You Don’t Have to Wait for a Degree to Change the World
Name: Nick Gaw
Age: 22
School: Swarthmore College ‘09
What is STAND? What does it do?
STAND is the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network. We’re a network of students at over 850 middle schools, high schools and colleges across the country who share the common goal of ending genocide and mass atrocities. Since we were founded in 2005, we’ve divested over 60 colleges and 27 states from companies with problematic relationships with Sudan. We’ve also worked hard to get hundreds of millions of dollars to the African Union and UN for peacekeeping. And most importantly, we’ve kept the people of Darfur, Burma, and Congo on the radar of our elected leaders and made it clear that we won’t stand for inaction.
What do you at STAND?
As Student Director, I lead STAND’s Leadership Team – a team of incredibly smart and energized students from across the country – to make sure that students everywhere have all of the resources that they need to be effective and powerful advocates. I also get to spend a lot of time traveling around the country to meet awesome student activists and talking to them about their work. It’s been really inspiring to work on behalf of such a dynamic and engaged group. I have learned more than I thought possible, and built a network of some of my best friends while fighting for something I deeply care about. It’s been a great senior year.
Have students made a difference in the fight to end genocide in Darfur and beyond?
Absolutely. I’m really excited about STAND’s ongoing campaign, Darfur from Day One. We’ve been targeting President Obama’s administration, urging for more action to bring peace to Sudan. Over the first months of the campaign, we advocated for a Special Envoy by writing letters, sending faxes, making phone calls around the clock – and just last week President Obama named General Gration (ret.) as his Special Envoy to Sudan. Do students have a hand in making change? Absolutely. Everyone does.
Now that a Special Envoy has been appointed, what should President Obama’s team do to help people in Darfur today?
There is a lot that our president can do to help the people of Darfur. He can start by expediting the Sudan policy review, by finishing the review, he’ll force our government out of an evaluative phase of policy-making towards the active process of brokering peace in Sudan. One of the most terrifying pieces of news coming out of Darfur is the recent expulsion of humanitarian aid groups. Surely if President Obama doesn’t act swiftly to bring aid back to Darfur we can expect the situation to worsen greatly.
What can students who want to get involved do?
STAND is completely student-led. There is a position in STAND for anyone who doesn’t want to wait for a degree to change the world. We need student leaders to organize, create campaigns, design web material, and coordinate students’ work across the country. We’re hiring for a whole new leadership team this month! If you feel passionately about this cause, you should absolutely apply: http://standnow.org/about/apply.
What do you do when you’re not fighting genocide?
I’m playing guitar in my band, “The Horticulture.”
Filed Under: Justice Issues Feed • War/Genocide
