Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Outreach: Michelle Duong and Chandani Patel are both working on projects that focus on raising awareness of domestic and dating violence issues.
Teens raise awareness about domestic violence
Presentation students recognized for projects
By Melissa Matchak
Creativity and concern have ignited two separate projects with the goal of raising awareness about domestic and dating violence.
Although their reasons for creating such projects differed, Presentation High School students Michelle Duong and Chandani Patel each chose to target violence in their creative projects.
Patel, a senior and longtime Girl Scout, was searching for a project that would earn her a Gold Award, the highest award given in Girl Scouts. After brainstorming with her advisor and friends, she decided to hold a swim-a-thon to raise money for Next Door Solution to Domestic Violence. Four months later, Patel had 19 volunteer swimmers and 25 other volunteers for the event that, through sponsors, raised more than $3,100.
With the money raised through the swim-a-thon, Patel purchased therapy books for women and children, tricycles, a play structure and other items for the children at Next Door.
"I wanted to do something to benefit women and children who are victims of domestic violence," Patel said.
Patel is no stranger to donating time and energy to help others. As a community involvement officer at Presentation, she has participated in the many drives and other fundraisers held at the school, and said she also volunteers at Good Samaritan Hospital each week. Patel said she plans to hold the swim-a-thon again next year, and hopes it will be an annual event.
Junior Michelle Duong is a three-year member of the Asian Pacific Youth Conference, a group that works to provide more services for Asian youth. She became involved last year in a county-funded project to create a video about dating violence. The 12-minute video features speakers discussing their experiences with dating violence and skits showing situations pertaining to the topic.
Duong was the outreach coordinator for the video project, calling schools and media, and arranging to present the video at several local schools. The video was also shown at the Tech Museum in October.
Duong said she enjoys teaching other teens about issues such as domestic violence, teen pregnancy and drug use.
"I hope people who watch the video will learn from it and educate other people," Duong said. "I learned a lot about the cycle of violence and that youth can make a difference."
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
