Chapters

Spotlighted Chapter of the Week: Ohio University STAND's 1100 Faces Campaign

lindseywoolf — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:07:26 -0500

A Creative Way to Showcase Your Chapter’s Support

by Lily Mathias and Ellie Hamrick
Ohio University STAND

When we saw last year’s report that 1100 women and girls are raped every day in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we were outraged. That number should not be just a statistic—we wanted to emphasize the human element. So we started collecting photographs of students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff and community members holding signs saying they want to see a conflict-free campus. We made some signs ourselves and also invited participants to make their own.

We created the 1100 Faces Campaign and compiled a visual petition calling for action and justice in the DRC. Not only did this provide a tool to represent the broad support for the conflict-free campus movement to administrators, but it also provided us with a platform to raise awareness. In collecting photos of 1100 people, we had the opportunity to talk to each of them about the situation in the DRC and their power as consumers to stand up for human rights. Once we finished, we created a video using songs (with permission!) by Congolese-American rapper Omékongo Dibinga. We’ve also used the photos on fliers to advertise events around campus.

If you’re struggling to reach a broad audience or need a more creative, visually compelling way to showcase the support your STAND chapter has, this can be a great tool to utilize. The project easily initiates conversations with complete strangers about the violence in the Congo and leaves you with a great finished product to share with administrators and other stakeholders. To get started you can talk to people in your classes, at your work, in a coffee shop, while tabling, and at events held by your school. (We got about half of our pictures at an International Street Fair.) The opportunities to reach out to people are around every corner; you simply have to take advantage of them.

Check out OU STAND's amazing 1100 Faces Campaign video below!

Want to be a spotlighted chapter of the week? E-mail us at info@standnow.org with updates on what your chapter is doing to make stopping and preventing genocide a priority in your community.

Spotlighted Chapter of the Week: STAND UNC - Chapel Hill

lindseywoolf — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:32:16 -0500

This week we're highlighting STAND at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. STAND UNC sent a 6 person delegation to the United to End Genocide Action Summit in October including STAND National Education Coordinator Sean Langberg. Thanks to STAND UNC for being a part of the Summit!

STAND UNC
Lorna Morris
AJ White
Nicole Chaluissant
Kat Kucera
Hanna Kerner
Sean Langberg

"STAND-UNC is grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference last month and looks forward to implementing strategies we learned and maintaining contact with fellow anti-genocide activists."

Mission Statement:
STAND UNC aims to bolster the United States’ and United Nations’ will and capacity to prevent and end genocide and crimes against humanity by building a local student constituency actively fighting to pass genocide prevention legislation, fully implement peace agreements, support democratic institutions, and destroy institutional ideologies such as racism, classism, militarism, imperialism, and isolationism that perpetuate profound human rights violations in conflict areas across the globe.

Want to be a spotlighted chapter? E-mail us at info@standnow.org!

Spotlighted Chapter of the Week: UT White Rose Society

lindseywoolf — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:13:02 -0500

In our next installment of spotlighted chapters, this week we're highlighting the University of Texas White Rose Society, who sent a 5 person delegation to the End Genocide Action Summit on October, including STAND Communications Coordinator Shomya Tripathy and STAND Communications Task Force Blogger Zoya Waliany. Thanks guys for coming to the Summit!

UT White Rose Society
Ben Weiss
Shomya Tripathy
Zoya Waliany
Kolby Lee
Tramanh Hoang

"This phenomenal conference has helped reawaken our passion for pursuing our local chapter's motto, 'We will not be silent!'"

About the UT White Rose Society: Our name is a tribute to the White Rose Society at Munich University started in 1942, a group of students who spoke out against the Holocaust and Hitler using non-violence. History remembers them as the heroes of the German people. They lost their lives but not the freedom of their hearts and minds. Their motto is now ours: We will not be silent!

Want to be a spotlighted chapter of the week? Have a great event you want to tell us about? E-mail us at info@standnow.org with the details and you could be featured on our homepage!

Spotlighted Chapter of the Week: University of New Hampshire STAND

lindseywoolf — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:35:43 -0500

In our continuing series of spotlighted chapters, this week we're profiling University of New Hampshire STAND. UNH sent an astonishing eight upSTANDers to the End Genocide Action Summit in October.

Thanks to UNH STAND for coming out to the Summit!

UNH STAND writes, "We had a great time at the conference and found the motivation and inspiration we need to begin a Conflict-Free Campus Initiatve at the University of New Hampshire!"

UNH STAND
Megan Brabec
Mark Scimone
Jimmy Assad
Michelle Fecteau
Tom Dolzall
Caroline Graham
Hannah Waller
Alyssa Taffaro

Spotlighted Chapter of the Week: Goucher College STAND

lindseywoolf — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:14:50 -0500

Prior to the End Genocide Action Summit, we announced that every chapter that sent 5 or more people to the Summit would be featured on the homepage for a week -- and we're kicking off our Spotlighted Chapter Feature with Goucher College STAND, who sent an amazing 6 upSTANDers to the Summit in October.

