Get Involved

The complexity of international issues is sometimes difficult for U.S. citizens to imagine. Among the many graphic images in movies and the press, we can become desensitized to discussions or displays of violence.

These activities can help your students connect to people their own age in other countries-young people who have to confront the reality of landmines on a daily basis.

• Help Them Learn the Facts
  Use the information on this website and elsewhere to help your students learn about the issue. Use a large world map to highlight countries most affected by landmines and nations that have signed, or neglected to sign the Mine Ban Treaty.
• Include the Issue in Other Lessons
  If your class is studying the culture or history of other countries, mention the effect of landmines in those countries. You can discuss the nations most heavily affected, such as Afghanistan, Cambodia, Angola, Nicaragua and Croatia if you do not cover international studies as part of your regular curriculum.
• Encourage Discussion
  Break your class into smaller groups for discussions. Distribute a case study to each group for them to read and discuss. Ask students to imagine how their lives would be different if they had landmines in their community. What would change in their chores, how they get to school and the doctor, visits with friends, etc.? What would they worry about the most?
• Creative Expression
  Invite students to design posters and write essays or poems as a way to express their opinion about the landmine issue. Arrange displays of the work in a group exhibit in the library, gym, cafeteria or other common areas. Samples can also be included in the school or local newspaper accompanied with a Letter to the Editor calling for the U.S. to Join the Mine Ban Treaty Now!
  
• Organize a Letter Writing Campaign
  Students can write letters to the President or members of the House of Representatives and Senate to urge law-makers to support the Mine Ban Treaty. Students can learn the importance of exercising their democratic rights to voice their opinion on important social justice issues. Click here for sample letters.

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