Posts Tagged ‘human rights’
Friday, February 20th, 2009
www.quaker.org.nz/groups/qpsanz
What do they do?
This is the arm of the Quakers (The Religious Society of Friends) in Aotearoa New Zealand that deals with social justice issues. They aim to give service and create peace in Quakerly ways.
How can I get involved?
If you are a young Quaker (aged between approximately 16 and 39) you can join the ‘Young Friends’. Regular meetings are held in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. At their annual camps, held over Easter, Young Friends have speakers come and talk to the group, where there will tend to be discussion on important issues related to justice and peace. Young Friends also pay to offset their carbon from camps, and aim to shop local and eat vegetarian as a means of reducing damage to the Earth.
Tags: advocacy, agriculture, children and young people, community development, debt, education and training, Environment, food, health, housing, human rights, indigenous rights, peace and conflict resolution, poverty, programme / project management, refugees, research, social development, trade, Transport, Treaty of Waitangi, water and sanitation, women
Posted in Take Action, The Action Exchange | No Comments »
Friday, February 20th, 2009
www.debtaction.org.nz
What do they do?
Jubilee Aotearoa is campaigning to cancel the unpayable debt of poor countries and to end the harmful conditions on loans from the international financial institutions including the IMF and World Bank. It grew out of a meeting of agencies and individuals meeting in 1997 who jointly campaigned for a special one-off effort to mark the millennium in 2000. Jubilee Aotearoa continues to meet regularly with government to discuss debt related issues, the agendas and programmes of the IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank and from time to time organizes campaign actions.
How can I get involved?
Check out the website: www.debtaction.org.nz for more information. Follow the links to find up-to-date international news on the current situation.
Invite a speaker or borrow resources (DVDs and videos).
Write a letter or ask a question of a political candidate regarding debt. Jubilee is producing some background material and questions which will be available on the website soon.
Join the email list and attend the meetings with government. Contact: gillian.southey@cws.org.nz to find out how.
Get Jubilees help to organise a stall, a petition or a local action asking the NZ government to take a stronger stand on debt cancellation.
Tags: advocacy, campaigns, debt, economy, education and training, Finance, food, health, human rights, petition, poverty, trade, volunteer
Posted in Take Action, The Action Exchange | No Comments »
Friday, February 20th, 2009
www.humanrights.net.nz
What do they do?
This is a network rather than an organisation and run completely with volunteers. It is for New Zealanders – individuals, non-governmental and other organisations – to share information to pursue national and international progress in human rights
How can I get involved?
Check out the The Human Rights Film festival, a cinematic event celebrating extraordinary people striving for success and achievement amidst the hardest of circumstances and conditions.
Screenings run in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. If you live in one of those places, you can even get involved with organising the local screening. Just flick them an email at: festival@humanrightsfilmfest.net.nz
Join up! - The Human Rights network is free to join and has a lot of information about issues in NZ and abroad. When you join you will get email newsletters that share information on Human Rights focused news and events from a range of sources with an emphasis on local events. You will also be able to post your own events and news onto the site to be included in the e-news (2 weeks notice preferred).
Check out the website - it’s a good place to start for anyone interested in Human Rights and development as it offers a wide range of topics, issues, causes and opinions.
Tags: events, human rights, network, News, publications, refugees
Posted in Take Action, The Action Exchange | No Comments »
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
Is the UN’s Human Rights Council fulfilling its role to protect the most vulnerable from human rights abuses or a cabal fixated on protecting itself? For more info click here
Tags: human rights, United Nations
Posted in Podcasts | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
www.cws.org.nz
What do they do?
Christian World Service is a faith-based organization that works in partnership with communities across the developing world to help ensure people can build lives free from injustice and poverty. CWS responds to people’s needs regardless of race or religion, and is the development agency of New Zealand churches.
How can I be involved?
Come to an event where CWS is present, including the Parachute music festival, Samstock in Dunedin, Church national youth conferences and local churches. Local actions are regularly publicised on the website.
Sign up for regular resources: @world magazine (a 3 times a year report on actions), Youth topics (designed for youth groups) and World Watch (for 7-13 year olds). All of these include suggestions for local actions linked to international efforts.
