Yesterday I participated in my first March for Life. It was cold, it was wet, it was tiring, and it was awesome. I had been wanting to go to the March since my freshman year of college, but had always been foiled by classes and exams. When I got the opportunity to go with the World Youth Alliance, I jumped at it. As the Research and Policy Specialist at the WYA Foundation, I spend a lot of time reading and writing and don’t usually interact with members and potential members. This was a great opportunity for me to share our mission with fellow young people outside of a more academic setting.
As a member of WYA’s March for Life team, I spent all day asking teens, college students, and other young adults to sign the WYA charter. There were more young people than I possibly ever could have imagined! They came out in droves, whether with their schools, youth groups, or families. They were very willing to sign the charter, and I look forward to their future involvement. As I approached a group, I reminded myself that I just might be introducing WYA to the next trained member, intern, or even staff member. I was motivated by knowing that the more youth who’ve signed our charter and thus become WYA members, the stronger our voice is at the United Nations and other international and regional institutions. Also, I enjoyed meeting face-to-face with new members, because now when I advocate on youth’s behalf at the UN commissions and conferences, I know that I am representing the girls from Florida State who were so enthusiastic that they asked about starting a WYA chapter at their school, the lively high-schoolers from Ohio who drove all night there and back to rally in favor of the culture of life, and the kids from Louisiana who were excited to be there even though they brought no more than sweatshirts to face the cold. I look forward to more opportunities to recruit–and then represent–new members!
