Interact, which gets its name from INTERnational ACTion, is a service club on campus. Each year we do both community and international projects. In the past years, we've done things such as: volunteering at local events, like Kids Discover Arts, making and donating blankets, and helping clean up Uvas Creek. Our past international projects have included helping eradicate polio, providing water pumps for rural areas, and fighting hunger worldwide.

This year, our Interact district, which is the largest district in the world, ranging from Oakland to Hollister, has three international projects. The first is to refurbish a school in Ghana. The school will accommodate 200 students who are currently studying outdoors under trees. Our second project is to refurbish a day care center in Panama, as well as teach children to be self-sustaining through farming. Our third project is to fight and control tuberculosis in Tibet, where one million children are at risk of dying.

A couple weeks ago, I was telling someone in one of my classes about our international projects, and they told me that it sounds like we are just indecisive, and that we should just pick one project.

We like to aim high. When the Interact clubs of Gilroy, Live Oak, Sobrato, and Hollister met at the beginning of the year, we came up with a fundraising goal of $3,000. To us, this seemed like a huge amount. Our club's personal goal was to raise $1,000. We thought this was very ambitious, as we had never met or even made a goal before. I'm pleased to say that we have already met our goal, due largely in part to the benefit concert we held in early January, which raised $500.

Five talented local bands and performers agreed to participate in our show to help us help others. We sat at a table in the quad every day at lunch selling tickets, which came with a "Giving is Living" wristband, similar to the yellow "LiveStrong" bands.

I must admit that we were originally discouraged by the lack of interest shown by many Gilroy High School students. Most of them just don't seem to care. One student asked us why we were building a school in Africa when our own school is so ghetto. And no, they did not actually say "ghetto," but their actual words were not fit to print.

Another student told me that we shouldn't say that we're raising money to build a school in Africa. When I asked them why not, they said, "Because it's Africa. Say the thing about Tibet, people like Tibet."

So apparently, not everyone cares about what's going on in other countries. Hopefully, more people care about what's going on in our country. Last week, everyone in my government class registered to vote. I'm not old enough to vote in the primaries, but I will be 18 in time to vote in the November election.

And I am super excited about it. I remember when I was little, my mom would take me with her to the polling place, and I would punch random holes in a piece of paper and they would give me an "I Voted" sticker.

This year, I get to do it for real. Except this time, I will no longer just be punching random holes, but making a choice and making a difference. Hopefully, more GHS students who will be old enough to vote feel the same way. This is our first chance to vote and raise our voices. In past elections, 18 to 25 year olds have had the lowest voter difference. We can sit around and complain about the government all we want, but unless we get out there and vote to change it, we are just another part of the problem.

Although the Gilroy Dispatch does not have any obligation to monitor this board, the Gilroy Dispatch reserves the right at all times to check this board and to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to the Gilroy Dispatch in our sole discretion and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. The Gilroy Dispatch also reserves the right to permanently block any user who violates these terms and conditions. All threats to systems or site infrastructure shall be assumed genuine in nature and will be reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Submission of any comments will be considered permission to use online or in print.

© Copyright 2008 MainStreet Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of MainStreet Media, LLC. is expressly prohibited.