RACE FOR DIGNITY
Goal: To raise funds and awareness which will help increase access to essential HIV/AIDS-related prevention, treatment, care and support through community-based care in resource-limited settings.
The Race for Dignity is an expression of solidarity with the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Dignitas International is currently working in Malawi, where there are only 94 qualified doctors in the entire public health care system, and only one third the required number of nurses. Approximately 940,000 Malawians are HIV-positive and 10% of all households are headed by a child. Dignitas is working with communities in response to this crisis by dramatically increasing access to AIDS-related treatment and prevention through sustainable, community-based programming in Malawi.
The Dignitas HIV/AIDS clinic in Malawi is called 'Tisungane' which means 'coming together to help one another' in the local language of Chichewa. By holding the Race for Dignity at your school, you will be coming together with your community to help those working in their communities in Malawi.
Strategy:
The Race for Dignity is a team-building event in which participants work together toward a common goal. Your event can take many forms, including a cycling, swimming or walking/running relay, or a basketball, volleyball or soccer tournament at your school! Educational components help to increase knowledge about global HIV/AIDS and the community-base approaches that are saving lives. By participating in the Race for Dignity you will be raising awareness of the inequities in access to life-saving HIV medications and fundraising to allow Dignitas to continue increasing access to these medications in Malawi.
Resources:
The Youth Race for Dignity Manual provides easy to follow guidelines to help you organize an event at your school. Download the manual from our website to get started! www.dignitasyouth.org
THE STATE OF THE WORLD'S CHILDREN: Excluded and Invisible
Goal: Develop a video which looks at how children and youth, even those often left, out, can be included in the educational and political process.
The State of the World's Children (SOWC) Report is UNICEF's annual flagship publication. It is the most comprehensive survey of global trends affecting children around the world and provides the most thorough almanac of up-to-date statistical data on children. The SOWC shows that global child deaths has reached a record low, falling below 10 million per year to 9.7 million, down from almost 13 million in 1990, according. “This is an historic moment,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “Now we must build on this public health success to push for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.” Despite the terrific progress that has taken place, there continues to be large groups of children that are Excluded and Invisible and in need of life saving intervention.
Strategy:
- Log onto www.teachunicef.org and review the lesson plans that have been developed based on the State of the World's Children report.
- Go to UNICEF's Voices of Youth website , view the videos about the children around the world who have been excluded. View these videos:
- Nodira's Story about a grill from Uzbekistan who was born with spina bifida
- Himal's Story and learn about how poverty affects children in Nepal
- Ali's Story to learn about the impact of child labor
- Martha's Story to learn about what it is like to grow up in a country with armed conflict
- Interview and video people in your community who may be excluded and invisible.
Resources:
www.teachunicef.org
http://www.unicef.org/sowc06/
http://www.unicef.org/voy/
HELP SPREAD THE NET AND FIGHT MALARIA!
Goal: Help in a solution to the devastating impacts of malaria.
From the Italian mal'aria – "bad air", Malaria is a long-lasting blood disease that is often fatal. In Africa, Malaria is the largest single cause of death among children under the age of five – killing one child every 30 seconds, more than 750,000 per year. Without concerted actions, the death rate is expected to double in the next 20 years.
Strategy:
A simple solution exists: Bed nets that protect children from the biting mosquitoes. GET INVOLVED in "Beat the Mosquitoes Challenge" and help your high school fundraise and save lives!
Resources:
- Fundraising kit includes information on Spread the Net, fundraising tips, and how to make your participation go further (coming soon!).
- Fundraising ideas and tips to help spread the word
- PowerPoint presentation and speaking notes will help you introduce the campaign to your peers
- Community service tracking sheet will help you keep track of the community service hours you may be earning through your involvement with Spread the Net
- Media advisory template can help you contact local media to create some buzz around your Spread the Net campaign
- Benefits to you outlines the skills you can pick up by getting involved in Spread the Net.
- Posters can be downloaded and printed for your event.
EMERGENCY!! GET THE WORD OUT!
Goal: Educate people on the natural disasters that happen around the world and learn what we need to do to help save lives.
Strategy:
Talk to people to see how much they know about natural disasters, like earthquakes or floods. How long do they think it takes to recover?
Talk to people about why they think the world’s poorest are most affected when natural disasters hit.
Study some of the most recent natural disasters. What types of emergencies happen around the world? What do we need to do to respond?
