Amnesty International students visit California
December 24, 2008
By Laura Geggel
Seven members of the Amnesty International club attended the 2008 Western Regional Conference in Pasadena, Calif. and returned with ideas of how to energize their classmates.
Junior Craig Hauser started the club last fall after it had fallen by the wayside for several years. Since then, the club’s starting attendance of eight has skyrocketed to about 40 participants who meet after school in Bill Dillon’s room every Monday.
From left, Dana Hubanks, Shila Hodgins, Alex Olson, Ian Christensen, Josh Yoker, Craig Hauser and Sam Joselyn hang out at the 2008 Western Regional Conference in California.
“I joined because it does an excellent job at helping make a difference,” said junior Sam Joselyn.
Seven students — Joselyn, Ian Christensen, Craig Hauser, Alex Olson, Josh Yoker, Dana Hubanks and Shila Hodgins — attended the Nov. 7-9 Amnesty International regional conference.
The Mount Si PTSA allotted the students $280 to help pay for the conference registration.
“We think it’s a great cause and the students seem to be really thrilled with it,” said PTSA President Beth Burrows.
The group heard from actress Mia Kirshner and international human rights lawyers Neelam Noorani and Banafsheh Akhlaghi, saw human rights documentaries and met in discussion groups.
The annual conference highlighted Amnesty International’s four main components: the war in Darfur, violence against women, terror and torture and the death penalty.
Hodgins said the conference humanized stories of human rights violations and taught her how to educate herself and her classmates about how to take action.
“It helps knowing the details,” Hodgins said. “Everyone knows about Darfur, but not everyone knows the details.”
The Mount Si students also capitalized on networking opportunities. One group in Pasadena even asked them for tips on how to expand its attendance. Hauser said they explained Mount Si’s strategy of handing out flyers at activity fairs, hanging up posters and giving school-wide announcements.
Hubanks, a 2008 Mount Si graduate who now attends Bellevue Community College, said the conference showed her how to raise awareness among her peers.
“It’s good to be able to see people implementing things,” Hubanks said. “We have passion and drive, but we didn’t know how to organize.”
The seven conference-goers said they would like to transfer their enthusiasm to the rest of the club and to the students at Mount Si. Lucinda Hauser, who chaperoned the trip with Cindy Hodgins, encouraged students to follow the news.
“We’re a big NPR (National Public Radio) family,” Lucinda Hauser said. “We talk a lot at the dinner table.”
She said she and the other parents were impressed with their children’s dedication to the club.
“The kids are really passionate about human rights,” Lucinda Hauser said. “Maybe some of the controversy we’ve had in the Valley has spurred that.”
Since returning from the conference, the club’s officers have organized activities and guest speakers to better galvanize their classmates into action. At a Dec. 8 meeting, the group wrote 30 letters to the leaders of 15 different countries, including The U.S., Iran and Zimbabwe, detailing instances of human rights abuses.
Mount Si’s Amnesty International students also plan to organize several documentary showings and discussion groups at the North Bend Theatre in early 2009 and a Rock for Darfur event in June. They have plans to hold demonstrations raising awareness about Guantanamo Bay, as well.
“For people that care, helping is possible,” Joselyn said. “You just have to have the determination and resources to do so and they’re both out there.”
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