Why did you first get involved in STAND and how have you been involved since then?

I first became involved with STAND when I started a chapter at my high school. I loved being involved as a chapter president, and when I graduated, I really want to stay involved and share what I had learned with other chapters. So I joined the Managing Committee as a regional organizer, and it’s been one of my very best decisions!

Name a favorite STAND memory!

One of my favorite memories was at the Lemkin Summit, when I got to participate in a lobby meeting with staffers from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In the meeting, we got to present our points about each conflict and have an amazing discussion about how to approach change in the Central African Republic. Hearing from the staffers about their commitment to the conflicts and faith in the power of student movements motivated me to work even harder this Spring!

What has your experience being on the MC been like?

Being a member of the MC has been a truly amazing experience and the best part of my year. While we often get sidetracked by food puns and cute animal pictures, the MC is a dedicated and hard-working group of people who are committed to the cause. Working in a community of people who care so much about genocide prevention is energizing, and I love being able to work with so many students across my region as well!

Can you tell us a little about what you do in your role as Regional Organizer?

I’m help run STAND’s Mid-Atlantic region, which means I work with chapters to help them get started, create new events, and build their membership. A lot of my job is connecting students with resources, discussing campaigns, and giving advice on the ins and outs of running their chapter and how to engage with national campaigns. If you like communicating, organizing, and helping other student leaders, this is the right position for you!

What’s one thing you’ve learned from your time in STAND, whether as a result of your experiences with your chapter, or being involved on the national level?

The biggest thing I have learned is that young people can make truly innovative change when we work together. From national emails, petitions, and lobbying to art campaigns, teach-ins, and blogging, students have demonstrated that they are capable of getting creative to make the change we need from the ground up. After seeing the energy and amazing events that chapters in my region have created, I know that students will stop at nothing to make meaningful change for a better world.

Carly is a freshman at American University. Reach out to her at cfabian@standnow.org.

One of my favorite things about STAND is the amazing community of passionate, inspirational students that it brings together. As a Regional Organizer on the STAND Managing Committee, you are part of two such amazing communities. The first is the Managing Committee (MC) as a whole. The people who make up the MC are some of the most talented, motivated, and kind people I have ever met. We create a (slightly dysfunctional) family that does all the important things together: celebrate successes, mourn tragedies, and come together at least once a week (and normally more) to talk about what’s happening next in our lives and for STAND.

The second is the community of chapter leaders that you interact with on a regular basis. As a Regional Organizer (RO), your main job is to support your chapters in whatever way they need and to ensure that they become empowered leaders of the anti-genocide movement. Through contact with chapter leaders, RO’s are given a unique opportunity to not only facilitate grassroots actions, but also see the incredible power that specific grassroots actions and movements have that make the world just a slightly better place. Throughout the year, you create strong bonds with the chapter leaders, and I consider my chapter leaders as really close friends.

I hope that you will consider applying to join this amazing STAND MC Family! If you have any questions about the Regional Organizer position in particular, or about any other position on the Managing Committee, feel free to email me atffreeman@standnow.org!

Francesca is a junior at the University of Chicago.