Find out what it would take to get your community involved in helping respond to a natural disaster. Does it need to be in the news? If it’s not in the news very much, ask a newspaper or television station why not? Does it need to affect millions of people, or only thousands? What does it take for people to decide they want to help?
Resources:
http://www.care.ca/work/emergency/emergency_e.shtm
http://www.care.ca/work/emergency/tsunami/tsunami_e.shtm
http://www.care.ca/work/emergency/indonesia/Java-Earthquake-report.pdf
Video:
http://www.quantumshift.tv/v/1189518828/
FIGHT BULLYING AND STOP SCHOOL VIOLENCE
Goal:
Educate children, teachers, and community members about the damaging effects of bullying through an awareness campaign. Teach them how to recognize, refuse, and report bullying.
Schools and communities are increasingly aware of the damaging effects of bullying on children. Bullying can leave permanent scars on the confidence and self-esteem of a child. Bullying takes a toll on schools in the form of student absences, behavior problems, parent complaints, and failing grades.
Students and educators are likely to feel unsafe in an environment where bullying and violence are tolerated. In some cases, bullying even has deadly consequences, as we have seen in the unfortunate increase in school shootings. Many researchers and educators agree that decreasing social violence starts with bullying prevention.
Strategy:
Choose one or more of these project activities:
- Interview people of all ages who have been bullied and find out how it has affected their lives.
- Partner with a local theater group to produce a play about bullying and the Three Rs: recognizing, refusing, and reporting.
- Create a public service announcement for local television or radio about bullying in schools.
- Share your schools’ success stories using an anti-bullying or violence prevention curriculum such as the Second Step and Steps to Respect programs.
Resources:
Visit Committee for Children’s Web site to find a list of activities and resources to support this project.
Videos
What is Bullying? http://www.quantumshift.tv/v/1193704440/
Prevalence of Bullying. http://www.quantumshift.tv/v/1193701662/
School Program Fights Bullying. http://www.quantumshift.tv/v/1193702178/
IT'S GOING TO TAKE A MOVEMENT TO STOP SLAVERY. SO WE'RE BUILDING ONE. And everyone's invited…
Goal: TELL THE WORLD THAT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE FOR SALE: Raise awareness about human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
There are still an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today, and 200,000 within the United States. Modern day slavery can come in many different forms. Entire families may work long days in rice-mills, brick kilns or on plantations. Children may be abducted and forced to fight in a rebel's army. All of these people are slaves—they cannot come and go as they please and are often beaten or threatened with violence. They have no autonomy in their day-to-day lives and deserve the right to be free.
Find an original way to tell the world that people should not be for sale, but "Free to Play", "Free to Work, "Free to be", Free to Create", and "Free to Learn".
Resources:
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org
http://notforsalecampaign.ning.com/
Musicians: http://notforsalecampaign.org/MovementMusic.aspx
Athletes: http://youtube.com/freetoplaycampaign
Students: http://notforsalecampaign.org/FreeToLearn.aspx
People of Faith: http://www.mychurch.org/notforsalecampaign
Modern day abolitionists. Is that you?
Video:
http://www.quantumshift.tv/notforsale
GET THE FAIR TRADE WORD OUT!
Goal: Advocate for Fair Trade through a variety of creative ideas.
Potential strategies:
- Choose one person or group in your community or school that you’d like to have start purchasing Fair Trade Certified (FTC) products.
- Engage in dialogue with that person or group to see how much they know about where their products come from, and the working conditions of the producers. Many people have no idea that there are ethical alternatives, so be patient!
- Choose your method of “Getting the word out" : letter, postcard, collage of pictures, giving a talk, taste test, etc., create it and deliver it. Be creative!
- Discuss Fair Trade with your target to see if you have succeeded in influencing their purchasing habits.
http://www.transfair.ca/en/education/primary/stories/
START A FAIR TRADE CLUB - FAIR TRADE CERTIFY YOUR SCHOOL !
Goal: To educate the school students’ population about Fair Trade, its benefits and the available products and to change purchasing habits!
• Put posters up to indicate your intention of creating such a club
• Gather people’s interest and organize a first meeting
• Outline your goals and objectives
• Organize demo tables, educational booths, presentations, shows, etc.