Join in the campaign work - by signing petitions, organising stalls, hosting an event (eg in Fair Trade Fortnight) or by meeting with local political candidates. CWS is currently working in the area of economic justice (especially on debt cancellation for developing countries and trade justice through fairer international trade rules and expanding the fair trade market) banning cluster munitions and climate change It also focuses on specific country issues including Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan, West Papua and Zimbabwe. In July/August 2008 it held a Global Youth Encounter: Making Peace a Reality involving young people from partner groups in various parts of the country. Follow-up actions are planned and you are welcome to join the network.
Become a volunteer by helping out at an event or in the Christchurch office.
Donate to an emergency appeal or through the Global Neighbours scheme (enabling you to make a link with a specific long term funding partner). CWS also promotes an annual Wipe Out Poverty event for young people.
Tags: advocacy, capacity building, children and young people, community development, debt, Environment, food, fundraising, gender, governance, human rights, poverty, trade, Treaty of Waitangi
Posted in Take Action, The Action Exchange | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
www.caritas.org.nz
What do they do?
Caritas is the Catholic agency for justice, peace and development. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is part of Caritas Internationalis, which is a confederation of 154 Catholic aid, development and social justice agencies from around the world. Caritas agencies work in over 198 countries: delivering aid, supporting development, and working for justice.
How can I be involved?
Donate!
Campaigning – Caritas are involved in many campaigns, including Aid, Children, Cluster Munitions Crime and Punishment, Debt, Environmental Justice, HIV and AIDS, Human Rights Make Poverty History Millennium Development Goals, Submissions to NZ Government, and Trade. They offer excellent resources on their website to help you join with them to take action on these issues.
Tags: advocacy, agriculture, capacity building, children and young people, community development, debt, disaster management, economy, education and training, Environment, food, gender, governance, health, housing, human rights, indigenous rights, microenterprise, peace and conflict resolution, poverty, programme management, project management, research, rural development, small business, social development, trade, Treaty of Waitangi, water and sanitation, women
Posted in Take Action, The Action Exchange | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
www.oxfam.org.nz
What do they do?
Oxfam is a Humanitarian organisation is dedicated to finding lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. Oxfam New Zealand was formed in1991, and has now developed an international reputation for its development work in the Pacific and East Asia, its focus on practical solutions to the emerging crisis in water and sanitation and its campaigning for rights.
How can I get involved?
- Become an Oxfam campaigner - Campaign activities can range from spending two minutes on an email action through to fronting up to politicians to ask questions about their policies on aid, trade and debt.
- Trailwalker Challenge - raise $2000 to help to overcome poverty and injustice by tackling 100km of tough NZ terrain
- The Amazing Race - race other teams through Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand to raise money for Oxfam projects
- Oxjam - a month of music with a message. NZ artists busk and throw concerts to raise awareness about Oxfam’s work. They are always looking for volunteers, organisers and fresh ideas and content.
- ‘Good Books’ and gifts – Buy your books at the online store, and all profits go to Oxfam projects. You can also buy gifts for your friends and family that directly benefit poor communities.
- Send them stamps – Yup, Oxfam will sort through your old stamps and sell them to collectors!
- Volunteer – Oxfam are always on the lookout for help with their programmes.
- Donate to Oxfam
- Read a Publication – Oxfam produce high quality, up-to-date publications on Poverty and Development issues around the world. Expand your mind and read one today!
Tags: advocacy, aid, capacity building, challenge, children and young people, community development, development, disaster management, fundraise, human rights, internship, poverty, programme / project management, publications, resolution, rural development, trade, travel, volunteer, water and sanitation, women
Posted in Take Action, The Action Exchange | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
www.amnesty.org.nz
What do they do?
Amnesty International is a global movement of over 2.2 million people in more than 150 countries who contribute their time, money and expertise to the promotion of human rights and international campaigning against some of the most serious violations, including imprisonment for beliefs or identity, torture and killings.
How can I get involved?
Join a group (or start one) – There are Amnesty International groups in schools, universities, and youth groups. These groups campaign on all aspects of Amnesty’s work. They usually meet weekly or fortnightly to write letters, sign petitions or take action on the Amnesty website on behalf of these individuals and communities at risk. They also organize awareness raising events within their school and community in support of Amnesty’s work, and take part in the Freedom Challenge, an annual team campaigning challenge in August (see www.freedomchallenge.org.nz for more details). Young people involved with Amnesty are consistently are rewarded with prolific media coverage for their awareness-raising in schools and the community.
Volunteer – Instead of, or in addition to, being part of a group, you can volunteer around the country, often spending time in the classroom, aiding social studies departments in their education of human rights. You can even spend time volunteering in the Amnesty Auckland office.
