This week was almost completely focused on promoting the AGM. It was very busy with compiling media lists, continuing to contact the press about coverage, and reporting the interviews that our representatives were doing with different news outlets. It involved some innovation on my part when we had to have 40 press kits mailed within an afternoon to San Francisco and still did not have the schedule of events or the biographies that we needed. There was a last-minute rush to finish before the mailman came but the press kits got out in time! I also wrote a template for a "letter to the editor" that will be distributed at the AGM Youth Summit for young people to personalize and send in to their local news outlets. It is exciting to think that something that I helped to write could appear in print.
As the Middle East continued to permeate the news, the tragedy in Japan made headlines with its scope of destruction. While Amnesty is definitely on the lookout for human rights violations, at this point Japan is still in crisis mode dealing with the catastrophic results of the disaster. I just edited a statement from Amnesty expressing condolences to those impacted in Japan and urging the Japanese government to ensure that information about risks to health and the environment is made public, as well as measures that can be taken to protect health and safety.
Most of Amnesty's statements regarding the Middle East currently are related to the treatment of protestors by armed forces. Saudi Arabia was present in the news for putting a ban on protesting and beating those who disobeyed it, which Amnesty urged them to overturn. Yemen continues to be in the news for harsh treatment of protestors.
Another huge development for Amnesty was the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois. Amnesty condemns the death penalty as ineffective, inhumane and counterproductive. The fact that Governor Quinn signed for its abolition was a huge and long-awaited victory for Amnesty and many others.
One of my favorite parts of the week was my orientation for 826 DC, Dave Eggers' national literacy nonprofit organization. I decided to start volunteering here because of my interest in reading and desire to continue speaking Spanish, and I am excited to start. The nonprofit focuses on education enrichment for students, and I think it is going to be a very rewarding experience. I am excited to be involved in new things during my time in DC. I am enthusiastic about the projects that the organization works on and the fact that they are in line with my interests and abilities. Have a great week!
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