The Catholic Relief Service Ambassadors, a new program on campus, is beginning its plans to increase awareness of world issues on campus.
The CRS Ambassadors have taken on the job of creating awareness campaigns of different world issues.
The issues they work on include Fair Trade, HIV and AIDS, food insecurity, hunger and homelessness and migration.
The student ambassadors are promoting joint efforts between the college and CRS. CRS is the official relief and development agency of the United States Catholic church.
Jessica Zawrotny, a junior psychology and special education major and CRS ambassador on fair trade, said, “We represent CRS.”
Ambassadors plan events on campus to spread awareness.
They often have stands around campus promoting what they do and also hope to make more students aware of an organization that students probably do not know much about.
Elizabeth Briggs, a sophomore psychology and sociology double major and CRS ambassador on food insecurity issues, said, “CRS promotes global solidarity.”
Each ambassador represents a different issue and most world issues have more than one ambassador assigned to spreading awareness.
Cabrini and Villanova University have a partnership with CRS to help spread these issues even further.
The first CRS ambassador orientation took place on Monday, Oct. 1, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Grace Hall boardroom. This was the first time ambassadors from Cabrini and Villanova were able to share their stories and plans as a team.
They discussed what programs they participated in and what worked and what did not work. They also talked about what their next steps will be, especially since it is Fair Trade month.
According to Patricia Sheehan, a senior English and communications major and CRS ambassador on Fair Trade, coffee is one of the fair trade products that they are trying to promote on campus.
Fair Trade means paying fair wages for people’s products. The profit of Fair Trade products goes directly to the farmer himself.
During Monday’s orientation, ambassadors were given the book, “Fair Trade,” by Jacqueline DeCarlo. This book will help ambassadors to improve their understanding on the issue they are constantly using word of mouth to express.
Yadi Toledo, a senior English and communications major and CRS ambassador on Fair Trade, said, “We are educating to create awareness and our goal is for people to hopefully implement these issues in their own lives.”
There are many possible events that students can become involved in with each global issue.
Cabrini’s hunger and homelessness awareness week campaign is coming up.
Possible events will include a Thanksgiving food drive, Cabrini Island, a sleep out, an interactive hunger banquet and a letter-writing campaign.
The HIV and AIDS events that you can participate in will include: adopt a family, a movie night, advocacy and pizza night, a prayer vigil and a benefit concert.
Students interested in becoming part of the awareness of these global issues should contact the Wolfington Center.
