STF Presents to the Los Angeles City Council, 12 February 2008

STF celebrated Red Hand Day by engaging the Los Angeles City Council. A four-member delegation presented to the City Council on child soldiers and urged the Council to adopt a resolution declaring Red Hand Day in the City of Los Angeles. Following their speeches, which the Council received favorably, the resolution passed unanimously.

International Red Hand Day, 12 February 2008

All STF schools participated in actions on their campuses on International Red Hand Day. This anniversary of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict is a day dedicated to raising awareness about child soldiers worldwide. STFers postered their campuses with red hands, created photo exhibits and invited teachers to bring their classes, and read testimonies to raise awareness about this abuse of children’s rights. They also addressed petitions to local Congressmen and made red hands for the 1,000,000 red hands campaign.

STF Outreach: Educating Belvedere Middle School about Child Soldiers

On 31 January 2008, representatives from two STF schools taught middle schoolers about the global tragedy of child soldiers. After their presentation, the sixth graders asked questions and demonstrated their concern and understanding by taking action. They all made red hands to be sent to the United Nations before February 12, 2009 to urge them to enforce the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict to ensure that no child under 18 participates in armed conflict.

Venice Die-In, 13 December 2007

Nearly 100 Venice High students laid down in solidarity with the victims of Darfur, while their classmates read testimonies and circulated a petition addressed to Congresswoman Jane Harman, urging her to take strong leadership to bring protection to the people of Darfur. This petition will serve as a reminder to the Congresswoman, who met with STF members last year at Venice High. Teachers were impressed with the students’ efforts, and many were hopeful that this action will become a recurring one.

All-School Advocacy Meeting and Briefing, November 27, 2007

After Thanksgiving break, the STF dove into new advocacy with a meeting at Wildwood school. STFers learned about a project with their longtime Darfur activist friend Gabriel Stauring that will allow them to personalize their Darfur advocacy. For the "School to Tent" program, each STF club will create a video to send to a family in Camp Farchana in Chad. Establishing connections with these "tents" will allow STF to understand concretely what protection means to these refugees. This meeting also launched the child soldiers campaign and provided STFers with resources on education and an opportunity to sign-up for the Stop the Use of Child Soldiers Advocacy Subcommittee.

HRW Dinner, November 12, 2007

STF once again had a strong presence at the HRW annual dinner thanks to the generosity of HRW donors. Students and teachers from ten Los Angeles-area schools gathered early for a reception with the human rights defenders honored at the dinner. Sunila Abeysekera (Sri Lanka) and Hollman Morris (Columbia) shared stories of their human rights work in their countries and answered questions. STF left the reception feeling inspired and moved. Afterwards, dinner emcee Forest Whitaker guided the audience through the breadth of HRW's work around the world, expanding STF's knowledge of human rights abuses and mobilizing them to continue their tireless advocacy efforts.

STF Leadership Conference, September 15, 2007

STF started this year in a burst of enthusiasm with a Leadership Workshop at UCLA on 15 September, co-sponsored by the Fulbright VisitingScholar Program. Over 30 student representatives and faculty supporters from ten local high schools attended a day of human rights education and training sessions. Student leaders introduced this year’s campaign topics—child soldiers and Darfur—discussed STF operations, and introduced speakers. Multiple Emmy-winning newscaster Linda Alvarez coached STF about pitching to the media, while USC professor Wayne Glass helped STFers understand how to hold an effective meeting with elected representatives.