Since the creation of the Internet, users have had the ability to connect with others all over the world, so it’s no surprise that it is considered one of the most powerful tools on earth for spreading awareness.
Invisible Children is an organization focused on spreading awareness of the wars in Uganda while also aiming to bring an end to Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) violence.
Recently, the organization released a thirty-minute call to action documentary asking people to help end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war by spreading Kony’s name everywhere across the web and world, making people aware of his evil-doings.
Many were inspired to action, including students on Capital’s campus. Brooke Fox, a social work major, was one of the many students affected and caught wind of the opportunity to bring Invisible Children to campus by an alumni.
“I am interested in going to Uganda and working with child soldiers. I am a social work major and I hope to someday work in international social work with populations such as this,” Fox said.
Invisible Children hosted a free informational presentation at the Drexel Theater last Wednesday at 6 PM and all were invited to come and learn more about the cause and see the documentary.
Fox hoped that the session would benefit Capital students by teaching them how truly fortunate they are and to enjoy every day they have in a healthy and safe society. While some believe this presentation was a positive event for campus, there are still a lot of students still trying to decide where they stand.
Sophomore Elizabeth Pamer supports the organization, but doesn’t count out that the event may result in negative reactions.
“I believe it could either bring us together as a campus to support the cause or it could create a huge divide with the people who believe that we have problems to solve in the United States or other countries first. I hope for the first result, I believe as a united campus we could really make a difference but I fear the latter may reign true due to how diverse the beliefs on our campus are,” Pamer said.
While some people jump blindly into action after watching the video, there are those who have looked further into the trustworthiness of the organization. While Invisible Children preaches a positive message and indisputably calls for action towards a worthy cause, students all need to be careful to look into all the facts before throwing their money and support towards it.
“It worries me that so many people allow this emotional stimulus to win their allegiance without any research. Regardless of whether or not the organization is completely trustworthy in their views and actions is not the main point, but it is something to take into consideration before jumping into the midst of a serious issue,” student Emma Littmann said.
Regardless of personal beliefs, the event proved to be informational and each student should take the time to investigate the KONY2012 campaign on their own time.
