Amnesty International is a non-governmental worldwide organization that focuses on campaigning for human rights while protecting individuals where freedom and justice are denied. Amnesty’s mission is to advocate for human rights causes around the world while utilizing the student voice to do so. Amnesty has hundreds of chapters located at high schools all over the world, one being right here at Hackley. Led by senior Phoebe Abrahms, junior India Davis-Hassenian, and senior Katherine Chen, the Amnesty Club meets on Day 6 during the second lunch block.

While Hackley offers many clubs, most students are only aware of the few that are most prominent within our community. There are over 50 active clubs at Hackley, but a select few are well known while the rest remain in the shadows. While Amnesty is not currently the most popular club among the student body, the leaders are working on building the club’s reputation.

One way Amnesty is trying to grow this school year is by hosting more frequent club meetings while simultaneously engaging their members in activities related to human rights. If you are trying to involve yourself in the club, there are a few things you should do.

“First, you should attend our club meetings which we are trying to hold more frequently,” said Phoebe. Once you start attending the meetings, you can also get involved in campaigning for human rights.

“At our meetings, we do activities such as writing letters to congressmen and signing petitions, in order to educate ourselves on human rights violations and prevent injustice within our society,” said India.

With the revamping of Amnesty taking place, there are many goals that the club would like to achieve by the end of this school year.

“One goal we have for the year is to continue to build our member base to ensure the club lives on for many years to come,” said Phoebe.

Another goal Amnesty hopes to accomplish is to raise Hackley students’ awareness of human rights issues around the world.

“We hope to build a larger and more successful community which will, in turn, help the Amnesty Organization”, said India. If more students are aware of the club, they can help combat these pressing issues.

If human rights interests you, Amnesty is definitely a club worth checking out. “Our club gives Hackley students who are passionate about human rights, a safe space to talk about and act on these issues”, said India.