Do you really make a difference?
The power of an initiative of the students, by the students, for the students
The U of T community is teeming with social justice initiatives and awareness campaigns. Thanks to campus clubs, student-led coalitions, and individuals themselves, there are numerous events and activities being organized to educate students. From letter-writing campaigns aimed at administration reform on mental health services to campus-wide fossil fuel divestment marches, there is an initiative out there for various causes.
But all this effort begs the question, is it really making a difference?
Will a campaign really bring about substantive change to a cause? Is it even worth it?
YES.
Firstly, all of these campaigns have one major commonality: they are student-led. This makes it equivalent to asking, does an informed student body make a difference? To which the answer is yes! Always, yes.
Perhaps the best way to tackle this question is to ask in turn, what does it mean to “make a difference?” This is, of course, relative to each cause, but generally, it means to leave a lasting, positive impact on the issue one is challenging.
An arguably more compelling question is what kind of impact will an event leave on the student community? Surely, every well-organized event leaves a certain impression, whether it be a few students leaving the discussion with some questions in mind and wondering how to do more for the cause-or just one person hoping to get home faster. Should the latter be the case, then at least that student was exposed to the problem! That can be considered a feat in itself.
In such student initiatives, the ideal outcome is to spark collective action. Action, however, starts with thought. Hence the point of an academic panel event, a coffee house-styled discussion, or a film screening. Students need to be able to critically think about the problem before a substantive step towards a solution can even hope to occur.
Encouraging new perspectives
Consider inDepth (Interrogating Notions of Development and Progress), an annual student initiated conference hosted by the Asian Institute at the University of Toronto. Featuring workshops, panel discussions, a debate, and “unconference sessions,” students are enabled to network with like-minded peers and pursue collective projects.
This year’s case study encompassed the rapidly changing state of affairs of modern Japan, with an objective to make attendees rethink the nation’s development and progress.
According to 3rd year student Julie Yamamura, workshop facilitator and researcher, this year’s event succeeded in advancing students’ perception of Japan because of the multifaceted views presented.
“The academic panel discussion and workshop topics included issues that are not so widely discussed. Every topic presented different faces of Japan. We received positive responses from attendees saying they learned about things they were not aware of before,” says Yamamura. “I think we succeeded in encouraging them to look at Japan from new perspectives.”
In this case, the key to provoking critical thought was to challenge students to explore perspectives they had not hitherto considered. In other words, widening people’s outlook. The structure of the workshop itself was crucial in achieving this.
As Yamamura explains, “Each workshop was run by a facilitator who researched the workshop topic. Each facilitator gave a general overview of the issue, cited specific examples, and asked attendees for their opinions. Attendees would then ask facilitators questions they had. It was modelled somewhat like a tutorial discussion.”
Clearly effective on the students who attended, this event exemplifies an important aspect of our conversation — it “made a difference” by achieving its objective to encourage thought and discussion. Such intellectual engagement showcases the effectiveness of the event. Keeping in mind that this is an annually recurring event, with a new student executive every year, its impact on the student community is a lasting one.
Students mobilizing students
The U of T Student Coalition Against Sexual Violence is a prime example of students taking action. Spearheaded by Celia Wandio, a 3rd year Trinity College student, the initiative began with the intention to draft a petition to pressure administration to change their policies for survivors of sexual violence — that is, before the Advisory Committee on Sexual Violence was launched, at which time the coalition had to regroup.
“The reason I wanted it be a coalition, rather than a separate group, was because there were already groups that were addressing similar issues from various perspectives. I wanted to be able to ‘use’ (in the kindest sense) the existing resources, energies, and ideas of these groups in order to come up with something that a large number of students could get behind,” explains Wandio.
In early February, Wandio launched the Take Action Against Sexual Violence at U of T petition on change.org, which included demands for a more transparent and student-inclusive selection process for the university’s Advisory Committee, along with suggestions for changes to relevant policies and services.
“While it hasn’t yet taken off like I was hoping, we have more than 1000 combined signatures to date, and we have been able to educate a great deal of students about the issues,” Wandio explains. “We also succeeded in putting pressure on the administration: they added more students to the committee (though it’s still not ideal), and they have been promising student consultation with the committee.”
By spreading the word on campus and getting endorsed by as many student groups as possible, the coalition seeks to incite a specific change in policy by showing the administration how much support there is for these changes.
The coalition also exemplifies the effectiveness of inter-group collaborations. As Wandio says, their most successful accomplishments have resulted from these partnerships. The coalition has been working closely with U of T Thrive Initiative, a new group on campus that aims to improve services for survivors of sexual violence at U of T. Their main project, a survey of students’ experiences with the various services on campus, has provided concrete and uniquely significant data.
Additionally, the two groups have collaborated with HERE, a new feminist letter-writing society on campus. Their combined effort led a successful info and letter-writing session, wherein letters expressed concern on the lack of student voices within the Advisory Committee, and are to be delivered to the U of T administration.
Again, it’s all students behind these remarkable initiatives. In sum, the best way to bring about change is to first make people aware of the problem and then show them how they can contribute. Without this awareness, little can be achieved.
How can effectiveness be measured?
Rather than asking if an event will truly “make a difference,” it could be more useful to determine a method to measure the actual effectiveness of an event — an objective way to gauge the impact of a workshop or a coffeehouse, for example.
Methods can include feedback surveys given to attendees, follow-ups with partnerships or sponsors, attendee turnout data, or some sort of post-event evaluation meeting. It really depends on the type of event.
Nonetheless, to consider an event or campaign successful only if it sparks a rally, or another kind of obvious action, is unrealistic.
It is unrealistic to expect every student who gets informed about a certain issue to become an activist. It is unrealistic to expect every event to immediately spark action. An ideal outcome, yes, but not always attainable.
What is realistic, you may ask?
Expecting to get students thinking about the issue, students actively participating in its discussion, breaking stereotypes, exploring new concepts, understanding new perspectives, engaging in debate. The list of initial action goes on and on.
Any collective action aiming to have a lasting effect must start with discussion.
So, the next time you’re at an event- maybe an academic panel on an international issue- and someone asks, “What’s the point of talking about this? Shouldn’t these people be doing something more beneficial to actually help?” Remember that thought precedes action, and the first step is to get people to know and care about the problem.
To be able to say that just a few people are now informed and actually care to help, well, that certainly marks an impact.
So, get people talking.
And yes, you will make a difference.
* The U of T Student Coalition Against Sexual Violence, along with Thrive, is the recipient of the 2014-2015 Terry Buckland Award for Diversity and Equity in Education from the Arts and Science Student Union. To sign their petition to the President, Provost, and Advisory Committee Chairs, please visit:
* Further info on the coalition can be found on their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/U-of-T-Students-against-Sexual-Violence-750157298400030/timeline/
* For more info on the annual inDepth Conference and how to get involved, please visit:
Featured image courtesy of Veronica Prokopovych