WASHINGTON, D.C. | July 25, 2024 — In the 2023-2024 academic year, National Whistleblower Center (“NWC”) partnered with Northeastern University School of Law as part of the institution’s Legal Skills in Social Context (“LSSC”) program. As a partner organization to this program, NWC formulated a project with Northeastern University Visiting Professor, Sarah Lee Day. The project, a social media carousel about non-disclosure agreements, was developed by a group of first year law students who engaged in extensive research and conducted expert interviews to then consolidate their findings in easy to digest and approachable graphics for NWC’s Instagram account. NWC is set to premier the students’ final presentation at 5:00 PM ET on July 30th on YouTube and their social media campaign on Instagram on July 31st.
In spring 2024, the students presented their work and to commemorate these students’ efforts and successful outcomes, NWC is sharing their presentation as part of our celebration of National Whistleblower Day. Public education and awareness building at NWC includes our ongoing engagement with educational institutions and this project brings together NWC’s commitment to making information about whistleblowing accessible and cultivating the next generation of whistleblower lawyers.
Professor Day remarked: “NDAs should not be wielded as a tool to silence inconvenient voices, but misinformation and lack of information can prevent those subject to NDAs from speaking up about injustices they witness. It was an honor to guide my students through creating a ‘know your rights’ campaign for workers subject to an NDA. We sincerely hope we produced a campaign that reflects the tremendous bravery and importance of whistleblowers and can help empower those who might one day need to break their NDA in the interest of justice.”
And, Kat Jackowicz, a student at Northeastern said: “Working with the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) on this project has been a transformative experience. It provided me with an invaluable opportunity to expand my understanding of whistleblower and NDA law while strengthening my commitment to promoting accessibility for marginalized communities.
Throughout the project, I gained a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges surrounding whistleblowing. I recognized the elitism often present in the law and the significant gaps in information available to individuals. This experience taught me how to translate complicated legal jargon into simple, digestible terms for everyone.
Before this project, I viewed whistleblowing as a distant concept primarily related to high-profile cases involving powerful individuals. However, my perspective has shifted dramatically. I now understand whistleblowing as an action that many people may face in the workplace, intersecting with various challenges such as sexual harassment and racial discrimination.
By working on the Know Your Rights campaign, I have learned the importance of empowering others with knowledge and resources. It has been an honor to contribute to a cause that champions transparency and accountability, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background, has the tools to stand up for what is right.”
Siri Turner, Executive Director at National Whistleblower Center, showed great enthusiasm for the final product and project presentation saying “it is so inspiring to see how challenging student to take their knowledge and put it to use as a team can result in both cultivating interest in a niche field like whistleblowing, but also empower them to help others navigate an incredibly challenging situation like whistleblowing after having signed an NDA. This is really important work, and I am so proud of what these bright students were able to create together.”
National Whistleblower Center is open to opportunities to work with educators and welcomes interns from both undergraduate and graduate school programs. Please contact info@whistleblowers.org to learn more about these opportunities and become a part of this important work.
NWC Executive Director Siri Nelson is available for comment. For more information, contact NWC at info@whistleblowers.org.
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NWC is the leading nonprofit working with whistleblowers worldwide to fight corruption and protect people and the environment. For over 30 years, NWC has won policies to protect whistleblowers from retaliation and reward them for helping deliver criminal and civil penalties against wrongdoers.
