Student Association Against Gun Violence
Avalon Hinchman (11-2)
Phototgraphed by Nuwar Osman (12-3)
Student Association Against Gun Violence (SAAGV) is a club started jointly by eleventh graders Eleanor Grauke (11-2) and Alison Fortenberry (11-2) just this school year. Why create a club at Masterman based on the issue of gun violence? “Our goal is to kind of raise awareness of the effects of gun violence on teens in Philadelphia because a lot of kids at Masterman are affected by it and it's not talked about very much. It's a really big issue especially in Philly public schools with funding and how it affects kids' learning, so we just want Masterman kids to feel more comfortable talking about it,” responded Eleanor.
A recent SAAGV meeting was a scene of intense cutting and organizing as the club gathered their materials to execute a sticker sale with inspired anti-gun violence messages such as “No more silence. End gun violence.” and “Protect kids, not guns.” on Valentine's Day. Eleanor and Alison plan to make a final donation at the end of the year of proceeds earned through cause related ventures such as the Valentine's Day sticker sale, a past bake sale, and other collection plans in the future to either Students Demand Action or March for Our Lives. Most people are likely familiar with the national organization, March for Our Lives, launched on February 14, 2018 following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. March for Our Lives emphasizes student leadership and the power of young people to fight for gun violence prevention and policies. Students Demand Action, meanwhile, is completely separate from March for Our Lives; it acts as a branch of Every Town Against Gun Violence, a much older and more legislation focused anti-gun violence organization.
“We have collaborated with March for Our Lives and Alison and I are technically members, but we are in the process of registering our club with Students Demand Action so we are basically a branch but we are just trying to get the resources right now. Once we are a branch of Students Demand Action we get merch and stuff and we go to more of their marches,” remarked Eleanor on the involvement of SAAGV with larger anti gun violence organizations. Such a presence in the Students Demand Action organization is motivated by a desire to become more involved in Philadelphia legislation against gun violence, and some members already are. “A lot of Students Demand Action (SDA) is sending texts and emails. I email representatives a couple times a week about certain laws I want passed and luckily for Philly it's a very big issue and they care about it a lot for local legislation, but in other places that isn't necessarily the case so that's why I want to become a part of SDA so we can be very hands on with local government,” commented Eleanor.
In addition to raising money for the cause you can participate in “discussion of different problems that affect different communities and how they are related through the issue of guns,” according to club co-leader, Alison. If you want to be more involved in combating gun violence consider attending one of the SAAGV meetings Friday, third period, joining current club members Anna O'Neill-Dietel (11-3), Margaret Kim (11-2), Mishelley Low (11-3), Nia Weeks (11-4), Tatiana Bennet (11-1), and Ellen Siu (10-4). The passion for change is evident in speaking to members of the club: “There still hasn't been a lot in terms of legislation done against [gun violence] and we're pushing for more control against guns; it's really hard to just sit here and let something happen,” said Anna and additions to their group are welcomed by those who can apply the same sort of passion.