A small but active group on campus is rallying to get students involved.

Students Taking Action Now: Darfur is a Canada-wide group dedicated to helping survivors of the genocide in Darfur and raising awareness with citizens across the globe. The group's main mission is to "empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide," according to its website (standcanada.org).

Fanshawe's STAND group holds these ideals true, and is working hard to spread the word across campus. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on November 22 to 25, they will set up a booth in Forwell Hall selling bracelets and t-shirts to benefit survivors of the genocide in Darfur.

"One bracelet sold will send a child to school for a month. Five bracelets sold will provide food for a child," explained Fanshawe's STAND secretary, Peter Betto. He is a second-year law clerk student, and joined the club in September.

"The bracelets were made by survivors of Darfur," he added.

On November 25, the group is hosting a showing of Uwe Boll's 2009 film Darfur. The showing will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. in room D1041. The showing is part of The Century of Genocide general education course, but everyone is invited to attend.

Darfur is a fictional drama that follows a group of journalists in Sudan. It shows the journalists' dilemma: should they stay to help the victims or return to their home country? The film is tough to watch, as it is extremely violent. But it is meant to make the viewer sit up and pay attention to the real atrocities that are still being committed in Darfur, seven years after they began.

This is an important film to the group, according to STAND Canada principal director Anne Wagner. "STAND was approached by the Darfur production team last summer. The team wanted to partner with an anti-genocide advocacy organization in Canada to use the motion picture to raise awareness about the crisis. We thought this was a fantastic way to encourage people to think about Darfur, and to encourage people who may not otherwise get directly involved in the movement to take part in an advocacy-oriented event," she said in an interview with 20-something.ca.

Betto said the group on campus is small, but is open to anyone and is always looking for new members. "The purpose of our group is to raise awareness of the genocide in Darfur and encourage an antigenocide movement," he explained. The group also discusses why genocide happens and what causes it. "The big question is, when it does occur, why aren't the leaders of the G8 countries doing anything about it?"

And for those students that experience feelings of apathy and complacency about such events, Betto had this to say: "It seems so far away you just don't think it's going to affect you, but it does."

"Genocide has happened in Canada," he added, speaking of Canada's 19th century residential schools. "Genocide includes the killing of one's culture as well."

For more information on the group or to learn more about its upcoming events, visit tinyurl.com/STANDFanshawe.