For a Good Cause

For+a+Good+Cause

University Prep’s mission is to “develop each student’s potential to become an intellectually courageous, socially responsible citizen of the world.” How can that be done if students are not given the space to advocate and contribute to solving real-world problems through fundraising? To be truly socially responsible you must take action to change the issues facing our world. University Prep puts a large emphasis on education around social issues with social justice day, educational assemblies on national holidays, and LEAD conversations. While this is beneficial in promoting conversations and decreasing bias, the impact on certain issues is limited.

 

For example, in past years I led a club for Water1st International, a nonprofit organization working to end the global water crisis by providing piped water systems into people’s homes in Kenya, Honduras, Mozambique, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia. I presented information about the water crisis and hosted discussions on topics such as white saviorism and water conservation. However, when it came time to fundraise and actually do something about the issue, I could do nothing. I was not even allowed to invite people to Carry 5, a popular fundraising event, at announcements.

In some cases, monetary contributions are crucial to change. A large portion of a student’s community is at school, so it becomes much more difficult to fundraise when that option is not available.

The counterargument to student fundraising is to “avoid additional costs to families” and to “achieve educational equity to the best of our ability.” While striving for educational equity is admirable and necessary, it can be done in addition to striving for overall equity. If the school is concerned about ‘additional costs’ then why do they push the puma fund so strongly? To follow Uprep’s mission, students should be able to advocate for problems that are important to them. Issues relating to poverty and environmental disasters need more than words.