WA-COVID is an organization pushing for getting people properly informed when it comes to Covid-19, read on below!
Tell us all about you and your organization!
WA-COVID was founded by a group of friends who thought that often we faced a problem of misinformation on the internet when it came to information on COVID-19. It became difficult to fact check where all the information that we needed came from, it was frustrating to find conflicting information. As such we created our website wa-covid to solve that problem. We consolidated all the information that we thought was important in one place. The initial work was difficult, we needed to acquire the right datasets from sources that were trust worthy, we needed to write code to make our website user friendly, and we needed to use online tools to promote and advertise our organization. In the end we believe we achieved our initial goal, we consolidated info across trusted sources to help our local communities with the information they needed for COVID-19.
Why do you think it’s important for your generation to let their voices be heard?
Oscar Wilde said that ‘Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.’ While we won’t address the specifics of what Wilde said, to us at the WA-COVID team, the true value in these words is not in the fact that disobedience is the leading factor of change, but rather disagreement. Only through the channels of new ideas, only through meaningful discussion, can we hope to bring about change in our society. As such, it is our belief that to help our society grow and prosper, every generation should bring their knowledge with them. We all need to contribute, we all need to bring our ideas forward, and this notion of hearing voices should apply to everyone. Only with the voices of all generations, with ideas from all generations and the minds of all generations, can we create the greatest positive change in this world. This is exactly why our generation needs to let our voices be heard.
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
We’re optimistic about the future. It can be easy to get lost in a sea of negativity these days. There are so many issues we face as a society. Yet we believe, that despite this, if we all contribute in any way we can, we can make a difference. It might be an overly idealistic view, but the way we see it, there is no point in being pessimistic, because accepting hopelessness just brings you one step closer to giving up on your own aspirations.
What are the most important issues facing our world right now? And in the future?
In an era of interconnectivity and mass media, information is one of the most important aspects of our lives. Our opinions, thoughts and emotions are shaped by the information we see daily.
In fact, that is why we chose to tackle the problem of misinformation only within our own state and community. We know that 4 teenagers from Washington won’t be able to stop large issues on a massive scale, but if all of us contribute in our own little way, we can eventually create larger change. The way we see it, these key issues such as systemic racism, global warming, financial and educational equity, and misinformation need to be solved locally, if everyone does something in a small way to address these issues, we can eventually break through and solve a lot of these larger problems.
What does your organization offer that helps the world be a better place?
We are providing reliable and proper information regarding COVID-19 so that people are able to properly establish their do’s and dont’s. But we also understand that more needs to be done than simply putting out information. We understand that four high schoolers can’t create change on a large scale without help. As such, in order to best achieve our mission of helping the community, we plan to provide youth and adults with a full course of opportunities to take action and spread support for the community.
Will you be voting in the next election?
Because we are not of age, we will be unable to vote next election, but are eager to do so when possible.
Please tell us all about your current campaigns, projects, and endeavors.
Our platforms and contact can all be found on our website: https://www.wa-covid.com/
As for our upcoming projects, we are in the process of contacting other organizations, and together, enabling change to occur on a much larger scale (but still within WA for now). These partnerships will be at the center of upcoming opportunities, so for now, stay on the lookout. There are a lot of youth organizations now focused towards volunteering and providing local relief, and we can do more together.
If there is anything else you would like to say, please do!
In order for this site to truly help benefit the community, we’ll need a little help from them. In order to stop misinformation from spreading, all we ask is that you tell everyone you know about this site and continue providing us with your support. It means a lot!
Thanks!
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