One of North Point’s very own SkillsUSA team is taking a stand against domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is something that millions of men and women experience in many communities around the world. This SkillsUSA team is doing a community outreach to help the victims that are in own local community. They are running a used cellphone drive for CAP (Center for Abused Persons in Waldorf). The CAP provides mental help, as well as things like toiletries and clothing. We interviewed the team members, Kritchanan Yampai, Kyrene Ramirez, and Aliyah Malazarte to ask them a few questions about their mission. In the interview, they spoke about the good their team is doing and why society should shed more light upon this issue and ways the community can come together and help.

Q: What will happen to the phones when they are donated? What will they be used for?

A: “The phones will be donated to the Center for Abused Persons in Waldorf, where they will be refurbished and given out to victims of domestic abuse that come through their office. These phones will help these victims contact the authorities or others for help when they need it, in case of an emergency.”

Q: How come you chose to do this instead of something else, like a food drive? Is there a reason you chose domestic abuse over another issue?

A: “We chose to do a cell phone drive because it was different than doing something like a food drive, which is very common. Also, domestic abuse is a topic that we as society do not put directly in the spotlight, especially in school environments. We felt like it needed to be addressed and brought to attention instead of ignored and put behind us.”

North Point’s Skills USA team is working very hard to help those suffering through domestic abuse and helping their local community work and assist one another. They are extremely passionate about doing everything they possibly can to help these victims. Any student can participate in the phone drive, all they must do is bring any working cellphone and charger that they don’t use anymore to North Point Highschool. While actions like these may seem small, it may very well set a precedent in utilizing different kinds of drives to bring attention and assistance to victims of many kinds of issues. Domestic abuse it a real and common problem in today’s society. If every school everywhere worked as hard as North Point’s Skills USA team is working to stop domestic abuse, we can see a real difference everywhere.