More Stories from Ánimo HS
Here are some more personal stories from our newest Community Listeners from Ánimo High School in South Los Angeles.
Take a look at how these incredible students have been changed by the simple act of listening to the people around them.
Susanna’s Story:
Susana's Hope (Click to Enlarge)
I had this conversation with my sister who is 9 years old about what she hopes for.
I asked her, “What do you hope for?”
She said, “What do you mean?”
“Well, what do you want to accomplish in this life?”
She then thought about it and walked away. I thought that she didn’t understand what I was talking about. Then, she came back and looked at me if I said something wrong, and she said “What do you think?”
I didn’t say anything because, well, I didn’t know.
For a while we sat there and she said, “Well, I want to live a happy life where I could help animals and have a lot of money so mom and dad don’t have to work anymore.”
She then told me how hard she sees my parents work and when they come home they are too tired and don’t have time to play with her. If she works then she could give them money so they do not have to work anymore. This really stood out for me because she knows that my parents work, and she understands that they are too tired to play with her. This showed me that when my parents don’t work she tries to be with them as much as possible and helps them out in any way she can.
I see my sister differently because she does have like real dreams of her own, and they are not the hopes of a girl who just wants to own something. She does not think of being selfish. I now see that she is a person that wants to help out instead of just having things for herself.
Read more stories below…
Heather’s Story:
Heather's Hope (Click to Enlarge)
Before I knew about this project, hope meant to me a wish, an expectation. Hope, for some people, is what keeps them moving forward and from living in doubt or fear. Hope was something I wished for.
I hope that people can live in peace from corruption, racism, and hatred. But also hope can be a reality or even come true.
During my conversations with people, most people don’t understand the question or ask me, “what do you mean?” This tells me that no one has ever asked them that question. They seem surprised and don’t know how to answer. I think that this question should be answered by as many people as we can get because it can be important to an individual. Also, some people take time to think about or put down whatever comes to mind.
Deborah’s Story:
Deborah's Hope (Click to Enlarge)
Before I started this project I really didn’t think about the word hope. I thought it just meant what you want to do in life. I never thought outside the box about the word hope. Now that I have asked many people what do the hope for I look at the word differently. Now the word hope has totally different meaning. To me it means like what do you want to change in this world. What are the problems you wish to solve so the world can become a better place? What can some people sacrifice so they don’t seem ungrateful? That’s what hope mean to me now. I hope people have a different point of view about hope now as the question being asked more.
When I asked people what do they hope for they really don’t know what to write. They asked me, “What do you mean?” It will take them at least ten minutes just to figure out what do the hope for. I think this question is not asked frequently because many people don’t know how to respond. When they do respond it’s like, “Wow! I really didn’t think you thought about the world this way!”
Tags: animo, california, los angeles