Morris Plains resident, Oak Knoll senior learns how to combat poverty, hunger at teen summit

SUMMIT, NJ, November 18, 2015 – Two seniors from Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child recently participated in an exchange of ideas on the issues of poverty and hunger at the New Jersey Teen Hunger Summit.

Seniors Carmen Ruiz, of Wharton, and Amanda Kyreakakis, of Morris Plains, were among nearly 200 students to discuss hunger and poverty issues at Community Foodbank of New Jersey’s fifth annual event, which was held November 10, 2015 at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange.

Carmen, student coordinator for Bridges Outreach at Oak Knoll’s all-girls middle and high school, said she attended a session on social media and was surprised by the level of positive impact teens can have through apps like Twitter and Facebook.

“What struck me most was the emphasis on how we as teens have a huge ability and responsibility to work together toward a solution for hunger,” she said. “The different workshops really highlighted this fact and it was a great experience.”

Amanda learned about the impact of climate change on hunger and was particularly impressed with presenter Michael Shea who sought a new perspective by living as a member of the homeless community for a month.

“It helped me realize that everyone has the responsibility to really try and understand the lives of others and their situations,” she said.

Amanda said further she learned a great deal when students were split into groups and encouraged to brainstorm ways to spread awareness about hunger and poverty issues.