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During a time when technology, surfing the internet and online homework
have become a norm in the life of just about every college student, one
dedicated and passionate group of students at the University of Arizona
has taken technology to a whole new level and created an online
community that joins in discussions about the ways in which their
university and community fall short of or successfully take part in
fulfilling a socially just and diverse society. Advocates Coming
Together, more commonly known as (ACT), a group of students who live on
campus and who are passionate about working towards social justice and
making change, is behind this successful and exceptionally active
online
group that began and flourished with the creation of a single Facebook
group. The Advocates Coming Together Facebook Group deserves to be recognized
for the month of January, as during this month alone, the group has
fostered over 50 wall posts not including the many lengthy comment
conversations that follow each post. The members of the group, active
and former members of Advocates Coming Together as well as other
passionate social justice allies, take the time to post articles,
videos
and personal stories that relate to social justice and diversity in
their daily lives which they decide are necessary to share with others.
From these posts, come outstanding conversations and dialogues about
one
another’s point of view on a certain topic. Members disagree, listen to
the different points of view and support one another with each and
every
post. Through the Advocates Coming Together Facebook Group, group
members take their social justice advocacy one step further by joining
in communion with others and expanding their work to reach a new
generation that spends so much of its time in online communities. In addition to the Advocates Coming Together Facebook Group’s success
at
taking social justice advocacy at the University of Arizona to the
internet, it is has also provided students with the courage to speak
out
and a voice to be heard. On the Facebook group’s wall, one will find
posts from members or students who are more introverted and tend to
speak up less during weekly ACT meetings or raise their hands in
classes. These group members use the Advocates Coming Together Facebook
group to their advantage as a means of fulfilling their own roles as
advocates of social justice and diversity. Lastly, the Advocates Coming Together Facebook group deserves
recognition for serving as a means of building strong relationships
between a group of people with a common goal. Members will use this
group to advertise their own social justice programs, as well as invite
others who are as passionate as they are about social justice to meet
up
for lunch or a movie. That being said, the extraordinary amount of
activity on this Facebook group deserves to be recognized. Each member
of the group receives dozens of notifications each week about the posts
from various members and what they have to say about social justice in
our society. You can find this group at
http://www.facebook.com/groups/118037718254638/ and see just how
special this group is for yourself.
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