Students raise their red hands

La Cañada High School students were caught red-handed on campus Friday.

It was all for Red Hand Day, a worldwide event commemorated annually on Feb. 12 with public acts that promote awareness about the use of child soldiers around the world.

To mark the occasion, two La Cañada High clubs, the Red Cross and Amnesty International, invited students to paint their hands red and imprint them on a large banner to be sent to countries that conscript children into the military service. Written in black across the banner were the words, “We raise our hands against child soldiers.”

“It’s a petition against child soldiers. It’s happening all over the world,” said Janice Lee, a 17-year old senior and co-president of LCHS’ Amnesty International Club.

Lee said it’s a natural for privileged people to want to stand up for people in need.

La Cañada High School’s Amnesty International Club was founded about two years ago by Leegan Lin, an 18-year old senior and co-president of the club, when he discovered his passion for human rights. Lin said events like Red Hand Day are powerful because they are eye-opening for the public.

“It makes you see what problems are serious and what ones aren’t,” Lin said. “It’s something that makes you want to take action to prevent things like this.”

Approximately 40 students participated in the campus event.

“Every effort does count, even in a small city like La Cañada,” Lin said. “People around us will see and it will raise awareness and spread to more influential people. It’s better to do something than nothing at all.”