Bringing the World to Wesleyan
Bringing the World to Wesleyan
by Ned Resnikoff
Outstanding Student Leader Journal
February 7, 2007
Meredith Katz and Russell Berg are co-founders of the Wesleyan University chapter of Americans for Informed Democracy. Together they have managed to attract hundreds of people to AID events, including a hugely successful event with The New Republic editor-at-large Peter Beinart. Congratulations, and thanks to Meredith and Russell for demonstrating their leadership on the Wesleyan campus!
Meredith and Russell began their involvement with the AID last spring. Meredith attended an AID conference on the international criminal court, and not long afterwards Russell went to a conference on AIDS at New York University.
On World AIDS Orphan Day, Meredith and Russell organized a bake sale and sold T-shirts. They later did the same thing for commencement, and between the two events they were able to raise around $200 for AIDS-stricken families.
At the end of summer 2006, Meredith and Russell were contacted by AID President Seth Green about the possibility of starting up a Wesleyan chapter. For a launch event, they were able to attract Peter Beinart, the editor-at-large of The New Republic to speak. Wesleyan students packed the event to hear the editor-at-large of such an influential magazine speak. The event was so successful that Meredith and Russell joke that every future event will be advertised as being “from the people who brought you Peter Beinart.”
In late November, for World AIDS Week, AID Director of Campus Programming Autumn Barr coordinated a videoconference where Wesleyan University was one of the hosts. Over thirty Wesleyan students packed into the videoconference center to attend the event which connected them with over one hundred young leaders world-wide to discuss the future of youth involvement in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Meredith and Russell are currently in the process of organizing future events. Meredith has a particular interest in the war in Northern Uganda, having studied abroad there, and so the Wesleyan chapter is planning to screen two documentaries on Uganda, Invisible Children and Uganda Rising, to coincide with a separate screening of The Last King of Scotland on the Wesleyan campus. They are also considering locating a guest speaker for the event.
Meanwhile, Meredith and Russell are still laying the groundwork for a lasting AID chapter at Wesleyan, with plans to have weekly or bi-weekly meetings. The chapter is eager to attract as many students as possible in addition to the 100 students that receive updates. They hope to develop a core leadership team of twelve to best serve growing campus membership and discuss the U.S.’s role in the world.