iChoose Hope Campaign; GC Students Take A Stand
Published: April 13, 2021
A group of GC students takes a class project beyond the classroom walls through an organization they call, iChoose. iChoose is a social organization dedicated to promoting positivity through music. By teaming up with the alumni-founded Hope Rocks Campaign, five students will spread the word about iChoose at Christian rock concerts around the state of Illinois. "The goal of iChoose is simple: to encourage young America to choose positive music and suggest popular alternatives in a community that lets them know they aren't alone," explains senior, and iChoose co-founder, Rachel Evans.
COR 401 "group six" developed the iChoose organization. Designed to bring action to academics, COR 401 encourages students to do something with what they've learned during their time at GC. This unique course design and five music-loving GC seniors became the perfect mix to accomplish, "something that could really make a difference," says Evans. iChoose fits well within the subject of Greenville's COR 401 program this year - Natural Born Killers: How Should Thoughtful Christians Respond to a Violent Culture.
The group six students have each felt the effects positive music can bring to one's life and also recognize that negative music is out there, subliminally as well as blatantly attacking young culture. With a passion to fight that, group six established their mission and began recruiting others through online social media who share their passion and vision.
One of those recruits is 1988 GC grad and founder of Hope Shows and the Hope Rocks Campaign, Robyn Florian. Florian developed Hope Shows to, "advance hope through event production and related resources, like the Hope Rocks Campaign, focused on spiritual, emotional and relational wellness and to connect hurting communities to the one hope of healing, Jesus Christ." The Hope Rocks Campaign is about getting Christian music to where it's most needed, in hurting communities, including state and federal prisons and rehabilitation centers. With a similar mission in mind, Florian was quick to allow the students to bring iChoose on the road with the Campaign.
The group begins their partnership with the Hope Rocks Campaign with back-to-back concerts featuring Christian powerhouse band Remedy Drive at St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Belleville, IL on Monday, November 16 and at iWorship Center in Springfield, IL on Tuesday, November 17. For the first time this semester, iChoose will get the chance to come face-to-face with its target and encourage them personally.
The iChoose group also developed a petition allowing people to join the effort to ask Z 107.7 in St. Louis, MO to make a more conscious effort to edit out violent and misogynous lyrics and references in the songs that are currently in their rotation. Z 107.7 is the main Top 40 station in the area, and this change could impact the millions of people the station reaches. This petition will be available for signing at both shows.
Greenville College students are constantly encouraged to think outside the box. COR 401 is just one example of the curriculum that allows students to explore the world around them through the lens of Christ. COR group six did just that. "Young people have the power to choose music that affects them positively. We want to provide people with a place to come and join a community that has decided to actively seek positive forms of music," explains Evans. "No longer will we be told how women are expected to look or act. No longer will we remain oblivious to the outright promotion of violence in popular music. So this is our declaration... It's time to make your choice."
For more information about these organizations go to www.myspace.com/ichoosecommunity and www.hopeshows.com. For more information about Greenville College email media@greenville.edu.
