Benjamin Goode

My hero is Benjamin Goode. Benjamin Goode is an African American 13 year old boy who has done so much to help not so fortunate kids living in Ghana which is located in Africa. He went to Ghana with 4 other students from his school in Brooklyn, New York and they knew they were going to be spending time with some kids which they were very excited about, but what they didn’t know is that they were going to help them escape from being slaves and that they were going to be playing a very important role in some young children’s lives. The five kids including Benjamin went on this journey called Journey for Change. The program offers inner-city kids a chance to travel to countries where they meet and help people who have fewer opportunities than they do. Benjamin was really looking forward to coming here and helping kids out.

On March 5 Benjamin participated in going to Ghana. In Ghana each student was paired up with a rescued child slave and they got to talk to them about what their life is like and they get to play with them and do fun things. He feels really close not just to the child he was paired with but all the other children too. He is touched by them because all the kids have all gone through slavery and hard things. Benjamin learned a lot about the kids’ lives and how their day normally goes. Benjamin really wanted to abolish the slavery for the children and he was so excited to go there and help out some kids. He really enjoyed his experience there.

While Benjamin was in Ghana he felt honored to be a part of abolishing slavery. More than 1 million children are sold into slavery each year so he was really excited to be a part of helping slaves escape. Benjamin and another student he went with, Jasmine Figueroa, participated in negotiations between the rescuers and slave owners. Jasmine and Benjamin helped the release of two child slaves. Benjamin hopes this small victory will help them achieve bigger ones. Up above are some of the kids that Benjamin helped, but there were also a lot younger than them that he helped with.

Benjamin had a great experience with the kids and he felt that he achieved a lot with helping slaves escape, and he made the kids feel more comfortable and that they belonged with everyone else. He got to play with the kids including the younger kids. He got to teach them how to ride bicycles which he really enjoyed doing. The kids didn’t know how to ride the bikes and they loved riding them and they also enjoyed watching Benjamin ride a bike. Next month Benjamin and the four other students will meet with the lawmakers in Washington D.C., to discuss the need to put an end to slavery which he is very excited about. Benjamin Goode hopes that more kids will follow in his footsteps and become a hero like him and they would maybe even join the same program “Journey for Change” just like he did.