Artists and Advocates for Awareness and Action

Address

163 South Willard Street
Burlington, Vermont 05401
United States

Notes

MISSION STATEMENT
Champlain College’s “Artists and Advocates for Awareness and Action” is a group comprised of student, staff, and faculty members dedicated to educating, informing, and inspiring other members of the Champlain College community to take action to create positive social change on campus, communal, and global scales.

VALUE STATEMENT
Using various mediums of art as their canvas, the group focuses primarily on social justice and human rights issues, understanding that these umbrella terms encompass endless topics that are forever changing. With that stipulation, this group understands the importance of constantly educating itself so that its members can respond to the needs of others. The group is committed to addressing social justice and human rights issues first on a campus level, believing that education and activism are two of the most potent tools for combating ignorance and the hurt that can so often be the product of a person’s lack of knowledge.

Respect: Respecting and valuing all people equally is at the core of our organization’s mission statement. In addition to respecting people of all kinds, we believe in respecting the work of others and their right to artistic expression.

Responsibility: We believe that if someone is able to respond, it is that person’s responsibility as a global citizen to do so, especially in cases of injustice.

Curiosity: Curiosity is the root of learning. We believe a thirst for exploration and questioning can aid in our understanding of the world so that we can better serve others.

Collaboration: While independent projects are allowed and encouraged, we believe that feedback is an invaluable resource and that working with others can often provide new nuances to particular ideas or thought processes that one could not have achieved alone. Similarly, we believe that working together does not inherently mean a sacrifice of individuality, but can actually enhance one’s ideas.

OUTCOMES STATEMENT
Through the production and display of performance, visual, written, and experiential art, the group hopes to create a more vibrant, welcoming, and fearless campus that is not only aware of the problems present in the world today, but is willing to take action to incite change. In addition, the group aims to foster an environment where others feel comfortable and encouraged to question and challenge those aspects of life that are oppressive to people, especially those whose voices are not or will not be heard.