Can you make out the (human) letters...?

HASTA

Hopeful, Aware Students Taking Action

École secondaire Kelvin High School,

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    HASTA, Kelvin's human rights/environmental group, began as with two S-4 students, Shauna Troniak and Sarah Regehr-Neufeld, who organized a school-wide Human Rights Symposium in 1996 involving all 1200 students and staff.  Out of that memorable day emerged a small group of youth committed to educating themselves about Social Justice and Environmental issues.  They formed a school chapter of Amnesty International.  With time, the group took on the name "HASTA" which stood for "Highly Aware Students Taking Action."  Humility prevailed, and the name was modified to "Hopeful, Aware Students Taking Action" in recognition of all that we still need to do become informed global citizens.  In Spanish, "HASTA" means "Until..." and it seems an appropriate moniker, since groups like HASTA shall and should exist until the world regains that balance which has been lost due to humankind's inhumanity.

(HASTA contributed a quote by Gandhi to MTYP's Peace Wall, on display at the Forks...)

Over the past 11 years, HASTA's roles have included recycling for the entire school, numerous awareness campaigns and fund-raising on behalf of War Affected Children, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Project Ploughshares, Amnesty International and more.  

HASTA has received recognition for its volunteer work on behalf of these worthwhile causes, and has been awarded the Manitoba YM/YWCA's 2002 Peace Medal in recognition of their work to promote peace and justice in our society.  In 2003, the Manitoba Teacher's Society awarded Kelvin's HASTA its Youth Humanitarian Award.

(HASTA representatives Sara Hosseini and Mani Adikiradu take part in a forum on Youth and Violence with Minister of Justice, Gord MacIntosh and City Councillors Jenny Gerbasi and Mike Pagtakan, October, 2003)

    HASTA's members, whose numbers range from 12 to 35 members, are involved in a wide variety of social justice issues.   They also regularly hold letter-writing workshops on behalf of Amnesty International and have led campaigns for War Affected Children, the banning of landmines and consumer awareness.

    HASTA meets Thursdays at 3:35 in Room 35.  Contact:

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