Apply for an internship – Amnesty’s Internship Program was established with the aim of enabling students to undertake a period of work experience with Amnesty International. It is an awesome opportunity to get involved in everything Amnesty does, and get some valuable experience. The Auckland office has its own Youth internship position.
Attend an Event – Amnesty groups run events around the country all the time, like games nights and keynote speakers. See the Amnesty website for more details.
Read a Publication – Amnesty produce high quality, up-to-date publications on Human Rights issues around the world. Expand your mind and read one today!
Sign an appeal for Action – The Amnesty website has an up-to-date list of current appeals that you can contribute to.
Tags: challenge, children, conflict, crime, events, group, human rights, indigenous, internship, peace, publications, refugees, war, women
Posted in Take Action, The Action Exchange | No Comments »
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
By Houston Paea
Young people are not the indifferent, political idiots that they’re often made out to be. Don’t believe me? Try looking at your school council for confirmation. On a national scale, how about those Young Labour and Young National members? And then internationally there are untold thousands of student organisations, such as Young Politicians of America and Students for a Free Tibet. They all have different political ties, missions, motivation and purposes, but what they have in common is a desire for change and the commitment to make it happen!
Loud and proud
Student politics have a long and proud history. They can be about systems of self governance at school or university, but often they’re about participating in the broader political environment, sometimes even leading the way. From the revolt in Paris in May 1968, which led to the downfall of the French government, to the Black Consciousness movement, which contributed to the end of Apartheid in South Africa, students have long been involved in the fight for justice and change across the world.
Penguin Revolution
In Chile, 2006, over a MILLION high school and university students took to the streets in a series of protests. The movement (also known as the Penguin Revolution because of the students’ black and white uniforms) was demanding better funding for schools, more affordable university fees and cheaper public transport. Many students were injured or arrested during the protests as things turned violent and the riot police got involved. Although many of the students’ demands were not met immediately, they succeeded in being heard and they put education back on the political agenda.
Students for a Free Tibet
Established by Tibetans and students in New York City in 1994, this group now operates in 650 universities and high schools in more than 30 countries around the world. They use a strong network of activists and youth workers to draw attention to the political situation between Tibet and China with the aim of helping Tibet gain its independence. They aren’t aligned to any political group as such, but they’re fighting for freedom of speech, human rights and social justice for Tibet; in short, trying to save a country. See www.studentsforafreetibet.org
Young Politicians of America (YPA)
A more peaceful example of youth involvement in politics is the YPA: a not-for-profit organisation that has 2,500 members from secondary schools around the USA. They are trying to create a higher level of youth participation in politics through promoting political ‘thinking and doing’. They get members (they call them ‘politicians’) to do community service work for their
‘constituents’ that relates to topical political issues, such as a creek cleanup. This would be followed by a debate on environmental policy such as pollution regulations, and fuel efficiency standards for SUVs. By encouraging young people to connect with their community they encourage them to think of themselves as citizens. Check out www.ypa.org
True politics
Despite all the misconceptions surrounding young people and what they actually care about, they ARE doing something to change the world and contribute to the well-being of this planet and our societies. And isn’t that what true politics is supposed to be about? Not ineffective posturing over tax cuts, or claims to get tough over immigration. The young people of today are the ones with the ideas, with the hopes and dreams of making things better. Young people have a lot to offer: ideals, dreams, the numbers, and very loud voices! And we won’t be ignored!
TAKE ACTION!
- Take a chance – run for your student council. Or, if you want your thoughts and ideas to be heard by national decision makers, join the Provoke Network at www.myd.govt.nz/ayv/provoke/
- Become a youth member of a political party
- Join a local student organisation or CREATE YOUR OWN! You want to change something? Research it, discuss it with others (be prepared for some debate!) and work to make the change
- Get involved with the World Youth Movement for Democracy www.ymd.youthlink.org
- Signup with the Just Focus network or join the discussions in the forum www.justfocus.org.nz
LEARN MORE
Find out about student activists around the world at http://studentresistance.wordpress.com
Download the Do-It-Yourself guide to youth activism at www.ywca.org.nz
Do you want to write to a politician, or organise a petition or a campaign? Check out the Take Action guides from the Ministry of Youth Development www.myd.govt.nz
This article was originally published in the Global Focus pages of Tearaway Magazine.
Tags: Activism, human rights, student politics
Posted in Activism, Articles, Global Themes, Human Rights & Social Justice, Politics | No Comments »
