Title: LUTHERAN YOUTH TAKE A TECHNOLOGICAL
JOURNEY
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 25, 1997
LUTHERAN YOUTH TAKE A TECHNOLOGICAL JOURNEY
97-YG-04-KD
NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- A journey of a
thousand miles, and almost as
many definitions of technology was the order
of the day for 5,000 teens who
attended "Trek 2001: A Technological
Odyssey." They gathered in the
Louisiana Superdome, where the Western
States Servant Band lifted spirits
and gave the kids an electric send-off to
embark on their journeys.
"Trek 2001" was part of the triennial
Youth Gathering of 30,000 high
school students held here June 23-27 by the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America.
Thousands of teens were engaged in
designing graphic computer slide
shows, videos, web sites and fliers. One
display depicted a family of
mannequins trapped behind bars. Eyes intent
on the television screen,
pizza boxes tossed about, and the tired eyes
of children produced a
sobering scene.
On the bars were attached statistics or
challenging questions. "The
typical American spends nine years watching
television." "Do you live life
or just watch it?" Participants walked up
to the display genuinely
surprised. One teen marveled, "Wow. I had
no idea."
Technology in developing countries was
also given a spotlight.
Lutheran World Relief (LWR) demonstrated how
to operate machines built with
rudimentary parts, such as a manual water
pump, a sunflower seed press from
which women get their oil for cooking, and a
corn shucker powered by
pedaling a bicycle. The kids also had a
chance to try out these machines
and many were surprised at the effort it
took to operate them.
"I didn't think it would be that hard
to press such small seeds" said
one young man of a job women usually have in
developing countries.
LWR used an entire room in the
Superdome for the purpose of educating
young people about the effects of land mines
on innocent people. A blank
sheet of paper was strewn across the floor
for kids to sign, demonstrating
their dissent with any land mine activity
such as stockpiling, and the
white space quickly disappeared as the
participants were eager to show
their concern. The paper will be sent as a
petition to the President of the
United States.
In addition to the petition, a rough
drawing of a typical landscape
in a developing country was spread out on
the floor for daring volunteers
to venture through. If they survived, they
received a sticker prounouncing
them a survivor of land mines.
If not, they played dead for five
minutes.
Another popular station for
participants was the NASA station.
Besides the model space rocket on display, a
wealth of information was
available. NASA executives came to speak
with the young people on the
technology of space crafts and the life of
an astronaut in the craft.
Other sections of the Trek included
educational stations on container
gardening, used by many developing countries
in their efforts to preserve
resources; interactive and informational
musical jam sessions during which
kids could try new and different
instruments; video production tips from
the Evergreen Youth Television team; and
several computer stations for kids
to explore the web, graphic design,
publishing and much more.
The Trek concluded when 800 young
people went on "Odysseys" into the
community to learn about behind-the-scenes
technology in the Aquarium, the
Steamboat Natchez, Street Cars, Tulane
Medical Center, Television Stations,
the Architecture in New Orleans, and the
Superdome itself.
-- 30 --
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director, News and Information
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
