At the WIS upper school assembly this week, alumna Rafif Jouejati (Class of 1983) spoke to students and faculty about her work with the grassroots NGO, FREE-Syria. FREE-Syria does projects both with communities on the ground in Syria, and with governments around the world. It focuses on improving the lives of Syrians, both those in the country and those who are refugees. FREE-Syria advocates for human rights and democracy in a high-risk situation, working in a country where dictator Bashar Al-Assad commits war crimes, and where terrorist groups, such as ISIS, have a strong presence.

Jouejati’s work clearly had an impact on WIS students. Sam Gordon, a tenth grade student, said, “Not only was she stating facts about the several issues that have occurred, but she explained in detail what was happening and what we can do to try and help solve the problem. She made several points that most of us probably haven’t thought about previously…. she was also very good at explaining and describing what she found to be the biggest problem and [helping us to] understand why we should also express an interest in the cause.”

One of Jouejati’s main points was to encourage the students to take action. She stressed the relevance of social media and the importance of fighting for a cause you are passionate about. She referenced the now-famous photograph of Aylan Kurdi, a young Syrian refugee who had drowned off of the Turkish coast, as asign of hope for the cause and as an example of social media making a real difference. “It was really inspiring and informative… obviously I know about the situation in Syria but I didn’t know that much, and I’m grateful because now I’m more aware and I can think about it in a more productive way.,” Grade 11 student Pauline Sow said.

Jouejati even encouraged students to stage a protest outside of the White House. However she stressed the need to get a permit first. Hopefully her words will inspire the WIS community to take further action against global injustices.

By Rosie Bradbury