Get on the Bus!

"Get on the Bus for Human Rights (GOTB) is an annual day [April 17, 2009] of human rights education and activism organized by Amnesty International USA Group 133 of Somerville, MA and a dedicated team of volunteer community organizers. Now in its fourteenth year, GOTB draws upwards of 1,200 participants riding buses, commuter trains, and carpooling down to New York City to take peaceful action in front of embassies, consulates and corporate headquarters in NYC in support of human rights."

"Join us this year to help free political prisoners in Burma, protect civilians in Sri Lanka, stand up against human rights violations by mining companies in Guatemala and protect free speech in Tibet."

Visit Get on the Bus for more information!

Wiwa V. Shell

From the International Human Rights Department at Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR):

"I work at the Center for Constitutional Rights, a prominent non-profit legal institution located in New York City. We are organizing and hosting several events to galvanize support and enlighten the public about the crimes against humanity, including torture and extrajudicial killings, that occurred in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta in Nigeria and were perpetrated by Nigerian government which colluded with Royal Dutch Shell (Shell).

These crimes culminated with the hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa acclaimed writer and leader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), along with eight other Ogoni leaders on November 10, 1995. Their trial, which was held before a military tribunal, was condemned around the world as a sham. Ken Saro-Wiwa’s last words were, “Lord take my soul but the struggle continues”.

CCR and Earth Rights International (ERI) filed a case against Shell on behalf of family members of the Ogoni 9 and other survivors who were affected by the violence in the Ogoni region. The trial begins on Tuesday, April 27^th at 9:00am in the Southern District of New York at 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007, and we anticipate it lasting until the end of May. Prior to the trial, we have planned numerous events planned which will be posted on our website www.wiwavshell.org.

We are also searching for volunteers to donate a day (or two) between April 14^th – May 31^st (including weekends) to escort our clients to appointments, assist them with daily duties, and accumulate them to New York City. In turn, volunteers will have the opportunity to observe the trial and talk with our clients about their experiences in Nigeria."

If you would like to volunteer to assist their clients, please call (212) 614-6421 or Chaneen at ccummings@ccrjustice.org for more information.

Dream Village Launches Saved by the Well; US Kids Participate in World Water Week

The press release.

New York, NY, March 18, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Dream Village launches March 20, 2009 as a kick-off to World Water Week (March 22-28). Their first book, Saved by the Well, discusses the global water crisis in a way that is accessible, entertaining, and inspiring for any child. One need only speak to the teachers, scout leaders, and community center representatives across the US who will use this book and the company’s website to teach the children they work with about the global water crisis.

“Dream Village uses picture books and the web to teach children about a specific social, economic, or environmental issue and then puts them in a position to do something about it,” says Suneet Bhatt, Co-founder of Dream Village. “We donate a minimum of 50% of our profits to charitable causes based on votes cast by our readers.” The goal, according to Mr. Bhatt, is to help children realize at a very young age that they have the power to make a difference in the world.

Dream Village is proud to join a host of organizations commemorating World Water Day, an international day of observance and action, focused on drawing attention to the role water plays in sustaining life. World Water Week forces people in developed countries to contrast the abundance of water in their lives with the millions of people around the world who struggle for life’s most basic resource. According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme on Water Supply and Sanitation, approximately 1 in 6 people worldwide do not have access to the necessary basic amount of freshwater needed for drinking, cooking and cleaning.

Saved by the Well places the global water crisis in terms that children in elementary school can understand, and that people of all ages will enjoy and learn from. The book tells the story of children in Spontania, Mozambique who struggled for access to clean, fresh water--until PlayPumps International gave them the tools to gain access to clean water. PlayPumps International installs innovative, sustainable, patented water pumps powered by children at play. The PlayPump system doubles as a water pump and a merry-go-round, which makes the process of getting clean water, fun.

"It is important for all children to learn about these issues," says Pinki Shah, a 5th grade teacher at the Manhattan Country School, "because kids make change." Ms. Shah will be coordinating one of 40 awareness sessions across the US on March 20th. She and her class of 5th graders have been instrumental in the evolution of Saved by the Well and of Dream Village overall.

Dream Village is a start-up social enterprise with core team members based in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. The organization was officially formed in October 2009, after winning $10,000 in start-up funding from Ideablob, a small business plan competition run by Advanta, one of the largest issuers of small business credit cards (with an office in Philadelphia).

