On Awareness

Last week was National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and last month was Black History Month. It seems as though each week and month has a national meaning. How many people are actually aware of these meanings? Before college, I had never heard of some of these awareness weeks. We only knew about the special months like Black History Month, Hispanic History Month, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Even if we knew about them, we did not necessarily do anything particularly special.

In college, a lot of people want to be activists. They want to change the world and make an impact. They embrace these weeks of awareness as recruitment opportunities. Unfortunately from what I have observed, the people who go up to the tables and ask for more information are the people already interested in the cause and want to learn more or are involved in the cause in some other way. Not many new people make an effort to get involved. As much advertising as there was for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, few people stopped by the booths in the main pedestrian traffic area on campus. It can be a bit disheartening to the student activists when not much attention is paid to their cause.

To the student activists out there, keep caring and keep spreading information. You can make a difference, even if it is only for one person. But it is enough to make an impact on one person because that impact can spread like in the movie, Pay It Forward.

To the college students out there, try to take a minute or two to talk to the activists at those tables. You are at college to learn new things and to be exposed to new ideas. You may uncover a passion you never knew you had.