North Hills students gather ideas at Eradicate Hate Global Summit
Officers from the North Hills High School Diversity Club and AFS International Club participated in the Eradicate Hate Global Summit held Oct. 21-23, 2024 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The annual summit seeks collaboration from the world’s experts to combat hate-motivated violence.
On Oct. 22, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) organized a student-led portion of the summit and invited various school districts from the region to join the conversation.
Together, students watched the impactful documentary "Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life." The documentary showcases the unity and resilience of the Greater Pittsburgh Community in the aftermath of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in 2018. It depicts diverse facets of the community converging to extend solidarity and support to the Jewish community and the families of the victims.
Following the viewing, students reflected on the themes of unity, empathy and communal support, and then embarked on a design sprint, brainstorming innovative and thoughtful activities to eradicate hate within their respective school districts.
“I learned about how important it is to collaborate with fellow peers in order to create change — we are stronger together,” said junior Anya Roy.
Junior Blondina Murtezi added, “I received new insight on the different methods and ideas that I can attempt to imbed into our school.”
All school participants will receive a $1,000 grant from The Grable Foundation to help bring their activities to fruition.
North Hills’ students are planning to implement various activities and events that foster an environment where all students feel welcomed.
Juniors Brynlee Wieseckel and Janiya Cassell echoed, “It was amazing to be around others that want to make a difference in their school and community."