Be A Whistleblower 4 Peace

The “Falling Whistle” is an organization which promotes peace in Congo, Africa. There is a war in Congo; people are fighting over minerals which are used in many different popular products today, for example cell phones. In the war, the armies would put children, who are too small to hold guns, in the frontlines. The only weapons the children are armed with are whistles. Supposedly the children armed with whistles, were supposed to frighten the enemies with their loud noises. When this fails the children are supposed to become a human shield for the soldiers and their bodies used as barricades.

The speaker who started Falling Whistles, Sean, tried to interact with the crowd. In the beginning of his presentation he tried to get to know the audience and let the audience get to know him. When growing up as a kid his family was broke because his father’s business partner stole everything from him. To make a living Sean's family sold Glow in the dark necklaces, which his grandfather made. Everyday his family would go out and sell the Glow in the dark necklaces. John started trying to help people who in other countries in 2006, when he heard about children being take from their homes and having to sleep elsewhere. Sean and his friends started a protest to make people aware of the issue by leaving their homes and sleeping outside on the street. The awareness of this protest expanded nationally when the social network MySpace was created later that year. Thousands of people around the nation came out to support the cause.

The wars in Congo, Africa started in the 1800s, when the bicycle and the automobile were invented. With mass production of these transportation devices, the need of rubber increased. Congo had the largest supply of rubber, which lead to war.

When Sean first went to Congo, the original plan was to visit for five days and move on. On their visit they came across a camp where kids of war were treated as enemies. After hearing what was done there, John wrote a blog about the horrors of the camp and sent it to this family and friends. His family and friends then forward the blog to more people. Sean started receiving hundreds of emails from people asking how they can help. John then organized the Falling Whistles. The goal is to have Peace in Congo. The whistle became the symbol of peace. Back in the States Sean and his friends started selling whistles, making displays in stores, doing anything to get more people to support the cause.

In Congo, Sean met a sixteen year old girl who helped inspire him. The words she said were so strong, “Our skin might be different, but our blood is still the same.” Also in Congo, there were two boys who fought for different tribes, Sean thought there was going to a conflict; however, one of the boys waked up to the other, kissed him and said, “We are only boys, and how could we be enemies.” John wants to give the children of Congo a different weapon; everyone’s voice. He wants everyone to become a whistleblower for peace.