Fatima (right) present at the 2019 CIF conference in Monterey
As a student of NuclearFreeSchools Club, a student-led initiative at Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High School, who participated in the Critical Issues Forum (CIF) organized by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) in Monterey, my perspective about the world has radically changed. There comes a certain point when we grow up that we realize that the world is not as it seems. Our education system never taught us about nuclear weapons and the dirty history behind it, let alone expose us to the countless mistakes our country has made in regards to this topic. However, I am grateful that my high school was able to create an opportunity for me to not only learn about nuclear weapons and their ugly history, but also highlight the great potential mankind has to make a change.
Being part of NuclearFreeSchools Club and the CIF project during high school was definitely a significant part of my life. I was able to make life-long friends, befriend my teachers Mr. Kevin Burke and Mr. Andrew King, and come across mentors like Masako Toki, CIF Project Manager, while also developing research skills. Once in a while, I like to look back at the pictures that I took during my trips and remember the hours we spent together researching our projects. While I do get nostalgic, I am grateful for the experiences CIF provided me because now that I am at my university, I am definitely prepared for the rigor of coursework and the dedication it takes to conduct research. What I learned and who I met during my participation in NuclearFreeSchools Club definitely contributed to the person I am today while broadening my perspective about international relations.
Fatima at the Winnipeg Youth Nuclear Summit with her classmates
If there is one thing I will take away from my CIF experience, it is the interactions I had with students from around the world. From my trip to Monterey, California to Winnipeg, Canada, I was able to meet students and educators from Russia, Japan, and Canada. Not only was I able to discuss with them about the international relationships between our countries and of others, but we were bound together by the common mission of wanting a nuclear-free world. The group activities, dinners, and conversations all brought us together. Thoughts were sparked everywhere, we were sharing ideas left and right about the different solutions we can turn to stop uranium mining, nuclear waste leaks and protect our affected communities in our countries. I am grateful that CIF has been a home and a community where all of us have a voice and can be heard.
The year 2020 has highlighted many ways our global community and countries have failed us. I am grateful for this because it is no longer enough to ignore systemic issues or briefly acknowledge them when chaos breaks loose. As a global society, we have been awakened and exposed to some of the ugliest realities of our world. The time to act is now, and we need to get rid of nuclear weapons. In 2019, we officially became the country with the largest military expenditure and began conducting explosive nuclear tests for the first time since 1992. Over the past couple of years, the relationships between the United States and other countries have become more delicate than ever. It is time for us, young generations to start taking a step forward toward a nuclear free world if we all have our voices heard.