Resources:
High School Intro activism guide (see attachment)
or more detail, refer to Students Activism Guide (see attachment)
http://www.transfair.ca/en/education/primary/stories/
http://www.transfair.ca/en/education/hi … ifference/
http://www.fairtrade.net/impact_stories.html
http://www.fairtrade.net/producer_profiles.html
OTHER FAIR TRADE PROJECT IDEAS
Organize a Fair Trade Soccer or Volleyball tournament! Contact your regional/local soccer league or some high schools, invite local politicians, leaders and celebrities, and make people play fair with Fair Trade Certified sports balls!
Fair Trade is fun! Organize a Cultural Event (with local bands, singers, performers) or a Dance Night in a night club, an Art Exhibition, and serve Fair Trade Certified drinks and food, distribute info flyers about Fair Trade; spread the message while people are having fun!
Set up a kiosk at your local Public Market, give away samples of Fair Trade Certified products and balloons for children, distribute a list of local stores carrying Fair Trade products, etc. Explain why promoting Fair Trade Certified products and locally produced go hand in hand!
Use Fair Trade Certified products to do a fundraising campaign! Instead of regular chocolate or any other product, offer Fair Trade Certified products so that you can increase awareness at the same time!
Organize a sampling of products at your school, and ask the direction and teachers to commit to fair trade!
Organize an Ethical Fashion Show! Although the line of clothes made of Fair Trade Certified cotton is still limited in Canada, you can showcase what is available and promote other ethical lines of clothing as well. See Équiterre website and download their guide to ethical clothes for company names. (www.equiterre.qc.ca)
Start a campaign to make your town a Fair Trade town, by using our Action Kit! Take advantage of some local festivals/activities to promote the initiative and gather support from your community.
HOST A FAIR TRADE FUN FAIR EVENT http://www.transfairusa.org/content/support/HP.php
ADOPT A VILLAGE
Adopt a Village challenges you to assist children and families in a holistic way by
combining all of the necessary components for building healthy communities. Your
support will build schools, provide alternative income resources, and put in place
clean water projects. You can choose to “adopt a village� in Kenya, Sierra Leone,
China, Sri Lanka or Ecuador.
Through Adopt a Village you will:
• Be empowered with new skills and knowledge
• Meet new friends who share the same ideas and passion
• Contribute to finding lasting solutions for your overseas peers
• Educate others about children’s rights
• Have so much fun you’ll wonder what you ever did before
Adopt a Village Resources:
• Campaign registration form
• Brick by Brick schoolbuilding kit: 'How to' Guide, Poster, Brick by Brick Brochure
• Alternative Income kit: 'How to' Guide, Poster, Alternative Income Brochure
• Clean Water kit: 'How to' Guide, Clean Water Poster, Clean Water Brochure
• Adopt a Village PowerPoint Presentations: China, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka
• Adopt a Village Country Profiles: Kenya, Sierra Leone, China, Sri Lanka
• Adopt a Village Reference Handbook
• Adopt a Village Fact Sheet
• Make it Happen kit
• Fundraising tips and ideas
• See recent photos from Sri Lanka
Video:
http://www.quantumshift.tv/v/1192218845
Where can you get more information?
www.freethechildren.com/we/adoptavillage
VOW OF SILENCE
Vow of Silence will "speak to the world" on March 1 of every year. Your 24 hours
of silence will recognize youth around the world who don't have a voice: child la-
bourers, children in poverty, children who are abused and neglected, and children
who are not able to attend school. You, your friends and your classmates will col-
lect pledges for each hour you are silent to give impoverished children a voice.
Vow of Silence Resources:
• Vow of Silence 1 page description
• Vow of Silence 'How to' guide
• Track your pledge
Where can you get more information?
http://www.freethechildren.com/we/vowofsilence/
HALLOWEEN FOR HUNGER
Halloween for Hunger asks you to think globally and act locally to help alleviate
hunger and raise awareness of global poverty. This unique campaign strengthens
the capacity of local food banks to support those in need. This Halloween, trick-
or-treat for canned goods and make a difference in your community!
Through Halloween for Hunger you will:
• Be empowered with new skills and knowledge
• Meet new friends who share the same ideas and passion
• Contribute to finding lasting solutions for community challenges
• Educate others about the issues of hunger and poverty
• Have so much fun you’ll wonder what you ever did before
Halloween for Hunger Resources:
• Halloween for Hunger 1 page description
• Halloween for Hunger 'How to' guide
• Campaign registration form
• Make it Happen kit
• Fundraising tips and ideas
Where can you get more information?
http://www.freethechildren.com/we/halloweenforhunger/
RE-ENERGY.CA – TEACH, BUILD, LEARN!
