Mark Hanis
Mark Hanis, the Founder and Executive Director of the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net), came to Logan to talk to the students and teachers who attended the event about genocide. He was the second visitor to Logan this year to speak about genocide in a series of assemblies arranged by Stephanie Papas, during 7th period, March 11.
Right before Hanis was to be invited to the stage, the fire alarm went off. The audience spent nearly ten minutes outside before being allowed back into the Little Theater, and then it took a couple of minutes for everybody to settle back down. After that minor distraction, however, things went smoothly.
Hanis began by talking about how he and his friends started up GI-Net after first learning about the genocide in Darfur. He was a senior in college at the time, and he and his friends were completely shocked by what he called the "world's worst humanitarian crisis" in the 21st century, especially since nobody was doing anything about it.
Since then, GI-Net has continued to grow, with over 1000 student chapters. The group created a report card for Congress, which grades the Congress members on their involvement with stopping the genocide in Darfur. They can get grades from an A-F, a scale very familiar to high school students. Congress members were soon calling GI-Net to tell about how many students they had emailing them about getting better grades, and asking what they can do to move up a few letter grades.
GI-Net focuses on three tools, education, advocation, and donation, and the three Ps, protection, peacemaking and punishment. Using these six words, the group aims to end current genocides and prevent future ones. While Darfur is the genocide they are currently focused on, they are involved with preventing atrocities worldwide, in places like Burma. They provide whatever support they can to victims, but they never provide any lethal means. GI-Net believes that the victims need resources, not guns.
The main thing Hanis wanted to get across to the students is that they can make a difference. He proved this by having students take out their cell phones and inputting the following number: 1-800-436-6243. Student can call the number and leave a message for their local Congress member asking them to put in more effort towards ending the genocide in Darfur. Hanis invited a student up onto the stage to do just this, showing the audience just how easy it is.
To learn more about GI-Net or Mark Hanis, you can visit the following website.
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