Enough! OPRFHS
Donation protected
Who are we?
We are a dedicated group of students at Oak Park and River Forest High School who are no longer content standing on the sidelines while our schools, our communities, and our country are marred by gun violence. We recognize that people are aware of the prevalence and potential of school shootings--as well as of gun violence in general--but are comfortable doing nothing about this imminent threat. We want to make them uncomfortable. In an age of American exceptionalism, the only thing “exceptional” about our country is the number of senseless deaths by gun violence. An average of 96 people die from gun violence every day, and even more, are wounded. While this issue is often portrayed as divisive between political parties, we want to emphasize that the Enough! OPRF group is catered only to youth. This movement requires collaboration, compromise, and a reevaluation of our values as a society. We represent a generation of youth that does not feel safe, so we are taking action.
Our primary organization is centralized around Youth Action and Civics (YAC), an OPRF club launched in August 2016 to promote youth civic engagement and participation. We are also partnering with schools across the Chicagoland-area to not only share advice and information about logistical planning for the walkouts and other events, but also to promote a unified and clear message that is more effective in pressuring our representatives to reform gun legislation. We say ENOUGH to gun violence disrupting our education.
What is our mission?
1. To demand that the Illinois General Assembly and U.S. Congress pass legislation on gun violence to keep us safe in our schools, our streets, and our communities.
2. To support all victims of gun violence, school shooting or other, and work to ensure that their lives were not lost in vain. We are inspired by the incredible student activists from Parkland, who are speaking so thoughtfully, eloquently, and fearlessly on these issues even as they continue to grieve for their lost friends, teachers, and loved ones.
3. To shine a light on the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our country, and our Chicago community in particular. People of color are disproportionately shot and killed every day with little to no public outcry. It is vital that this call for action reflects the voices and the grievances of all members of the country.
4. To empower and embolden youth to use their civic rights — the right to vote and to protest first and foremost among them — to seek change in other policy arenas.
We are raising funds...
1. To cover general costs of our movement.
A. Shirts: We have designed and ordered shirts for students and teachers to wear during the walkout and future events, such as the March 24 March For Our Lives, to present a unified message in our movement for gun reform. These shirts will be sold for less than they cost--$5 each--in order to ensure that everyone who would like a shirt is able to afford one. Selling shirts at this price will produce a deficit of $500, so the first $500 this page raises will go to off-setting the t-shirt cost.
B. Poster and banner materials: We have received many generous donations of poster-making supplies and studio space. Any necessary additional supplies, such as a banner or buttons for the walkout and the march, will be funded through donations to this page.
2. Any additional funds raised will be donated to organizations that lobby for national common-sense gun legislation.
Help us be the change that makes schools across the country a better and safer place.
We are a dedicated group of students at Oak Park and River Forest High School who are no longer content standing on the sidelines while our schools, our communities, and our country are marred by gun violence. We recognize that people are aware of the prevalence and potential of school shootings--as well as of gun violence in general--but are comfortable doing nothing about this imminent threat. We want to make them uncomfortable. In an age of American exceptionalism, the only thing “exceptional” about our country is the number of senseless deaths by gun violence. An average of 96 people die from gun violence every day, and even more, are wounded. While this issue is often portrayed as divisive between political parties, we want to emphasize that the Enough! OPRF group is catered only to youth. This movement requires collaboration, compromise, and a reevaluation of our values as a society. We represent a generation of youth that does not feel safe, so we are taking action.
Our primary organization is centralized around Youth Action and Civics (YAC), an OPRF club launched in August 2016 to promote youth civic engagement and participation. We are also partnering with schools across the Chicagoland-area to not only share advice and information about logistical planning for the walkouts and other events, but also to promote a unified and clear message that is more effective in pressuring our representatives to reform gun legislation. We say ENOUGH to gun violence disrupting our education.
What is our mission?
1. To demand that the Illinois General Assembly and U.S. Congress pass legislation on gun violence to keep us safe in our schools, our streets, and our communities.
2. To support all victims of gun violence, school shooting or other, and work to ensure that their lives were not lost in vain. We are inspired by the incredible student activists from Parkland, who are speaking so thoughtfully, eloquently, and fearlessly on these issues even as they continue to grieve for their lost friends, teachers, and loved ones.
3. To shine a light on the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our country, and our Chicago community in particular. People of color are disproportionately shot and killed every day with little to no public outcry. It is vital that this call for action reflects the voices and the grievances of all members of the country.
4. To empower and embolden youth to use their civic rights — the right to vote and to protest first and foremost among them — to seek change in other policy arenas.
We are raising funds...
1. To cover general costs of our movement.
A. Shirts: We have designed and ordered shirts for students and teachers to wear during the walkout and future events, such as the March 24 March For Our Lives, to present a unified message in our movement for gun reform. These shirts will be sold for less than they cost--$5 each--in order to ensure that everyone who would like a shirt is able to afford one. Selling shirts at this price will produce a deficit of $500, so the first $500 this page raises will go to off-setting the t-shirt cost.
B. Poster and banner materials: We have received many generous donations of poster-making supplies and studio space. Any necessary additional supplies, such as a banner or buttons for the walkout and the march, will be funded through donations to this page.
2. Any additional funds raised will be donated to organizations that lobby for national common-sense gun legislation.
Help us be the change that makes schools across the country a better and safer place.
Organizer
Arianna Chavarria
Organizer
Oak Park, IL
