Zoey spent a lot of time in school learning about what it means to be a bystander as well as what it means to be a force for positive change. Her social studies curriculum on genocide and the school’s lessons on bullying showed her that there is a choice to be made by each one of us — whether it is on the playground or the world stage. Believing it is never okay to be a bystander, Zoey combined her goal to prevent genocide with her passion for theater and set out to educate others.
Zoey recruited local, like-minded teens, and the group interviewed survivors from the Holocaust, Rwanda, Darfur, and Cambodia, and with the assistance of a professional playwright, turned their stories into a play calling Raining Season. Using only survivors’ words, the play seeks to raise awareness about past and current atrocities and encourage the audience to not simply stand by and let these things happen. So far the play has been performed for over two thousand students and community members, and Zoey is committed to extending its reach.
