With images of the Majory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting still fresh in the minds of many people, the high school club called Students Offering Support (SOS) is organizing a march later this month to stand in solidarity with victims of gun violence.
During a recent school board meeting, members of SOS invited the Mystery Lake trustees to take part in this event that is kicking off March 24 at R.D. Parker Collegiate at noon.
This event is a response to the school shooting that took place in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, which left 17 dead and 17 injured. It was the ninth deadliest mass shooting in United States history, the country’s 30th mass shooting at that point in the year and a lighting rod for youth-led activism to try and fix the nation’s gun violence epidemic.
While students in the U.S. already organized a national walkout on March 14, this upcoming Thompson event is a part of the larger March For Our Lives campaign, which is launching over 760 sibling marches across the globe simultaneously.
“Many countries such as Columbia, Ireland, Japan, and now Canada have joined in to show their support,” said Hayley Jenkins, a Grade 12 student from RDPC and a member of SOS. “The reason we are joining the march is because we want to show support and we to remember all the people who were lost and all the families who lost members and friends.”
So far, this local march is the only March For Our Lives event to take place in Manitoba.
Since SOS primarily exists to help raise awareness about mental health issues, member Lala Rukh told the board of trustees that they also want to promote being vigilant and looking for signs of distress in their fellow students.
“The [Parkland] shooter … people knew that he was a threat. He posted about shooting and guns and everything and we just want to tell people: if you see something, say something, either to the person or a teacher or a counsellor ora parent, just say something to someone.”
Even though the same level of gun violence isn’t nearly as prevalent in Canada, trustee Elizabeth Lychuk said it is still important to keep the conversation going.
“I think that if we want our schools to continue being safe, we need to raise awareness and I really appreciate that you’re raising that awareness here and standing for your fellow students, even if they are in another country.”
Vice-chairperson Janet Brady also marveled at the youth activism on display, not just from SOS, but from figures like the Stoneman Douglas students, who are largely leading the charge on bringing about sensible gun reform south of the border.
“I’ve never been more proud of young people,” said Brady. “So good luck [this] Saturday. I’ll definitely be there, for sure.”
If you would like to volunteer or sign-up for this event, please contact Treena Khul at [email protected].
