In 2006, I started a Facebook group called Students Concerned for Burma. It was through this group that I came into contact with Jeff Hellman and many other concerned student leaders to share our stories and resources in the fight for Burma.

While finding so many people online with the same passion as I had was encouraging, it was at the same time discouraging to see that the unity that once existed in many student-led advocacy groups was absent.

In 1988, thousands of students took to the streets together, joining many others in a call for a democracy in Burma. Over 300 students were arrested and thousands more were massacred while fighting for this cause.

The flame that fueled such passionate movements in 1988 can still burn brightly today. This power that comes from impassioned students has, in the past, created a sense of paranoia in the military dictatorship in Burma. It is this power I dream of spreading to the rest of the global student community.

The primary vision of Students Concerned for Burma is to unify the student-led Burma movement through networking through the Facebook group.

We aim to legitimize student-led events and grassroots organizations by offering a unified name and logo. This would allow the world to see the true magnitude of student concern. I would also like to see students empowered in this cause through the sharing of resources, news, and events.  

In the days ahead, a website will be formed to begin unifying the student led Burma movement. Keep track of the Facebook group for further details. There, students from all around the world are called to stand up and create a change. We are students, and we are concerned.

Wes Robinson is a senior nursing major at Indiana Wesleyan University. E-mail him at wes.robinson@student.indwes.edu.