The re-energy.ca web site has background information, lesson plans, links and construction plans for building small scale working models of a wind turbine, solar oven, micro-hydro generator, biogas generator and a solar car.
Resources:
re-energy.ca
LIGHTS OFF ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM
Your class can join the EnerAction Lights Off challenge. Using the Lights Off program, you will find out how much electricity is used in your school. Then, you work to turn lights off, and see how much electricity, money, and carbon dioxide emissions you can save!
Resources:
http://www.greenlearning.ca/ta/lights-off.php
ENERACTION
EnerAction provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and understanding of energy, and be inspired and empowered to take action on energy issues in their lives, schools, and communities
Direct link will be up on Sept 30th.
Resources:
http://www.pembinafoundation.org/work/education
THE SOLAR OVEN CHALLENGE
Build a solar oven that really cooks! We don’t call it a solar oven for nothing. The purpose of a solar oven, just like an electric oven, is to cook food. Solar ovens are used every day all over the world, especially in developing countries. The are used primarily to cook food and purify water.
Timeline > Sept 07 - end of June 08.
Resources:
http://www.re-energy.ca/solaroven_popup1.html
CONDUCT A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
Where does your school get its energy from? Do you have leaky taps? Do you recycle old textbooks? To find out exactly how "green" your school is, try out the Global Footprint Quiz. And try out The Green Squad site for ways to take action for greener and healthier schools.
Resources:
http://www.globalfootprints.org/issues/footprint/councquiz1.htm
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY NATURALIZATION
How do you get started? By building a project team, developing an action plan, fundraising tips, and getting ready to plant! Evergreen has some great ways to get started and find funds.
Resources:
http://www.evergreen.ca/en/lg/lg.html
START A GLOBAL ACTION CLUB IN YOUR HIGH SCHOOL!
Help support one of over 40 grassroots projects in the developing world that focus on issues from child soldiers and sex trafficking to environmental sustainability and HIV/AIDS.
Resources:
www.newglobalcitizens.org/clubs
Coming soon:
An online Action Manual with detailed steps on how to lead a successful project from start to finish.
STUDENTS HELPING STUDENTS
Goal: Learn about the countries in the developing world, and then take action and make a difference!
Potential strategies:
• Visit the Students Helping Students website and learn about Nepal, or conduct your own research about the countries in which Room to Read operates: Cambodia, Laos, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zambia.
• Give a presentation to your classmates about what you have learned. Teach them about the difficulties people in these countries face when trying to get an education.
• Take action! Read about all of the different fundraisers on our website, come up with your own creative idea, and GO FOR IT!!!
Resources:
http://www.roomtoread.org/shs
http://www.roomtoread.org/shs/nepal/index.html
http://www.roomtoread.org/shs/action/index.html
http://www.roomtoread.org/programs/index.html
http://www.roomtoread.org/countries/index.html
TEACH THE WORLD ABOUT REFUGEES – MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Goal: Learn about what life is like for people living like refugees and think about what we can do to help.
What would it be like if you had to leave everything you had – including your family, your friends and your country – and move somewhere where you had no house, no food and no water?
What would you do to survive? Where would you go?
This is the question that 170,000 people living in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya had to answer. At the camps, CARE distributes food, helps provide clean drinking water, and even helps run schools and find ways for people to work and make an income.
Find an original way to show what it would be like to have to leave everything you know behind. Be original – thing of questions like: What basic things would you need to survive? What would you do to make friends and to create a “community” in your new home? What could the world do to give you the support you need to make a difference?
Resources:
Stories from the Dadaab Refugee Camps:
http://care.ca/field/DadaabCamp/fleeing_somalia_e.shtm
http://care.ca/field/DadaabCamp/inside_refugee_camp_e.shtm
http://care.ca/field/DadaabCamp/postcard_e.shtm
Young people in Dadaab are taking the lead and making a difference in their community by writing their own newspaper. :
http://www.care.ca/youthCARE/events/newsletter/Dawn_e.shtm
http://www.care.ca/youthCARE/events/newsletter/issue07-02/The%20Dawn-2nd%20Issue.pdf
Blog from a Canadian intern:
http://www.care.ca/youthCARE/blogs/blogSH.shtm
Video:
http://www.quantumshift.tv/v/1189016370/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_goodwin/20070308.html
STAYIN’ ALIVE
Stayin’ Alive’s goal is to generate $10,000,000 in donations from high schools around the United States using school dances and other creative events as a way to raise the funds. In addition, Stayin' Alive provides an excellent opportunity for peer education on malaria, a devastating, but often over-looked disease.