Thanks to Goucher College STAND for being a part of the Summit and for your commitment to a generation without genocide!

Goucher College STAND
Chiara Collette - President
Christina Murphy - Vice President
Gabrielle Spear
Katherine Mowrer
Cailin Barker
Laura Henry

Students Gather to Raise Awareness on George Washington University Campus

stripathy — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:26:03 -0400

Students Gather to Raise Awareness on George Washington University Campus

Last Saturday, the STAND core chapter of George Washington University held the second annual STAND Fair, an event to raise awareness and encourage students to participate in the anti-genocide movement. Kaiser Kabir, President of the GW STAND chapter said, “The purpose of STANDFair is to not only make our GW STAND organization visible but to reach out to the GW community and show everyone the anti-genocide movement is going strong. It's a fun way to get people interacting with each other and learning about the conflicts in Sudan, Burma and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).”

The event, held in Kogan Plaza, featured live music, food, and games to draw attention to selected conflict areas. After each game, students answered a question about the various conflicts, based on flyers and handouts at the table, and then received a ticket for food. The game “Bobbing for Burma” had many bobbing for apples, before participating in signing a U.S. Campaign for Burma advocacy letter. “Stand for Sudan” allowed students to create a colorful banner with painted footprints, while also learning about the conflict in Darfur. Finally, “Digging for the DRC” which had students attempting to find “conflict minerals,” taught students about conflict minerals and the various actors in the DRC.

Along with these games, a general advocacy table covered historic genocides, current genocides, and emerging conflicts in an interactive map, where participants could learn about these events before calling 1-800-GENOCIDE.

The event successfully allowed students and other participants to connect with the larger movement, as well as the GW chapter of STAND, while listening to music and enjoying each other’s company. It brought DC students together to learn about conflicts and participate in an advocacy action in a casual and positive space. The fair games may have been silly but they taught participants about conflicts in a digestible way. The seeds of later action have potentially been planted, as everyone left the event with issues to think about.

STAND MC Applications Due Tomorrow: Zach Ackerman Talks About His Experience

cmmassey — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:26:36 -0400

Name: Zach Ackerman
School: Pioneer High School, 2011
Position: Outreach Coordinator

How and why did you get involved in STAND?
The summer after my sophomore year of high school I was looking for something to occupy my time. I visited my local teen center and began trying out different programs. I went from meeting to meeting never really finding the right fit, until STAND. There I met people with a passion unmatched by any other group, fighting for a cause so deserving of my attention and devotion. I began attending meetings on a weekly basis and in no time, I was a dedicated member of our chapter with a plane ticket to DC for Pledge 2 Protect 2009.

Why did you apply to be on the STAND MC?

Prior to the conference, STAND was, in my mind, a fundraising
organization with little power to make big change. But, I began to
realize STAND was an organization that could make waves. From the
Congo plenary to Burma 101 and lobby day training, P2P showed the
immense amount of resources at our disposal backed by 1,000 fellow
students each as dedicated as they were intelligent. The conference
made me realize that we, as students, held so much power and I wanted
to help guide that power to be as effective as possible.

What was the most fun experience you've had as an MC member?
I like the paperwork best. But in all seriousness, I have grown so
much on account of the talent and commitment shown by my fellow MC
members. I have learned more from our team than I ever could from
school or a 9 to 5 job. They inspire me to work harder while being
some of the greatest friends I could have asked for.

How has being on the MC changed you? How has it prepared you for your
next step in life?
Unlike many member of the MC, I will not be entering the work force
this coming fall. Instead, I am heading to college for my freshman
year. Being on the MC and being surrounded by people that know so much
more than I do about everything has helped me to embrace my future
education. I am excited to use my four years to help inform policy
discussions and step up my contributions to STAND.

You can have an incredible experience too on the STAND MC. Applications are open till May 23rd for the STAND's Managing Committee and Task Forces.

Apply for the STAND MC Today: Task Force Member Rachel Merkin Gives Testimonial

cmmassey — Fri, 20 May 2011 00:59:10 -0400

Name: Rachel Merkin

Position: Media Coordinator

School: Ithaca College, 2011

My experience as the Media Coordinator has taught me a lot about the Anti-Genocide Movement and the future career I aspire to. I was fortunate to have the experience to work both with chapter leaders teaching them about creating media materials and communications documents, and attempted to pitch media on a national level for STAND as a whole. Tracking media coverage from chapters and creating a spreadsheet of all of the coverage from the whole academic year helped me understand how wide STAND's reach is, and how impactful student work can be. Creating media materials and tutorials on how to write documents such as media alerts, pitch letters, and press releases was great practice for the career I aspire to in public relations, and fulfilling to be able to pass that knowledge along to younger STAND activists. Working on the pitch process for national media taught me a lot about the news cycle and how difficult it is to garner national media attention. Serving as the National Media Coordinator was a fun yet informative experience. It was really rewarding to work for the genocide prevention movement and gain experience that I can use after graduation at the same time.

