Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Getting Started as a Chapter
How do I start a Chapter at my school?
Can I partner with another club?
Yes! We encourage STF Chapters to bulid coalitions within their communities. You can brainstorm with the STF Team about who might be good to work with.
How many people do I need to have in my club before we can become an STF Chapter?
A single student can work with the STF Team to build a Chapter and start joining our leadership calls, but we encourage you to bring in other leaders and general members as quickly as possible so everything doesn’t fall on just one person.
Do I have to wait until the fall to start a Chapter?
No! STF Chapters can launch at any time in the academic year. But you will have to follow your school’s rules about meeting on-campus and hosting events. Leaders who want to start a Chapter mid year will often join STF cross-campus leadership calls and find ways to engage with the action plan based on what’s possible for their unique situation.
What does a year in the life of STF look like?
Using a US academic calendar as the example, a year in the life of an STF Chapter may look like this:
August: Have a leadership meeting with the STF Team to strategize getting started on campus
September: Participate in the Fall Leadership Workshop, launch education and advocacy efforts on campus
October: Host first on-campus event
November: If possible, do something to acknowledge anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
December: Host event for Human Rights Day
January: Participate in the Winter Leadership Workshop, strategize next steps around the advocacy action plan (or launch new efforts if the action plan changes)
February: Continue on-campus efforts
March: Open applications for rising leadership for next year
April: Final on-campus events
May: Transition leadership, thank seniors, reflect on the year and set goals for improvements for next year
June/July: Summer vacation
Leadership Questions
What are the benefits of being in STF?
1. Learn leadership and advocacy skills
Opportunities to make an impact within your community and beyond
2. Support the advocacy work of an international human rights organization
3. Engage with other students on- and off-campus with similar interests
4. Opportunities to engage with professional human rights advocates
5. College resume builder
What leadership opportunities can I participate in?
How do I participate in STF? Are there weekly meetings to attend?
The STF Team hosts weekly Zoom calls that bring together leaders from across STF Chapters. The meeting times change based on our current leaders’ availability but these meetings are typically held on Sundays or after school. Timing will vary based on location. If your leadership team is unable to participate in a cross-campus call due to time zone issues, the STF Team will try to work with you on a one-on-one basis. You will also host weekly on-campus meetings with your full membership and teacher advisor.
How can I advocate for human rights issues I don't know much about?
The STF Team develops toolkits and provides Chapters with resources to learn about each human rights action plan so there is no need to come in with prior knowledge of human rights or other issues. Additionally, we offer training opporutinties and weekly cross-campus calls that will allow space for education and discussion about these topics.
What pathways are available for me to get more involved in STF as a current Chapter member?
General Questions
What is STF's relationship to HRW?
The Student Task Force is a project of Human Rights Watch. We support the advocacy work of the larger organization and often partner with its researchers and staff in our annual human rights advocacy action plans.
What is STF, and how do I explain it to others?
STF Team Members guide and mentor participants to implement a shared human rights advocacy action plan across campuses. Through these action plans, we engage diverse youth who join our program because they care deeply about human rights issues. STF students become life-long human rights advocates while growing in their ability to collaborate with a diverse group of peers.
What do STF Chapters do?
Each year, STF Chapters work on a human rights advocacy action plan. STF members learn about the topic and figure out how to educate and engage their community in the advocacy. Chapters typically host weekly on-campus Chapter meetings and events are held on-campus when best for the school. Check out the Event Planning Toolkit (hyperlink to toolkit) for examples and resources to help Chapters plan on-campus actions.
What do typical STF Action Plans look like?
Each Action Plan is unique. The criteria for how action plans are selected include:
• Children’s human rights must be identifiable
• There must be actionable advocacy
• Should be associated with HRW research and/or advocacy
• Must rely on at least some HRW vetted research
• Current, in the news
• Visuals, student friendly research
• Is HRW’s advocacy currently underway or about to launch? And how will it fit within the academic year?
• Can the issue be made real for the students, to engage them?
Check out our past Action Plan toolkits to see the types of topics we’ve covered and resources we’ve provided to help STFers accomplish their goals.
Where are most Chapters located? Can I start a Chapter anywhere?
STF was founded in Los Angeles, California so the bulk of our Chapters are located there. However, we have Chapters around the United States and internationally. Some things to keep in mind if you’re outside the United States: English is our operating language and we don’t always have the expertise or resources to translate materials into other languages (that doesn’t mean you can’t help with translation!). Also, our staff is located in Chicago and Los Angeles, so time zones may be an issue. We do our best to work with students from anywhere in the world who want to start an STF Chapter and work on our advocacy.
Is STF a volunteer organization?
STF is an advocacy organization and does not typically provide opportunities for direct service or volunteering. Our goal is to create change at the policy level, with decision-makers.
Does STF ask students to fundraise?
Chapters CAN however host on-campus fundraisers for their own use, such as to buy snacks or t-shirts. A few schools require clubs to fundraise. If your school does, please talk to your STF Team Member about how to address this.