It’s no secret that McGill has a fierce atmosphere when it comes to hard work and dedication. Looking around the campus there are always students and professors dutifully walking to their next class, meeting, lab section or conference. As a fourth year physiology student majoring in computer science at McGill University, there is no doubt Harriet Yan has a lot on her plate too. At the top of her academic game, she also spearheads the McGill Chapter of students for UNICEF, a large campus club you’ve most likely heard of, comprised of 13 executive members and three separate branches of committees. Fortunately for us, she was able to give us some time to learn more about her role in the McGill community.
Melissa Li for Her Campus McGill (HC McGill): What got you interested in UNICEF initially?
In high school I was involved with a club called Interact which focused on rotary, so i was searching for something similar in my first year. I went to a lot of different club meetings in my first semester, many of which were humanitarian clubs, but UNICEF stood out to me. It’s was more of a family club. All the members were close and really involved.
HC McGill: How long have you been in UNICEF and what positions did you hold?
I was in general council until my third year. Last year I was a VP honorary for the first semester and then VP Communications in the second. And this year I am Co-President.
HC McGill: What is your role as Co-President?
I want to say that my responsibility is just to oversee everything, making sure everyone does their job and has the resources they need, but in reality a big part of my position and really any leadership role is to be ready to put out any fires. It’s being able to claim responsibility for a lot of people but also keeping the morale high. Making sure each individual feels valued, that they understand that their opinions really do matter and that that they are getting credit for their input is something extremely important in a large club.
HC McGill: What is your favourite UNICEF event?
I have two favourites, one for each semester. For fall it is definitely Dare to Wear, it’s our biggest fundraiser and definitely sets the tone for the rest of the year. Its fun, out there, and gets people talking. It really showcases how fun UNICEF is and I think it’s really important for everyone to see the bonds between our members because although the causes which we are working for are really serious and detrimental, it’s nice to see us working towards a goal and helping the problem in an very non-serious way. I also really like seeing my profs dress up in costumes. That’s always fun. Then for the winter semester, our last event is called the “Member-Run event” which is where the execs step back and the members are able to plan and execute an event where they get to take on roles of the execs, most of which they want to run as in the next year. This event also has the added benefit of making every member feel more important which is highly important in a large club. In the past those events have been the most successful. It’s easy to fall into a routine with our events and when we have fresh ideas on our events, they end up being incorporated into our future routines.
HC McGill: What is this year for UNICEF looking like?
Every year McGill students for UNICEF look at all of the emergency funds and as a group we vote on the one that we want to focus on for the year. This year we have chosen to focus on the issues in South Sudan. Whats happening in South Sudan is by no means recent. In 2011 they gained independence from Sudan after a 20 year war over natural resources and ever since they have been in a state of civil war. What we really want to focus on with UNICEF is the children because they are the first ones we think about when there is any turbulence in the world. In South Sudan only 5% of children go to school and less than 1% of girls attend school. They also happen to rank number 1 in the fragile state index. Any money we raise goes directly to the organization so we like to target one of the funds we feel most passionate about and this year it is South Sudan.
HC McGill: How are you planning on educating McGill about this cause?
This year we have planned one panel discussion for each semester which includes professors, some reporters and members of UNICEF Canada to come in and talk about what is happening in South Sudan. Most of the emergency funds don’t get enough attention in the media and our goal is to raise awareness towards these issues. We always set a goal of around $15000 for the year and I am hopeful about this year with the help of our team. We have an exceptional group this year!
HC McGill: That is amazing. Thank you for your time and good luck to the club!
Images obtained from:
http://ssmu.mcgill.ca/unicef/executive-team/