A Community of Action: St. Mary’s Academy Amnesty International Student Group

By: Danielle Kolton, Dale Swirsky, and Jennifer Bernardo

The St. Mary’s Academy Amnesty International Student Group prides itself on developing leadership skills and being a community of action. It is also the proud two time recipient of the YMCA-YWCA Peace Medal.

Each year since its inception, students have steadily increased their letter writing campaigns. In 2004, in order to meet increasing operating costs which were becoming prohibitive, the group held a fund-raising dinner to raise funds and human rights awareness. The “Amnesty Dinner” raised more than $2300 for the Amnesty Student Group and an additional $200 for Marymound Centre. The group used the funds raised for a series of very successful letter writing campaigns (totaling 2065 letters) including:

• 340 signatures on a petition to Premier Gary Doer to get more resources devoted to missing Aboriginal women
• 180 letters to Kosovo regarding sex trafficking protection and prosecution
• 113 letters to Afghanistan regarding protection of the rights of women
• 450 cards to human rights defenders in Uzbekistan, Cuba, and Indonesia
• 150 cards of encouragement to young victims of sex crimes in the Congo civil war
• 291 postcards to Colombia calling for investigations into human rights violations by militias
• 46 signatures on a petition to Zimbabwe concerning electoral violations
• 103 letters to Paul Martin about landmines
• 195 signatures to U.S. President George Bush and 197 signatures to Soviet Premier Vladimir Putin on a petition against landmines

In addition to letter writing campaigns and petitions, the group has also brought in the UNANIMA group to give a seminar on the issue of human trafficking, participated in the Sacred Sisters vigil at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre to honour murdered and missing Aboriginal women, had an after school Advent prayer service to pray for victims and perpetrators of sex trafficking, brought in a speaker to give a well-attended lunchtime presentation on the issue of landmines, and, as part of a growing relationship with the Marymound Centre, sent three volunteers to assist with their Pow Wow Days celebration.

The 2005-2006 school year shows signs that this year will see even more growth by the group. Its October fund-raising dinner raised more than $3100 for the group and an additional $432 which will be donated to UNANIMA International to help it in its work against human trafficking. This year, the “Amnesty Dinner and Theatre” was followed by a drama presentation of the work The Oldest Oppression, a series of vignettes written, produced, and performed by St. Mary’s Academy drama students to raise awareness and offer a voice to the many victims of sex trafficking.

The November 2005 campaign against sex trafficking in Canada included 385 letters split between local MPs, Prime Minister Paul Martin, and the Justice Minister:

• for the enforcement of Canadian laws and international commitments to abolish sex trafficking
• to tighten up the Stripper Visa which often leads to sex trafficking
• against the legalization of prostitution

Students become involved in these efforts for one, simple, beautifully idealistic reason: they want to change the world they will inherit. This generation has taken it upon themselves to take what reality is and transform it, little by little, into what it should be. The lessons about the value of human life and the importance of human rights are ones they will carry with them all their lives. By spreading awareness, acceptance, and inspiration, they are creating the brighter future they’ve envisioned for themselves and for generations to come.