It was early in the school year and time for another one of those boring assemblies that come around every Monday. Two hundred teenagers lined up in red and blue chairs all facing the front of the hall looking at a new face.

This face looked quite redundant in front of all two hundred of us. But what she had to say was anything but redundant to say the least. She was talking about the crises in the Country of Sierra Leone. This assembly did something to me that no other assembly has ever done. It made me listen -- and listen well.

For the first time ever one of those twenty minute little lectures changed me instantly and permanently. I signed up to help just like so many others had done out of pity and to look good, but my signature was not out of pity and it certainly wasn't just to make me look good.

My signature meant that I wanted to help.

Eventually I got in touch with the Sierra Leone action network. Here I was told that I was the only person that took initiative and followed through and try to help. In the course of a few weeks I did a few small things to help such as hand out pamphlets and spread the word to my friends who didn't seem to care about what was happening to the people of Sierra Leone.

They seemed to think that the situation did not affect them. Could they be more wrong? I felt like I was getting no where fast, so I started having more and more meetings with Natasha Rosdol, the woman who gave the presentation at my school.

This is when we began coming up with ways to get my school more involved with what I was doing this proved to be harder then we thought.

People didn't seem to take to the idea of sparing some of their lunch hours to help us. Soon enough after much protest we found a small group of Saltus students who cared enough to give up some of their lunch hours to help.

So far this is slowly becoming a success while our group is growing and we are not losing hope. I feel good that slowly but surely we all are making a difference.

The Bermuda College student council is hosting a film showing and talk on International Human Rights, Bermuda and the crisis in Sierra Leone on at the North Hall Lecture theatre at 7 p.m. tonight. Dame Lois Browne-Evans, Walton Brown and Dr. Sheku Kamara, former Director General of Medical Services in Sierra Leone are among those on the panel. Attendance is free but donations will be collected to defray costs.

A special service will be held at St. Mary's Church, Warwick on Sunday at 6 p.m.

Elliott Primary is holding an international cultural evening on Saturday. The events are all in support of the week of Solidarity with the people of Sierra Leone which ends March 19. For further information contact 291-5406.