The Ridge Writes for Rights (By: Danyal Younus)

Hoping to increase awareness and protect human rights across the globe, Amnesty International at the Ridge hosted its yearly “Write for Rights Campaign”, attracting a number of Ridge students. Located in the street from December 10^th to 15^th, the campaign encouraged students to participate in writing letters involving different issues that infringed upon the human rights of certain individuals across the globe. Included were issues from Gambia, Columbia, and China. Each participant was provided with information on these issues, and then chose the topic they would like to write about. Once the students had selected the topic of their interest, they would then begin their letter by dedicating it to the government official responsible for surveying the human rights violation involved in the topic. The main body of the letters consisted of the students explaining their resentment for the government’s intrusion on the victim’s human rights, and outlined their point of view towards the dastardly act.

The letters concluded with the participants once again asking the officials to withdraw their decisions on certain matters, with the whole writing process taking no more than ten minutes. This campaign illustrates that not only do the students at the Ridge have a passion for resolving human rights issues, but also that they are willing to spend their free time to allow the less fortunate with the chance to live freely. Amnesty plans to send these letters to their targeted government, with hope that they will heed the perspective outlined by these individuals. If not, other Amnesty organizations across the world have also sent their letters, and so the addition of these Ridge entrees will add weight to an already large force. The campaign followed Amnesty’s largely successful bake sale that was held last November, which raised more than $200. The passion that many Ridge students have for resolving these issues can result in improved lives for individuals around the globe.