not just party animals
I recently saw a bumper sticker on a full size Hummer that nearly ran me down as I was coming off the freeway. The bumper sticker said: “My kid fought in Iraq so your kid could party in college.” I wanted to catch up with her, roll down my window and shout back, “Lady, you don’t know my kid and her friends at all!” I am not saying they haven’t done some partying. (And I bet her kid has too.) What I do firmly believe is that there are huge numbers of kids in my daughter’s generation that do not fit the stereotype in that bumper sticker at all! And I have evidence.
Just a few weeks ago, I spoke at two regional conferences of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition. I was impressed! STAND is indeed a student activist organization run by students for students. Started two years ago at Georgetown, it has expanded to over 700 chapters across the nation and most recently even the world.
And they don’t just meet together in regional conferences eating pizza and talking about how terrible genocide is. They are doing something about it.
At their regional conferences they teach their members how to effectively lobby their congressmen and senators to vote for anti-genocide legislation. They teach their members about divestment campaigns to put pressure on the governments of countries that are committing or permitting genocide of their own citizens. They teach their members how to write a press release and obtain news coverage of their interventions. And I marveled at the number of students who were willing to sit indoors from early in the morning until late at night learning how to make a difference and then going on to put the new found skills into action.
These kids may or may not party but I know that they are making a difference. Lobbying days with coordinated call-ins to legislative offices. Rallies on and off campus to raise awareness. Giving legislators grades for their support or lack thereof for Darfur related and anti-genocide legislation. Issuing and then publicizing the report cards on legislators and then challenging citizens to let the legislators know what they think of their grades.
And this is just one example of student activism and social action. I know a lot of college kids who this year skipped the mayhem of spring break at the beach resorts and instead took mission trips to less developed countries to work side by side with the poor.
So, I don’t want to hear a lot of criticism of this newest generation of young adults. They are going to put my generation to shame.
Just a few weeks ago, I spoke at two regional conferences of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition. I was impressed! STAND is indeed a student activist organization run by students for students. Started two years ago at Georgetown, it has expanded to over 700 chapters across the nation and most recently even the world.
And they don’t just meet together in regional conferences eating pizza and talking about how terrible genocide is. They are doing something about it.
At their regional conferences they teach their members how to effectively lobby their congressmen and senators to vote for anti-genocide legislation. They teach their members about divestment campaigns to put pressure on the governments of countries that are committing or permitting genocide of their own citizens. They teach their members how to write a press release and obtain news coverage of their interventions. And I marveled at the number of students who were willing to sit indoors from early in the morning until late at night learning how to make a difference and then going on to put the new found skills into action.
These kids may or may not party but I know that they are making a difference. Lobbying days with coordinated call-ins to legislative offices. Rallies on and off campus to raise awareness. Giving legislators grades for their support or lack thereof for Darfur related and anti-genocide legislation. Issuing and then publicizing the report cards on legislators and then challenging citizens to let the legislators know what they think of their grades.
And this is just one example of student activism and social action. I know a lot of college kids who this year skipped the mayhem of spring break at the beach resorts and instead took mission trips to less developed countries to work side by side with the poor.
So, I don’t want to hear a lot of criticism of this newest generation of young adults. They are going to put my generation to shame.
posted by Randall E. Butler at 5:02 PM
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