What is the Organ Advocacy Initiative?

The Organ Advocacy Initiative (OAI) is a student-run organization that aims to promote public education and awareness of organ and tissue donation. The OAI takes a unique approach to spreading awareness by sharing untold stories of various members (patients, donors, physicians, policy-makers, etc.) who are involved in organ donation/transplantation. By chronicling these stories, we hope to inspire students to register as organ/tissue donors and honour those who have bravely shared their stories.

As the Organ Advocacy Initiative works closely in partnership with the Ontario Trillium Gift of Life Network, our team has both the resources and long-term support needed to follow through on our planned initiatives. The broader vision of the OAI is to empower the broader public to unleash their potential as critical thinkers, socially conscious stakeholders, informed donors, and lifelong advocates for organ donation and transplantation.

What is the OAI Journalism Project?

The OAI uses the power of simple in-person interviews to uncover expert opinions, untold stories, and unique perspectives relevant to any aspect of transplantation in its biomedical or sociopolitical forms. Upon approval by both the interviewee(s) and our review committee, we then publish verbatim highlights from each interview in an open-access journal maintained by the Organ Advocacy Initiative. Typically accompanying each article is a photograph or short video of the interviewee, along with a written reflection on the material presented, authored by the most responsible student journalist. By binding legislation, the OAI holds itself to the highest standard of journalism, acknowledging that any individual may withdraw their consent to release of information before, during, or after publication. These publications will primarily be targeted toward students and other young adults at universities across Ontario.