Chapters

I am asked all the time when I think is the best time to start a chapter. My answer is always the same: now. No matter when it is, it’s an important time to take a stand against genocide. This important time in American history is no exception. Experts are saying that young people will be going out to the polls to vote in record numbers, but we shouldn’t let our participation end there. Whether or not you are able to vote in the upcoming election it doesn’t matter because voting is only the first step.

We all watched the foreign policy-focused Presidential debate at Ole Miss, but one high school STAND chapter went to the center of the action. Check out this post from Elly Jackson of St. Andrew's Episcopal School.

WRock for Darfur was a benefit event combining the anti-genocide movement and Harry Potter fandom to raise funds for and awareness of the refugees of Darfur, hosted by the JUUstice LeagUUe of Poughkeepsie who are a chapter of both STAND and the Harry Potter Alliance.

Last weekend, I attended a retreat meant to train me to be a well-equipped State Outreach Coordinator for Texas! I met some of the funniest, most intelligent people that you will ever meet. But as fellow STANDERs you know we are all pretty much the epitome of kick ass! I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to kick the year off! Being around so many people as passionate about establishing a constituency of individuals that will no longer allow genocide to take place anywhere in the world is extremely inspirational.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m a born and raised native Texan and I have spent all my life in Texas (unless the 2 and a half months I just spent in DC count). Being an activist in Texas often seems lonely and from what I’ve been told of the rest of the Southwest region, this sentiment is echoed by many others. As the Southwest Regional Outreach Coordinator for colleges I want to let everyone who has ever felt isolated or as if they are the only ones who seem to care, you are definitely not alone.

A couple of weeks ago, a student from a nearby university emailed me, asking for feedback on an event he wanted to host. He told me he was so upset about the genocide, and that he wanted orchestrate something really big and radical.

Last month I had the opportunity to speak to a group of international students studying at Princeton University over the summer. The topic was community activism in the United States. Sixty of the brightest high school students from around the country and the globe were seated before me in the lecture hall, listening to my experiences as a member of STAND. As I started to explain the history of STAND and how it is making a difference in the world today, I realized how proud I was of this organization; for what it does, and how it motivates teens like me to stand up and get involved.

When I joined the STAND Leadership Team, I had no idea what this summer would be like. After just a few months as Maryland SOC, I was certain that being ROC would be much like SOC, except a bit more intense—mostly because you get a whole new range of responsibilities— and have to support both chapters and your SOC’s. However, I was more concerned with the first part, interacting with chapters—would chapters want to talk to me? Would I engage them enough to have them actually want to respond to the items in our newsletters?