Operating in over 150 countries and founded in London, England, on May 28, 1961, Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization designed to advocate for human rights and other global issues. Established at PHS in the 2024-2025 school year, the campus chapter consists of students who share the desire to advocate for the rights of oppressed groups through discussions, raising awareness and community engagement.
“Amnesty International is a club that has its roots in many things,” Club President, junior Arjun Sethi said. “So it starts with the main thing that we fight for—human rights and human abuse—and that can range from something as simple as climate change to something as complicated as human abuse.”
According to the organization’s website, there are close to 600 Amnesty clubs at high schools and colleges in the United States, with Prosper’s chapter being one of them.
“So for the club, the main goal that we’re trying to do is get the students in Prosper ISD more involved in real world situations,” Sethi said. “And also take an action towards it rather than just ignoring it.”
In the opinion of the club members, the organization gives everyone an opportunity to discuss their personal problems or the broader complications they see.
“The club is an international (organization with) 10 million members,” Vice President, junior Shreyansh Rath said. “It is dedicated to equitable and human rights through actions (like the) Amnesty websites and personal time. (We do) things like emailing ambassadors from different countries and doing (fundraisers).”
Sethi said that he wants to make sure everyone’s voices are heard.
“I think I’m really suitable for the role of the president because as far as I have managed the club,” Sethi said. “I have skill sets in multiple things and I have so far run the club without the officers involved. ”
He shared that he wants everyone to get the time to express their life problems because they might feel like they are being ignored due to work in high school.
“The new campaign (will take place) in December,” Rath said. “From Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 is the Write for Rights campaign. (We) focus on fighting for justice and dignity to build an equitable future.”
The club will do this by writing letters, signing petitions and sharing stories for the campaign.
“One thing I gained from Amnesty was the ability to meet like-minded people and especially raising awareness for the ban(ned) books campaign,” Rath said. “Taking action against banned books through social media has helped me learn ways to have a tangible impact for causes I support.”
For Committee Member, junior Pratyash Talekar, “Amnesty Club has been an honor to join.”
“I think it’s a club that taught me many things such as how to communicate and present,” Talekar said. “I feel more involved in school events often due to the engagement in our club.”
As they prepare for their future campaigns like Write for Rights, club members believe taking action in these real-life scenarios is necessary for the Prosper community.
“Our club is growing really big and it’s such a big achievement, now it feels like a family,” Talekar said. “I want there to be more (often) meetings because it is always super fun to get with your friends and discuss more for organization and actions needed.”
This article was edited by Victoria Byers, Emily Logan, Yousuf Ali and Trisha Panicker.