Malaria is completely preventable and treatable, as proven by its eradication in developed countries including here in the United States in the late 1940's. Yet more than 50 years later, malaria remains the number one killer of children under five in sub-Saharan Africa, and continues to threaten 40 percent of the world's population with the risk of infection. The toll of this deadly disease is staggering:
- Malaria kills more than 3,000 children every day, and over 1 million every year. (To put the numbers in context, 280,000 were killed in the devastating Asian Tsunami of 2005. Malaria quietly kills three times that number every year)
- 350 to 500 million cases of malaria occur annually
- 90% of deaths from malaria occur in Africa
With the money raised from partner schools like yours, Malaria No More will distribute 1 million life-saving bed nets to at-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria No More will ensure delivery of nets to the malaria endemic areas where they are needed most.
Other benefits to you, your school, and to people in Africa:
- Save a child’s life from a preventable disease.
- Take leadership on a high profile issue.
- Learn more about the urgent crisis of malaria.
- Receive commendation from the White House for your efforts.
- Be part of an international program with global reach.
- Bring public service to your school and community.
Resources:
Program Introduction
- Brochure - Share the Stayin' Alive program
- Press Release - Learn about the August 25th, 2007 launch of the national program.
How to Host an Event
- Stayin' Alive Toolkit - Whether your planning a dance or another school event, this toolkit will provide you with a step by step process to achieve success!
- Dance Poster - Here's a poster to help publisize your stayin' alive dance. If this doesn't fit your event, feel free to get creative and make your own posters.
- Fundraising Letters - You may choose to ask parents or local businesses to contribute to your fundraiser. Here are two letters which can help you solicit funds and resources for your event.
Outreach and Education
- Malaria Primer - Educate yourself and your school about the devestating global impact of malaria.
- Malaria No More Primer - Learn more about the organization, it's mission, and its efforts to date to help protect vulnerable families in Africa from malaria.
- Malaria Powerpoint - Use our educational powerpoint to conduct a class presentation on malaria.
- "The Gift of Growing Up" Video - An 11-minute video on malaria. Use it as a part of a movie-night fundraising event, or screen it in the classroom as a part of a presentation on malaria.
- Educational Posters - A series of posters that can be used to share key facts about malaria with your school. Use them around campus while your publisizing your Stayin' Alive event, or ask to post them in your science classroom.
- Sample Press Release - Use this press release to reach out to local and regional media about your school's initiative.
TAKE ACTION BY EDUCATING OTHERS ABOUT YOUR PASSION! Goal: Building awareness about pressing global issues has become more accessible with the advent of new technologies like the internet, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, and YouTube. This is your chance to use technology to educate people around the world about an issue you care about.
Before you get started, explore Facing the Future’s website to learn about some of the global issues facing people and the planet today. You can also get ideas investigate ways to get involved in positive, sustainable solutions to those issues by exploring the service learning project database and stories about what other students and classes have done to make a difference.
Next, develop a strategy to address the issue you care about and decide how to best communicate the issue and possible actions that others can take. For ideas on fundraising, media tips, and an action pledge -
visit this page .
If you are looking for more ideas, download Facing the Future’s free activity-based lessons that teach about issues including refugees, poverty and equity, ecological footprint, sustainability, water and food scarcity, women in development, microcredit and more. Not only will the lessons help you to learn more about global issues, but you might try adapting one of the lessons to teach others about the importance of the issue. The sky is the limit!
Resources:
http://www.facingthefuture.org/ http://www.facingthefuture.org/GlobalIssuesIntroduction/GlobalIssues/tabid/133/Default.aspx http://www.facingthefuture.org/ServiceLearning/ServiceLearningHome/tabid/92/Default.aspx http://www.facingthefuture.org/ServiceLearning/FastFactsQuickActionsforStudents/tabid/96/Default.aspx http://www.facingthefuture.org/ServiceLearning/ActionProjectDatabase/tabid/94/Default.aspx http://www.facingthefuture.org/ServiceLearning/ExamplesofStudentsTakingAction/tabid/147/Default.aspx
GET INVOLVED IN HIV/AIDS AWARENESS
Goal: Get involved in HIV/AIDS awareness by becoming a member of GYCA!
Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) is a youth-led, UNAIDS and UNFPA supported alliance of over 3000 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 150 countries world-wide.
