Photos by Caroline Andrews and Kristin Ghazarians
September 7, 2024: Guest speaker and former STFer, Linda Gordon, opened STF’s 2024 Fall Leadership Workshop sharing the significance of STF’s 25th anniversary and reflections on how the program shaped her into the activist she is today. Linda shared the most impactful piece of advice she received while in STF: “Recognize with this community, you have the opportunity to think big and act boldly. The work that you do now is contributing to real change and can guide your values and advocacy in life in whatever you do next.”
Workshop attendees also heard from John Raphling, Associate Director for HRW’s US Program. John spoke about his recently published HRW report on unhoused populations in Los Angeles. “We have literally hundreds of thousands of people who are one bad thing away – one missed paycheck, one medical bill, one traffic accident away from being on the streets. Think about that when you look at the person who is living in that encampment and how many people in the city are on the brink of being right next to them.” John also shared advocacy opportunities STFers will do to support his work this year including screening the “Swept” documentary. Watch John’s presentation.
Students also got into breakout groups to prepare themselves for navigating difficult conversations and strategize ways to support housing insecure members of their school communities.
Keep an eye out for the upcoming “Vote for Human Rights” and “Protect the Unhoused” action plan toolkits to get your advocacy started on campus.
Eager to see how you raise your voices for human rights this year!
The STF Team: Kristin, Gabbi, Caroline, and Naseem
Click to watch full workshop, 1:32:31