Spring Break
Weeklong Festival Celebrates Human Rights
Jessica Silber
Issue date: 4/9/07 Section: News
When members attended the first Idealists United meeting at its start in September of 2006, no one had any idea of what would arise from that meeting. Founded by Mike Brand, an 8th-semester history and political science major, the human rights group immediately began throwing out ideas for what they called "street-team level activism." The result of those original ideas is the Human Rights Awareness Festival, a week of activities taking place on campus from April 9 to April 14.
Originally planned to take place last semester, by January the proposed festival still didn't have permission, a location, or funding. In what John Corkery, an 8th-semester biophysics major and festival coordinator, described as "a major headache," the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) originally decided to claim insufficient funds and nix the festival.
"But there was one person at that meeting who stood up and defended us, saying that this wasn't giving out $10,000 to a few select kids to go to a conference - it was something the whole campus could enjoy," Corkey said.
With these obstacles overcome, the Human Rights Awareness Festival surged forward. It will be the first such event on the UConn campus and is entirely student-run.
"UConn is a pretty big human rights school. We have UNESCO and the Human Rights Institute right here, but the majority of students don't even know these things exist," said Brand, president of Idealists United.
With that in mind, the purpose of the festival is "To Inspire, Motivate, Educate and Create an Active Social Movement at UConn," according to promotional posters.
In order to achieve this, events kick off today at the Konover Auditorium at the Dodd Center, with the screening of human rights film series "Promises," "Ghosts of Rwanda," and "Invisible Children" at 1, 4 and 7 p.m., respectively. "Ghosts of Rwanda" will be followed by a panel discussion about the Darfur genocide, and at 5 p.m. St. Thomas Aquinas will host a Hunger Banquet.
Originally planned to take place last semester, by January the proposed festival still didn't have permission, a location, or funding. In what John Corkery, an 8th-semester biophysics major and festival coordinator, described as "a major headache," the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) originally decided to claim insufficient funds and nix the festival.
"But there was one person at that meeting who stood up and defended us, saying that this wasn't giving out $10,000 to a few select kids to go to a conference - it was something the whole campus could enjoy," Corkey said.
With these obstacles overcome, the Human Rights Awareness Festival surged forward. It will be the first such event on the UConn campus and is entirely student-run.
"UConn is a pretty big human rights school. We have UNESCO and the Human Rights Institute right here, but the majority of students don't even know these things exist," said Brand, president of Idealists United.
With that in mind, the purpose of the festival is "To Inspire, Motivate, Educate and Create an Active Social Movement at UConn," according to promotional posters.
In order to achieve this, events kick off today at the Konover Auditorium at the Dodd Center, with the screening of human rights film series "Promises," "Ghosts of Rwanda," and "Invisible Children" at 1, 4 and 7 p.m., respectively. "Ghosts of Rwanda" will be followed by a panel discussion about the Darfur genocide, and at 5 p.m. St. Thomas Aquinas will host a Hunger Banquet.
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