Junior Takes Relief Into Her Own Hands
Camila Young decides to Take Action with Relief After Action.
March 9, 2021
Although this year has been different to anything everyone has been used to, junior Camila Young has gazed at the present circumstances as an opportunity to start her own organization, R.A.D. (Relief After Disaster).
The effects of Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in 2017, profoundly impacted Young and inspired her to want to advocate for countries who have been severely affected by natural disasters. Thinking of a way to reach a broad audience, however, soon proved to be exceptionally difficult.
“I have to say the most challenging part was knowing where to start,” Young said. “Everyone told me that it would be easier to just do a project, but what I wanted was to start something that we can continue throughout the years.”
After giving it much thought, Young finally decided to found a non-profit organization. She did a lot of research and watched videos on YouTube about the steps to follow to start a non-profit, and at last the goal she had of raising awareness for countries who have suffered from natural disasters was about to kick off through her new organization R.A.D.
Despite being fearful at first, Young soon discovered that many cared about her cause and were eager to help her.
“I was overwhelmed by the amount of love and support I got from my friends, the Lourdes community, and just everyone in general,” Young said. “Even when I emailed speakers to ask them if they could give talks for us, they were always happy to help.”
Among the people that offered their support to R.A.D. was junior Christina Silva, who became the secretary of the new organization.
“Cami told me that she was starting this new organization and I thought she was taking a really great initiative, so I wanted to be part of it and support her cause,” Silva said.
As secretary, her responsibilities are not scarce. Silva is in charge of taking notes, planning meetings, writing important key points about information mentioned by the speakers during talks, collaborating with the executive board to plan events, and much more. As of this moment, Young and the executive board are hoping that R.A.D. will continue to grow.
“Right now, most people are learning about R.A.D. by word of mouth and social media, but we are working on expanding to be a state-wide organization, which I am really excited about,” Young said. “The bigger this organization, this voice is, the more people we can touch with our mission and our story of advocating for these places and people that need our help.”
