The “Write to Refugees” project is hosted by Falcons for Progress before school, during the week of April 27th and May 1st. Booths will be set up at the rotunda with blank sheets of paper and pens. Students can write a note that will then be sent to a local Denver refugee camp.
The “Write to Refugees” project reaches out to politically like-minded students and others, creating an “opportunity to share a positive message with a group of people that are currently being marginalized in America,” said Delaney Knoebel, one of the founders of the FFP, “and encouraging kindness…and spreading both hope and awareness.”
FFP is a recent liberal club created in the fall of 2016 in response to HR’s more conservative club, Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). Although it is fairly new, the importance of having such a club in HR is relevant because of the recent election cycle. Knoebel said, “By creating the club, we created an outlet where people could gather to create positive change with ideologically similar people.”
Current membership in FFP is small compared to other clubs, and Knoebel wants to reach out to the student body and encourage students of the same political mindset to join and feel comfortable about their ideals and opinions. However, this is difficult with such a politically charged nation at the moment. The “Write to Refugees” project is an inclusive way of getting the word out that FFP exists.
Knoebel and other members constantly reach out to members of the community. During the election, FFP rallied at local high schools and in Denver. Although the club has participated in local events, their presence is not confined to Highlands Ranch, CO. Recently, FFP has reached out to Josh Earnest, President Obama’s press secretary.
Earnest noted the club’s adamant behavior of becoming involved in politics at a young age, “Let me compliment you in…participating in politics how you’re doing now.” Earnest is impressed with the ideas that FFP has to offer to HR, saying that FFP is willing to include anyone who is interested and “looking for ways to reach out to people who aren’t democrats.” FFP is always willing to expand their community outreaches.
Cydney Jardine, Guest Reporter
