Most students would not willingly forfeit their post-community service free time nor their lunch periods to attend a club activity; however, Not For Sale Club members are not like most students.
The Not For Sale Club’s mission is to “raise awareness and fight to end modern slavery in all forms and all countries,” and on Wednesday, September 11th, this club, complete with the senior members, gathered to hold a video conference with two representatives from UNICEF in New York. Discussing human trafficking issues and some possible solutions, they communicated over a Google+ live stream for followers of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to watch.
Jesuit came in contact with UNICEF over the past few years by putting on fund-raisers and other activities benefiting UNICEF, a United Nations organization set up to protect the lives of children around the world, including putting an end to human trafficking. “They actually reached out to us and asked if we’d like to participate in a Google Hangout session” explained Not For Sale Club co-president, Dennis Alexander ’14.
Led by Mrs. Katie Segal, this crew of about 10 students and Assistant Principal Ben Kirby fired up the SmartBoard to come face to face with Emily Pasnak-Lapchick and Jennifer Chan, both representatives of UNICEF USA. Through an application of Google+ called Google Hangout, the two screens linked together live for the conversation.
Over the course of the period, both parties (Jesuit and UNICEF) had opportunities to answer questions and discuss comments posted by online viewers, like one request to “talk about the ways that the community has reacted to the information you presented to them,” which co-president Dennis Alexander ‘14 fielded. “I didn’t know if there was going to be anyone out there listening” marveled Segal after the Hangout.
Responding to a question of practice, Segal told of some of the “simple ways you can make a difference,” asserting that “you don’t have to change your lifestyle to make a difference,” and that small choices like choosing “Hanes” over “Fruit of the Loom” can make a meaningful contribution to such a noble cause.
As a whole, this conference went extremely smoothly, avoiding all of the glitchy behavior so common on video conferences, “It was a lot more successful than I expected” Segal remarked. When sixth period came to an end and the Hangout session began drawing to a close, Dennis Alexander added some final thoughts: “Stay informed, find ways to get active, and find ways to get others active.” With this, the conference ended and everyone went back to class.
However, it did not stop here. The next day, Emily Pasnak-Lapchick sent an email to Segal, commending her for “bringing such an incredibly important program to a group of young men.” She added, “I couldn’t have dreamed up better participants!” and indeed the Jesuit Not For Sale Club does go above and beyond in their efforts to eradicate human trafficking.