Applications are open till May 23rd. You can apply for the STAND's Managing Committee or a Task Force.

Freshmen at Western Harnett HS become activists for Darfur

lindseywoolf — Mon, 16 May 2011 14:29:40 -0400

Originally published in The Sanford Herald, January 2011, by Alexa Milan

Freshman become activists for Darfur

LILLINGTON — In the Darfur region of Sudan, millions of people have been displaced from their homes thanks to a years-long conflict between the Sudanese government and rebel groups. Murder, rape, looting and disease occur on a regular basis.

It’s easy for people to feel bad about the Darfur genocide and move on with their lives, but one determined group of Western Harnett High School freshmen doesn’t consider that an option.

English teacher Nicole Loomis’ Freshman Seminar students have gone from concerned teens to Darfur activists in the span of one semester. The class first learned about the Darfur genocide during a unit on the Holocaust.

“They said it would be terrible if anything like that ever happened again, so I told them about Darfur,” Loomis said.

The students watched a two-hour video about the genocide and were shocked by what they saw. The Darfur genocide is rooted in a conflict between the Sudanese government and two rebel groups that launched an insurgency in response to Darfur’s political and economic marginalization. The Janjaweed, government-supported militia, responded by raiding areas populated by the ethnic groups that supported the rebels and destroying 400 villages.

Millions of people were displaced. Children witnessed their parents being raped and murdered. The United Nations estimates that out of the 6 million people in Darfur, about 4.7 million are still affected by the conflict.

“I felt so sorry for them,” freshman Ari Banda said. “I didn’t understand why [the militia] would do that for no reason.”

In the weeks that followed, Loomis’ students stayed after school researching the conflict. When they asked their peers if they knew about the Darfur genocide, most said no. The students decided to take matters into their own hands. Freshman Amber Gwyn said though they were just a group of 33 freshmen, they knew they could make a difference if they could just reach one person and get that person to tell someone else.

“There is nothing you can lose from trying,” freshman Jenell Feaster said. “You just can’t give up.”

On their own time, the students shot and edited an informational video imploring people to help those in Darfur affected by the genocide. They distributed postcards to send to President Barack Obama, urging him to support the people of Sudan. They sold bracelets featuring the phrase “WHHS for Peace in Darfur” and raised $400, all of which went to the Save Darfur organization.

“This project went as far as it did because of their passion and humanity,” Loomis said.

Their passion appears to be paying off. An AP English student told Loomis she wanted to write her research paper about United States involvement in Darfur because of the Freshman Seminar video. The video also caught the attention of Save Darfur, which will feature it on www.savedarfur.org sometime within the next month.

The students said they won’t stop raising awareness about Darfur just because the Freshman Seminar class is over. They hope to turn “WHHS for Peace in Darfur” into an official extracurricular organization so they can continue their efforts.

“I just hope the genocide stops, period,” freshman Robin Barber said. “No child should have to describe those horrible situations.”

Check out the video below the students created to educate their classmates about Darfur.

STAND at VCU hosts Partnering with Congo Conference

lindseywoolf — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:34:48 -0400

Our event was a multi-organizational conference held to discuss some of the most prevalent issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In conjunction with Panzi Foundation USA, STAND @ VCU hosted the conference, welcoming representatives from organizations such as the Enough Project, Jewish World Watch, Healing Africa, The Africa Faith and Justice Network, and Global Alternative Solutions.

The conference represented a culmination of months of work. We began communicating with GI-NET/SDC Carl Wilkens Fellow Lee Ann De Reus, coordinator of the conference and President of the Board of the Panzi Foundation several months ago and through STAND’s Google Groups and Mid-Atlantic DC/VA STAND Network, we were able to establish this connection and develop a conference that enabled our STAND chapter to see an entirely different perspective when it comes to advocacy.

From April 5th to the 6th, the conference brought everyone together, including many other VCU students and outside participants. Day one of the conference enabled everyone to meet, greet, and understand the intersecting nature of their work while updating their understanding of the issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Day two of the conference was utilized even more meaningfully to problem-solve for the mentioned issues and understand how advocacy can be advanced through progressive methods. Finally, the conference promoted the Panzi Foundation’s month-long art exhibit at the Virginia Holocaust Museum that opened on April 7, 2011.

Submitted by Varun Bhasin, STAND at VCU