On August 12, students met in Room 209 for NC newest club, The Gathering, which holds meetings in room 209 at 3:30 every Wednesday.

Created by seniors Michael Pardo and Ajali Gaines, and junior Chris Trepanier, the club calls attention to issues that would otherwise remain overlooked. They hope to tackle modern day slavery as their first topic.

“We started the club because we wanted to prove that even a small school can make a big difference in the world,” senior Michael Pardo commented.

At first, the creators presented a powerpoint on what they wanted the club to accomplish. They considered volunteering and making a difference within the community; change existed as a common theme within the presentation. The club members clearly recognized the passion of the creators.

The club’s first objective, the “End It Movement,” brings light to the 27 million slaves in 85 percent of the world’s nations. Creator Michael Pardo ensured the participants knew that slavery does not happen solely in other parts of the world, slavery occurs close to the NC community as well. They discussed a common type of slavery, human trafficking, in Atlanta. The Trafficking Resource Center defines human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will. Knowing how close slavery happens to home helped the members realize the extent of the issue.

Topics like this interest the participants because they all care about world affairs. “I joined the club because I wanted to be more in touch with the world,” said junior Amanuel  Kefetaw. Junior Imani Bryant, who shared his sentiment, said that she “joined the club for the international aspect.”