Dream Village Program Highlights

• On March 20th, over 1,000 children (in 40 locations in 14 states) will read Saved by the Well, visit their Website, learn more about the issues discussed in the book, and cast a vote telling Dream Village where to donate its profits. Participating states are: AK, CA, CT, FL, GA, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA, and VT.
• Children who vote on their site during World Water Week will also determine where an additional $2,000 will be donated. A private sponsor has agreed to donate $2,000 to the causes featured in Saved by the Well and discussed on the website but will allocate that $2,000 according to the votes cast by their readers during World Water Week.
• On March 20th, they will also kick off a "Dream Maker, World Changer Contest" where the lucky winner will win a full scholarship to Beam Camp, a $5k value.
• They launch will feature partnerships with nonprofit organizations like GlobalGiving, PlayPumps International (featured in Saved by the Well), Camfed (the Campaign for Female Education) and Friends of the World Food Program.
• They are working on a variety of impressive strategic partnerships, including one that positions them to launch an iPhone version of Saved by the Well shortly.
• The book pipeline features two more books this year, including one that teaches kids how to bring their own ideas to life (titled The World’s Greatest Pillowfight and based on a true story).
• Dream Village won the October “Ideablob” small business plan competition sponsored by Advanta Credit Cards, has been accepted into “Investors’ Circle,” is an Echoing Green Semifinalist, and has presented at conferences ranging from DEMO 2009 to Footprints (hosted by Duke University).
  

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Demand a Withdrawal of US Troops from Iraq Now

From Vivian Stromberg, Executive Director, MADRE:

"In the US, we rarely hear the story of the war in Iraq told from the perspective of women who live there. So what are Iraqi women saying on the sixth anniversary of the US invasion? The same thing they've been saying since 2003: end the occupation now. Polls consistently show that a majority of Iraqis want US troops out.

This week marks six years since the US invaded Iraq. In that time, women have not only faced mounting violence--they have also organized a movement to confront US occupation and violence against women.

The women of Iraq are creating the foundation on which a peaceful and just future will be built. It's time our administration starts listening to them.

Help us tell President Obama that now is the time for change."

Dream Village World Water Day Awareness Events!

Dream Village is coordinating a nationwide launch and awareness events on Friday, March 20th in celebration of World Water Day (which is celebrated on Sunday, March 22nd). We are looking for schools, teachers, troop leaders, community leaders and those who work with kids to participate in fun, informative events to educate children on the global water crisis and who are interested in teaching their children about getting involved and making a difference. Visit us at our corporate site for more information.

Right now, Dream Village is registering schools nationwide to participate in World Water Day events on March 20. The first fifty schools that join us in discussing the global water crisis will receive the Saved by the Well resources, including "Grown-Ups' Guide: Water Edition," at no cost! To sign up or to find out more, click here!

The programs are simple, straightforward and cost-effective. Each program comes with copies of the book, a teachers guide, "Dream Maker" certificates to reward children for their participation and the opportunity to win some fantastic prizes, including a scholarship to Beam Camp valued at $5k!

If you know of anyone who may be interested, we welcome their participation. Our goal is to get this book in front of as many children as possible, so we remain flexible on the implementation (cost, timeframe, etc.). I hope you'll join us in discussing the global water crisis.

About Dream Village:
Dream Village uses full color picture books and an interactive web portal to teach children (age 6-10) about social, economic, and environmental issues.

VDAY Harlem 2009!

Visit us for more information!

Transform America!

About Transform America:
"The Mission of Transform America: to create and sustain a social justice movement to make positive, innovative and progressive change. We utilize the synergy between student, non-profit and community organizations to advance human rights by empowering communities.

We do this by having a strategy of shared resources and collaboration. Creating a movement to solve particular issues, we focus on uniting forces to educate others about a topic, bring visibility and press to the problems, recruit activists to work towards a goal, and create a substantial impact in our society."

From the Transform America facebook group:

"Please VOTE VOTE VOTE for Transform America and make a comment about why youth councils are great and why this idea will work

Post a blog comment about Transform America and our work starting Youth Councils. Youth Councils are groups intended to give youths a voice in politics and an opportunity to make change in their communities

A Youth Council is made up of a group of middle and high school students who meet once a week to identify issues of importance and directly affect change in their communities. Youth Councils are run out of city council members’ offices enabling participants to be close to the levers of power and witness how political change is made. Not only do students learn about the political process and how it can be used to better their communities, but they also gain firsthand experience with grassroots efforts. This includes canvassing door to door to raise awareness about issues, holding film screenings, organizing block parties and other such direct actions. Youth Councils conduct research about issues that affect them and their communities and draft policy recommendations. These recommendations are made to the city council as well as their school administrations. This provides a direct youth voice. It allows them to have some influence in decisions that affect their lives and communities. Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito already has a Youth Council that has been very active. In addition to educating tenants about housing rights, starting petitions, and holding workshops for other youth, they have informed their local community board and their councilwoman about issues that concern youth. Community Board 10 is re-establishing their Youth Council and we are helping them recruit kids and institute their program."