Throughout OHS, many students participate in school related groups. Some may include sports, DIG (Diversity and Inclusion Group), robotics, ect. Fardouza Farah, a senior at OHS, is heavily involved in clubs such as DIG, NHS, Student Council and Green Team. Outside of OHS, she is the president of Youth Against Sexual Violence (YASV). This is a nationwide, non-profit organization dedicated to making progress towards justice for sexual violence survivors.

Farah joined YASV during her sophomore year, after being recruited through instagram. She was elected to be on the board and has been influential on the group since. Farah said, “YASV works with a lot of survivors of sexual assault. I’m glad I can be a part of something that is making a difference”. At the beginning of Farah’s junior year, she was elected president of the MN club chapter. As the president, she runs the Minnesota chapter. This covers meeting with state senators, running fundraisers, organizing main events and being the main speaker at events. Farah said, “Working in this group and groups similar to this have helped me find my passion for political science since I have already been introduced to many of the things involved with poli sci.” Aside from YASV, Farah is in a similar outside group called The Body Org. They are a sexual wellness organization. Over 600 people nationally have received resources like emergency contraceptives to drug testing stops. These groups have done collaborations in past events.

As a group, they provide sexual education through webinars, gain justice through passing legislature and frequently give educational information on their social media platforms. One of their recent events was a collaboration with The Body Org and AV Action Initiative on Dec. 2, 2021. This event was a teach-in by Indegenous groups about the links between missing and murdered Indigenous women and sexual violence. InFebruary, YASV plans to introduce new legislation. It is to propose that convicted rapists cannot gain parental rights. This would keep the child safe from the chances of sexual assualt. 

This year, YASV plans to hold its own Gala. This is a fundraiser to support the organizations. They use the profits to provide necessities to sexual assault survivors in Minnesota. It is still in the planning process but they hope to have it done within the next few months. To connect to YASV, you can DM them on Instagram yasv.mn or email [email protected].