THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR. WORTH KNOWING. - Roberto Coney/Rominna Villaseor.

You're Never Too Young To Do The Write Thing

September 10, 2000|By William Hageman, Tribune Staff Writer.

We've heard politicians and the media talk about youth violence for years. Now listen to those closest to it -- the kids.

"When I saw my aunt cry and when I saw my cousin in his coffin, I got sad and I cried, thinking that no longer would his eyes open, and no longer would we play . . ."

Those words were written by Roberto Coney about a cousin who died in a drive-by shooting.

"Look at what that dreadful youth violence has done to the little innocent me/I know there is a day when I just have to let go because of the violence I see . . ."

And those lines are from a poem, "The Things I See," by Rominna Villaseor.

Rominna, 14, a freshman at St. Scholastica High School in Chicago, and Roberto, 13, an 8th-grader at Trumbull Elementary School in Chicago, were among 28 national finalists who were honored over the summer in Washington, D.C., for their submissions in the Do the Write Thing Challenge.

The Challenge is an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence, a nonprofit organization that works with young people to reduce violence. Last spring, more than 18,600 7th- and 8th-grade students from 450 schools in 15 cities submitted entries -- essays, poems and stories -- on the subject of youth violence.

Roberto and Rominna, both North Siders, were the Chicago finalists and each traveled to Washington with a parent and teacher and the other finalists. There they met Education Secretary Richard Riley, Deputy Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and their respective members of Congress, and had their writings placed in the Library of Congress.

The Challenge is the idea of Dan Callister, a Washington lawyer who says its purpose is four-fold: to provide children who have experienced or seen violence with a cathartic experience; to give them motivation to change their behavior; to be an education experience for teachers and the community; and to get adults to help solve the problem.

The writings of Rominna and Roberto reflect the violence they or their friends or families have experienced.

Rominna recalls a time she and her mother were walking home from the store and they found themselves in the middle of a gang dispute. "We were really scared," she says. "There were a lot of people screaming and fighting and throwing things. This was two blocks from our home."

In addition to the 1998 death of his cousin, Roberto says, school violence across the country also played a part in his thinking.

"The death of my cousin really inspired me. That was the catalyst," he says. "And then all the other things that went on -- at Columbine High School and school shootings elsewhere -- they all added up."

The narrator of Rominna's poem -- she says she also relied on the experiences of some of her friends -- ends with a plea for help: "I cannot stop this violent behavior, antagonism, and aggression. Only if you could help me, together we will fight it through cooperation."

Roberto's essay follows the same path, lamenting violence in the streets and its impact on families, and emphasizing the need for cooperation among all parties, especially children and parents, in achieving peace. "So parents listen to your children like you like to be heard," he wrote, "and talk to them like you would like them to talk to you, and I bet that we'll contribute a lot to stopping youth violence."

Both students have talents that go beyond writing.

Rominna is an artist whose work at her grammar school, St. Hilary School, is still talked about.

"The girl's talent is phenomenal," says Judee Pyrcz, director of institutional advancement at the school.

Pyrcz tells about the time Rominna, whose goal is to become an architect, designed a collection box for the Box Tops for Education program, making it look like a giant Cheerios box, and about how she turned a trash can into a giant soup can for another project.

"Someday you're going to say, `I knew her when,' " says Karen Gubbins, who was Rominna's 8th-grade teacher and who entered her in the Challenge. "She's so gifted. She's poised, articulate. And she has lots of self-discipline."

Roberto is a popular student at Trumbull, an "outgoing, well-rounded individual, and very mature," according to Sandra Ostrand, the school's program coordinator. "And obviously he has a caring conscience," she says, pointing to his essay.

Roberto says he has no definite plans for his future, though he has always harbored thoughts of being an astronaut.

Asked what adults can do to combat youth violence, Rominna suggests working with youngsters. "I think mentoring programs after school, a Big Brother-Big Sister program, really help," she says. "Not only would a child feel someone cares about them, but it would also teach them the difference between right and wrong."

Callister has his own suggestion:

"I think that if anyone took the time to read three or four of the essays, they'd say, `Wow, I never thought of it from that point of view. What can I do?'

"This isn't what government can do, but what we do as a culture to stop the violence. This is a catalyst pro-gram; if it motivates you, that's what we want to do."

For more information on the Do the Write Thing Challenge, call the National Campaign to Stop Violence at 800-256-0235.