Champions of Change

Rachel Slipp was always advocated with Human Rights – to be more specific, women’s rights -, always participating in Conferences and Seminars of such.

When she joined Plan’s Canada Speakers Bureau, an initiative that promotes change among youth in Canada, she thought it would be a good idea to implant the club Champions of Change at Saint Thomas University.

“Essentially, they’re just groups in high schools, middle schools and universities across Canada –of people who just talk about plan’s work and about gender equality and try to make some kind of change. And I thought that would fit really well here at Saint Thomas, since we focus a lot on social justice and gender equality,” said Slipp

Rachel Slipp was the first student to come with the idea of implanting CC
(photo: Sarah Morin)

 

Slipp reached out to her friends, Emily DesRoches and Chelsea Connell, also students from Saint Thomas, and all three of them decided to ask STUSU for the club to be funded.

“We just all kind of had very similar interests in regards of human rights, women’s rights and girls’ education – so it just kind of was  a nice fit,” said Connell

Emily DesRoches and Chelsea Connell helped Slipp
to found the group
(photo: Sarah Morin)

When asked about why the opening of a group of this nature would be good for Saint Thomas, Rachel said the university always raised the flag of gender equality and other social movements.

She also said it’s always important to discuss women’s rights and such due to the society being still very patriarchal.

“It’s funny because –I mean, just growing up as a female and just experiencing some things you know, people telling you ‘you fit into a certain roll’ because of your gender and like, I –I don’t think I never really accepted that,” she said.

Connell also expressed her opinion about how background experiences and society can make a difference. And that’s why such a club is so important.

“I feel really grateful for having the opportunities that I had with my own education and live in a part of the world that generally accepts me as a woman and where I can feel safe,” she said. “But I know that there are girls and women in other parts of the world that don’t have those experiences and I just think it’s important to advocate for all women all over the place to make a change in their own lives and who might need a hand to do that.”

Champions of Change is a new club at Saint Thomas University and its founders are looking up to see upcoming students bracing the initiative.