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Speaking out
There are two very important events going on in Uxbridge this Sunday night. When conflicts like those occur, usually one or the other, or both, are taking place over a weekend, or in a run of several nights, such as a play at the Music Hall. You have a choice of times when you can take them in.
In this case, however, both events are one-time-only, at least as currently scheduled. The first is talked about on page 8. It’s a play, a youth theatre project being staged by Uxbridge Baptist Church. But unlike Charley’s Aunt or Joseph, it’s not mere entertainment. It’s a catharsis.
The play, called Forgiven, was scripted by a USS student and the youth pastor at the church. It deals with a very painful subject, the recent rash of car deaths among the youth of Uxbridge. In the play, a victory party after a football game results in a tragedy, with alcohol as a principal contributor. In the aftermath, grief and anger are eventually overcome by empathy, love and forgiveness.
It took a great deal of courage to write this play in the midst of the still-raw emotions being experienced by everyone at USS. But to some extent, it had to be done. Whether inspired by a Christian code or not, forgiveness is essential before the other important lessons can be learned. Everyone who has suffered through the tragedies over the last five years, and that includes a large part of the USS population, needs to see this play.
It has its only Uxbridge performance Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at the Baptist Church.
Unfortunately, the same night at the Seniors Centre, at 7:00 (see page 12), is another essential experience for the older youth of Uxbridge - the all-candidates meeting for the federal election, sponsored by the Cosmos and moderated by Ted Barris.
For those aged 18-20, this will be the first opportunity to take part in choosing their national government, the first chance to get a close look at how politics works beyond the borders of the township. There is a meet and greet being held at the Youth Centre April 29, just three days before the election, but this Sunday will be the only time they will be able to watch and listen as the candidates (one of them just 20 years old herself) exchange ideas and respond to concerns from the audience.
An all-candidates meeting (there are none currently scheduled in the other parts of Durham riding) is a unique chance to see the candidates side-by-side, to compare their strengths and weaknesses as our potential representative in Ottawa. For young people especially, who hopefully have not yet settled down on one side of the political fence, who are open to inspiration regardless of the party label, having the chance to meet the candidates and see them in action is a priceless portal to political understanding.
We ourselves are kind of committed to the all-candidates meeting this Sunday, so for our own sakes, as well as those youth and parents who choose also be at the Seniors Centre, we hope there will be another chance to see Forgiven. In fact, if they haven’t already contemplated this, we urge the producers to stage it at USS, where it desperately needs to be seen. There, it will undoubtedly provoke debates that make the all-candidates meeting pale in comparison.
