Absegami Student Joins Fight Against Ugandan Warlord Joseph Kony

Gavin Calcerano-Bailey is only 15 years old, and he’s just a freshman at , but he knows when action needs to be taken.

He’s been involved in a youth group since he was in sixth or seventh grade, meeting twice a month to help with church-related causes, do charity work or participate in trash pick-ups.

But he has never been involved in anything of this magnitude.

By now, the entire world knows the name Joseph Kony. Kony’s the head of the Ugandan guerilla group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and has been made popular by the Kony 2012 documentary that claims he uses children as weapons of war, and is responsible for unspeakable acts of mutilation.

The full documentary, available on YouTube, as well as a rare interview with Kony are attached to this story.

“The first time I saw it was on Facebook,” Calcerano-Bailey said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been involved in something, but I’ve never been involved in something this big, and I’ve never started something before.”

What Calcerano-Bailey is attempting isn’t bad for his first try.

The freshman is looking to gather a group of people for the national Kony 2012 “Cover the Night” event on April 20.

The Invisible Children organization has called for citizens across the world to spread the word about Kony by blanketing their cities and towns with posters and fliers, along with other methods of spreading awareness.

“I was at a pep rally (at the school) and everyone already knew about it,” Calcerano-Bailey said. “They all wanted to go to New York or Atlantic City, and I thought, ‘why don’t we just do it here in Galloway? ‘ There’s 40,000 people here and it covers 111 miles. We’re guaranteed to have an affect and to be able to do it safely.”

The idea caught on, as 88 people have guaranteed they will participate and another 300-plus have shown interest.

It’s not just high school students involved; there are also some middle schoolers and a few parents involved, Calcerano-Bailey said. Students from Absegami, Cedar Creek, Oakcrest and the have expressed interest, and residents from Galloway, Brigantine and Hammonton, among other municipalities, are also eager to participate.

On Tuesday night, April 10, Calcerano-Bailey created an unusual scene when he went before the during the public comment portion of his meeting to express his idea.

“I want to show people that you can do anything. You can be 15, 50 or 80,” Calcerano-Bailey said. “Galloway’s been very good to us. My mom’s always been active. She’s big in the PTA. If there’s something you can do, you should do it.”

He also emphasized the importance of focusing on the cause, acknowledging there are criticisms of Invisible Children. He said it would be better to donate to one of the organizations who focus on the cause or go out and take action yourself.

There has been great criticism of the Invisible Children group nationwide, as people have called it a scam, and pointing out it isn’t critical of the Ugandan government’s poor human rights record.

But the problem is real, and Calcerano-Bailey wants to make sure people recognize it.

“After the meeting, people were saying how proud they were of me for doing this,” Calcerano-Bailey said. “Not a lot of kids do this kind of thing. I’m trying to break that perception.”

“I had an interview with a student a week ago and I told her it’s great to be involved in the community, no matter what it is,” Mayor Don Purdy said. “Whether you’re a scout leader, involved in the SPCA, volunteer at the , at the , and this is an example of kids getting involved in an issue. He showed true leadership.”

Purdy added that Calcerano-Bailey called him first, and Purdy told him to go before council with his idea.

“He’s following protocol to make sure everything’s good with the township, and that he does it in a safe way,” Purdy said. “That’s another part of good leadership.

“I hope this sparks some interest and concern to do stuff locally. There’s a lot of families and kids around here in need. I hope it sparks some interest and concern.”

“I think it’s great to see students dedicated to a worthy cause. If it is well organized and all involved are mindful of their actions, it will serve as an example on how to publicly take a stand or show support for a cause peacefully and respectfully,” Chief Patrick Moran said. “I wish them well.”

The day after his appearance at the council meeting, Calcerano-Bailey met with Moran and Township Manager Arch Liston.

According to Moran, Calcerano-Bailey said several groups will be involved, and each one will have an adult chaperone. Prior to the event, Galloway Police supervisors on duty will take the cell phone numbers of the chaperones in case any issues arise.

“We met with Gavin and let him know that there has to be adult supervision, that no signs are to be placed anywhere without permission, and that other ordinance violations such as noise need to be respected by the participants,” Moran said. “We also suggested participants should be wearing bright color clothing and utilize caution in the dark.”

Invisible Children’s call to action calls for the blanketing of the township to take place in the middle of the night, so that residents wake up to massive amounts of signs first thing in the morning.

While the township ultimately agreed to let the event take place between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., Calcerano-Bailey said he was considering doing it earlier in the night, Moran said.

As it is not a township-organized event, the group will also be responsible for taking all signs down within 48 hours.

That’s enough time for the signs to have the effect Calcerano-Bailey hopes they have.

Said Calcerano-Bailey: “If one person sees a poster and has no clue what it is, then goes back and looks it up to see what’s going on, and they feel they can make a difference by doing something or donating, that makes it all worthwhile.”