Student leader calls activism a ‘continuum’

Photo courtesy of Naomi Fernandez

Martina Bretous/Entertainment Director

In 2015, international relations major, Lana Pohlmann, went to a club fair after transferring from the University of South Florida, and joined UNICEF at FIU. A year and a half later, she is the vice-president of the organization, the vice-president of membership at FIU’s UN Women chapter, a site leader for this year’s Alternative Breaks trip and an activist determined to raise awareness on human trafficking.

After joining UNICEF and being involved in various fundraising events, Pohlmann went to Peru with the organization when they partnered with Alternative Breaks for a service trip last March. Her experience during pre-service, raising money and working with local schools, prepared her for the trip but Pohlmann was still apprehensive about the language barrier, as she didn’t speak much Spanish.

“I was a little bit nervous to go because this was the first time I had been to South America. I love traveling and I was excited to get to know a new culture but I didn’t really know what to expect,” she said.

Her group assured her that her actions would be enough to communicate with the Peruvian children she would be working with and when Pohlmann got there, she experienced exactly that.

“It was really great, it was the first time I’ve ever done something like it,” Pohlmann said. “I really enjoyed my experience there and through that, I became even more involved with UNICEF.”

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Photo courtesy of Daniela Ferrato

Because of Pohlmann’s constant involvement and dedication, she was asked to be a member of the organization’s executive board and be a site leader for this year’s service trip in Costa Rica during the spring break.

“It gave me a lot of encouragement to see that my peers see how willing I am to work toward my goal and how passionate I am about certain causes,” she said.

In addition to her work at UNICEF, Pohlmann became very involved in another cause, human trafficking. Last summer, Pohlmann got an internship in Sarasota with More Too Life, an organization that helps victims of human trafficking and domestic violence and provides therapy, mentorship programs, temporary housing and other types of support needed to get victims back on their feet.

“It was really eye-opening, I got to interact with the people that came there and saw how the organization helped get them back on track after they’ve been so violated,” said Pohlmann. “I, not only got to learn about human trafficking, but also how the organization comes to life, how they’re a big part of the community and how much they can have an impact.”

Pohlmann added that the organization is nonprofit and volunteer-based so they don’t always receive as much support as they need but they work with law enforcement and find ways to “crack down on the issue.” That’s a big message, she says, for individuals who doubt the effect they can have locally.

“We have such a diverse population and student body [in Miami] who might have heard about human trafficking on a global scale … but maybe aren’t aware on a local scale — especially what’s happening here in Florida, which is one of the biggest states for not only labor trafficking but also sex-related trafficking,” said Pohlmann.

After working at the center, she wanted to continue working working on this issue at the University. Back in November of 2016, Pohlmann participated in a panel discussion during “Shut Out Trafficking” week — a week focused on raising awareness on trafficking and getting students involved.

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Photo courtesy of Bronwen Barres

“I shared what I learned [at my internship in Sarasota] and how this is definitely something we, as students, have to care about because it can happen anywhere, to anyone,” she said. “You don’t have to be part of a big international organization or know someone from law enforcement to help end the fight of human trafficking. Just by opening your eyes, your ears …, being alert in your day-to-day life, you can make a big impact.”

Pohlmann calls activism a continuum and stresses the importance of actively working in the causes that interest you. She also adds that it’s a collective task.

“Activism is not only you working toward something alone, but also inspiring the people around you to join you for this cause because the more people you have on board, the more effective in the end you will be,” she said.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and Pohlmann hopes to plan events on oampus to promote it with UNICEF at FIU.

About the Author

Martina Bretous
Afro- Caribbean. Communication Arts Major. Cat lover. TV Junkie.

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