Aryanna Chutkan's Clean Water Initiative
Aryanna Chutkan, a junior at OHS, was inspired by various incidences of poor water quality (such as Flint, Michigan) to start a group to raise awareness for such. Learn more below in Fatima Rahim's interview with the whole GTLO Team.
Pixel Journal: What is the goal of your initiative?
GTLO: The goal of our initiative is to raise awareness about the poor water quality in poor and minority communities, and get high schoolers involved in the issues, as by 2018 and 2020 many of us will be voting and making important decisions regarding issues like this one. We want to use social media as a platform to educate and encourage the diverse audience to become involved because it is an issue affecting thousands of people across the country, yet the media has dissolved its significance. We aim to help the people affected by sharing links and petitions to help and/or donate on our social media profiles and website.
PJ: How are you spreading awareness?
GTLO: We are primarily spreading awareness through social media campaigns and art publications. We chose social media because it has the power to spread to a wide and diverse audience. However, we are currently discussing the possibility of hosting events, such as protests or marches.
PJ: How does going to an online school change the structure of your campaign?
GTLO: It has helped give us the tools to make a more nationwide campaign and connect people from across the country. It also gives us a bigger audience and the ability to spread in several different areas. Our team has people from four different continents, but we are connected through OHS. It gives us a platform to work together without the usual geological obstacles.
PJ: What inspired you all to take on this project?
GTLO: We all are extremely disappointed by the lack of media attention for places without clean water in the US, for example Flint, Michigan. The problems in these areas did not stop when the media stopped addressing them. In developed countries like the United States, we rarely consider water quality issues, but they do exist. Very little was being done to help the people affected and the severity problem is significantly unknown to many people.
PJ: How can one help or join the cause?
GTLO: Our social media and website has information on how to help the cause directly, if you want to get involved help spread the importance through social media. You can join the cause by taking part in our GTLO challenge by tweeting or posting a picture of you with a raindrop drawn on your hand with the hashtag #GTLOchallenge and tagging us in the photo (@GTLOinitiative on instagram and @GTLO_initiative on twitter) or by submitting your art or writing on the subject of water to us at our email gtloinitiative@gmail.com
Editor's note: Interview edited for length and clarity. The Pixel Journal does not take any political or social stances.