STUDENTS ORGANIZE FOR SYRIA
Books Not Bombs Coordinator
Where it began...
Having the opportunity to work with Students Organize for Syria (SOS) as the Books Not Bombs head has been both a rewarding as well as enlightening experience. I had just started my first semester at the University of Florida when a good friend of mine, Rana, invited me to attend a general body meeting for her organization for Syria. At the time, I had occasionally stayed up-to-date on the cause, but I did not fully understand what was happening or what I could do as a broke college student. In other words, I felt helpless and thought the only way to aid the situation was by giving money which I could be more beneficial for in my post-grad life. At the meeting, I learned that there were multiple ways to help and that as a college student, I had the capability to help in ways that I would not be able to after graduation.
Growing interest...
In my first semester as a member of SOS, I took part in multiple events including movie screenings, clothing drives, and fundraisers. However, it was in my second semester of involvement that I began to take advantage of my resources as a student and member of SOS. Just a few days after his inauguration, President Trump administered an executive order that banned the admission of refugees and other persons into the United States from seven countries. Syria was one of these countries, so the order affected the objectives of SOS directly. I had to do something. On my Facebook feed, I noticed that the University of Michigan had immediately responded to the executive order by issuing a statement protecting the interests of their international students. As a response, I created an online petition asking the president at the University of Florida to make a similar statement. Over 300 people signed it within the first few hours and after having sent a link of the petition to President Fuchs, he issued a statement protecting international students and refugees at UF. I then attended a protest that afternoon in support of Syrian and other refugees being allowed into the United States (pictured to the left).
Taking Initiative...
The accomplishments of creating change and movement in response to the travel ban gave me the confidence and drive to take on more initiative for the cause. That spring, I ran for the publicist/social media director position for SOS executive board because I believed the experience from my special events and outreach internship with PACE Center for Girls could be of use in organizing further events and expanding on the community. I won the position and instantly started planning with the other newly elected board members. After some collaboration, we decided that it was best to create a position for the head of the Books Not Bombs (BNB) campaign because of the type of work and dedication running the campaign held. I was already familiar with BNB from working with it the previous year and was campaigning for the Human Rights Campaign in Colorado at the time, so I stepped up and took the position.
Role as a Leader...
Any time there is a major catastrophe in Syria, it is the responsibility of SOS to respond and mobilize students at our universities. These events are typically unplanned, so coordinating how to respond requires staying up-to-date and maintaining timely diligence. As a leader in SOS, I have spearheaded numerous rallies, protests, and vigils as swift responses to events happening across the Atlantic in Syria. This requires having the flexibility to take immediate action, notifying others of what is happening, strategizing how to respond, planning for the worst, and mobilizing the community to help. Obviously, I cannot do this alone and I have learned that working with the rest of the SOS board members and staying connected with them, as well as SOS leaders at university chapters across the nation, makes for the best results. As BNB Coordinator, I am the sole candidate for ensuring BNB advances at my university. This has made me the representative of the entire campaign for my school which requires a total consciousness and responsibility for my actions.
What I Learned...
My role in Students Organize for Syria and Books Not Bombs has taught me how to lead, influence, and communicate with people as well as tackle difficult situations. This position has also taught me the importance of portraying an accurate message especially on sensitive topics such as the Syrian crisis. Although the mission of SOS is to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis, raise awareness for the cause, and advocate to protect the rights and freedoms of the Syrian people, Syria has become a political and complicated topic which causes hesitancy from the community to engage and sometimes total opposition. In addition, my work with BNB has emphasized the importance of interchanging ideas and communicating with others who have similar interests. The focus of the campaign is to petition for schools to create scholarships for Syrian refugees. Due to Florida laws, it is challenging to initiate this campaign at my university. However, I have worked with BNB coordinators at schools across Florida to try to find a statewide solution to tackling these obstacles and providing a statewide scholarship. We have made hefty strides by working with external organizations and are raising money for scholarships by hosting fundraising campaigns.
"Syria is the biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time"
-UN Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi
Gators Dares 4 Syria
Last year the national SOS board organized a Dares 4 Syria campaign in concurrence with Giving Tuesday The campaign was such a success that our chapter took it upon ourselves to host the event again even though the national board did not. SOS members, family and friends dared each other to do something for a certain amount of money and if that person did it, then the darer had to donate that amount to Karam Foundation. All proceeds went towards winter aid relief projects inside Syria.
National Conference-Chicago
This was the first national conference held by SOS with chapters from universities across the nation. I was able to connect with legislators, organizers, speakers, entertainers, and other students with the same goals.
Roses from Refugees
Every year for Valentines Day, SOS hands out roses with a note from a refugee attached. This is a popular event that aims to spread kindness and share the spirit of love with Syrian refugees.
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Solidarity Rally with East Ghouta
This was a spontaneous event to recognize the loss of lives in East Ghouta after a series of massive attacks that killed hundreds of civilians. An online emergency fund was also created through Karam Foundation and the 'Gators 4 Syria' team raised enough money to provide 55 life-saving food baskets for besieged families in East Ghouta.
Syria Solidarity Week 2018
All SOS chapters across the nation collaborate annually to recognize the anniversary of the Syrian Revolution. This year, we hosted events including a film screening of "Syria's Disappeared", Pin Syria on a Map, Syria 101, and a silent flashmob.
Refugee Tent Walkthrough
As of now, there are about 6 million people who have had to flee Syria and about 5 million who are internally displaced. Many of these refugees are children and students. As the Books Not Bombs coordinator, I arranged this event to outline the challenges of attaining an education under such living conditions.
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