By Ibne Tamim
The UNICEF Club is one of the many amazing clubs available at MCSM, and I had the privilege of interviewing Ashley Lopez who is the president of this year’s UNICEF team. Our UNICEF club is supervised by Ms.Perez, and meets every other Tuesday after school. Curious? Below Ashley answers questions most students might have about the UNICEF club and what it has to offer.
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Q: What does UNICEF stand for and what does the club do?
Ashley: UNICEF is a charity organization that works to improve the health, education, and safety of children around the world. UNICEF runs vaccination campaigns and provides relief (during pandemics like this) by sending out supplies for health safety. They also run water campaigns to give safe drinking water and advanced sanitation to areas without access to running water.
Q: Why did you first join UNICEF?
Ashley: In my sophomore year, I wanted to get involved in a club that made a difference. I knew I’d be having an impact on the world, no matter how small. I also really liked how the club itself had a very close community that I wanted to be a part of. I also noticed that the club had activities to help out in our own community, like making care packages for our local homeless shelter.
Q: Can you tell us what happens in a daily/average meeting?
Ashley: An average meeting consists of a quick check-in with all our members. We can discuss everyone’s week, or do icebreakers. Then we move into a presentation about important current events, human rights issues that UNICEF is tackling, or anything we deem important for our members to learn about. This week we’re learning about the new COVID-19 vaccine and how UNICEF plans to take part in its distribution. In most meetings, after the presentation, we have a fun activity. We’ve played multiplayer games like Skribbl and Codewords.
We’re operating way differently now than how we were back in March, and sometimes it’s challenging to find ways to get involved with UNICEF initiatives. Given our remote circumstances, we have been focusing on online petitions, and using social media to spread awareness.
Q: How do you prepare for the club?
Ashley: The UNICEF board has both a junior and a senior council, each with a President and a Vice President. We all work together to prepare and present the presentation for each meeting. We discuss and share ideas with each other about activities. I’m very thankful to have such an amazing team to work alongside.
Q: Do you organize any fun events?
Ashley: In-person, we had events like movie nights, bake sales, or like I mentioned above, making care packages for the homeless. With things being virtual now, we focus more on activities we can do together as a club during meetings, like games or team-building activities similar to escape room labyrinth.
Q: How would you describe the UNICEF club for future students?
Ashley: The UNICEF club is a great way to really make a difference. You can play a vital role in helping the world’s children survive. Not only that, but you’ll be giving back to your own community. Being a part of the UNICEF club means you’re also a part of a group of people who really care about each other. The entire UNICEF board is here to help out our members, whether it is UNICEF-related or not.
Q: Any closing statements?
Ashley: I’m excited to welcome any new members to our club, and I’m really glad I was able to do this interview for the Newspaper Club! This is a great way to make students aware of clubs that are available for them. I can’t wait to read new interviews to come.