students ended on a global stage in France. In a world often divided, these students have shown that a single vote can amplify the voices of those fighting for justice in the furthest corners of the globe. Guess the world isn’t a screen away anymore. The $30,000 prize is the reward, but for these young leaders, the real prize is the realization that they are no longer just learning about history, they are shaping it.