Source: https://www.madeira.org/news/details/2019-pink-award-winner-to-create-advocacy-app/#.XN7XTo4zbIV
Hi – so this just happened. I was awarded the 2019 PINK Award during this year’s Reunion Weekend All School Meeting at my school.
My plan is to use the grant to create what I call ‘Advoc8’ the app made for activists.
Without going too much into detail, my project will be the creation of a mobile application. I realized that there aren’t any mobile resources for people to advocate for issues they care about. In a world that is increasingly online and a generation that takes full advantage of the digital world, I felt like an online platform had to be created. As such, I became passionate about turning this vision into a reality.
The app will have 3 parts:
1) Legislative Advocacy – It will have a direct mechanism for messaging government representatives through email or phone call. Users will pick issues that are important to them and get an issue-specific notification to send a letter to their representative. This makes it easier for young people to get in contact with their representatives as it will all be right in front of them.
2) Direct Action – The app will include a database of protests and demonstrations happening in any area, which allows activists, or anyone really, to find a physical way to mobilize if they feel like going out and making their voices heard. It will also allow notifications if a protest related to a user’s interest is happening.
3) Current Events – This will deal with issues happening in real time. For example, if a natural disaster occurs, users can sign petitions, donate money, or send messages of solidarity. Often, when something happens, it is difficult to know how to actually help and make an impact, so this will be a main catalyst to help centralize that information.
About The Pink Award (From the Madeira Website): The award, which stands for “Passion, Initiative, and Knowledge,” was established by Katherine Kies ’07 to help hardworking Madeira girls pursue a goal. Upon graduating from Madeira, Kies decided to pursue a career in the hospitality industry. She went to the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. When she won the Drown Prize Award, the top honor at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, she decided to give part of that award back to Madeira in appreciation for the Co-Curriculum experience that led her to her major and subsequently this award.
Stay tuned as I will link all the information as soon as the app is released!
