December 29, 2004
Tsunami Relief
70,000+ human lives have been lost. Thousands more will follow.
We are all global citizens. This is OUR time of NEED, OUR time to show our HUMANITY.
Give generously.
Canadian Red Cross
Oxfam Canada
UNICEF CANADA
World Vision
CARE Canada
Posted by Jason at 1:58 AM
December 24, 2004
When A Fake Christmas Tree Just Won't Do
I own a fake Christmas tree. It's convenient, creates less mess and doesn't require cutting down the real thing. The thing is sometimes I miss the real deal. I miss the smell, the look and the overall Christmas vibe you get when you go searching for the perfect tree.
The Original Living Christmas Tree Company might just have the cure for my holiday nostalgia. They rent out Christmas trees and replant them in the new year. A nice environmental compromise when fake trees just won't do.
Posted by Jason at 10:57 AM
December 23, 2004
Opportunity: 2005 DART Organizers Institute
Found this off the INNOVATE listserve:
DART is now accepting applications for the 2005 DART Organizers Institute, the paid, four-month field school for people interested in launching a career in community organizing. Participants will undergo a combined classroom and field training covering such topics as:
* Entering a community
* Identifying and training local leaders * Strategic planning and issue cutting * Relationship and community building * Direct Action on community issues * Fundraising
The DART Center , has built coalitions throughout the country that have won important victories on a broad set of justice issues including:
* Education reform in low-performing public schools * Job Training * Drugs and Violence * Affordable Housing * Criminal Recidivism * Living Wage * Neighborhood Revitalization, etc.
The DART Organizers Institute combines a 7-day classroom orientation with 15 weeks of infield training at a DART host organization. This is a paid training program that includes: a $6,500 living stipend, all transportation costs to the classroom orientation and host city, and mileage reimbursement during the infield training. Room, board, and tuition will also be paid by DART during the 7-day classroom training. After successful completion of the program, DART will work to place graduates into fulltime salaried positions.
Graduates from the four month DART Organizers Institute have gone onto accept Executive Director and Associate Community Organizing positions throughout the country. We continue to train the best of those working to build the power of low-moderate income communities to win victories on important issues in their community.
The program starts June 20, 2005 and runs through October 7, 2005 . Host organizations are located in several cities throughout Florida ,Ohio ,Michigan ,Virginia ,Kentucky , and Indiana . Applications are being accepted now.
Although it may be helpful, no direct experience is necessary. Organizer Trainees
(OTs) hired to participate in the DART Organizers Institute must demonstrate a desire to pursue community organizing as a long-term professional career. A master's degree or similar life experience is preferred though unnecessary. Candidates must have a college degree or be graduating prior to June 20, 2005 . Also, candidates must display a workmanlike diligence, be driven to produce sustained results, have proven capacity to build relationships of trust, create and execute a plan, act professionally, feel comfortable working with congregations, be accountable and willing to hold others accountable, demonstrate disciplined thought and action, and work in a team setting. OTs must also have access to a car during their training and be flexible regarding relocation. Fluency in Spanish/English is a plus and people of color are encouraged to apply.
To find out more about DART or to apply, we encourage you to send your resume
to: Ben MacConnell, DART Network, 820 New York Street ,Lawrence ,KS 66044 or by email: institute@thedartcenter.org. If you have any questions, please call:
(785) 841-2680. Also, you can download applications or view profiles from previous OTs at the DART website: www.thedartcenter.org . The 2005 DART Organizers Institute Application Deadline is January 1, 2005 .
Posted by Jason at 6:52 PM
December 21, 2004
A Call for Thinking Activists
Lip Magazine makes an interesting argument for the need to include intellectual discourse in North American activism efforts. In "Activistism" they argue that today's "activists" are actually "activistists" -- individuals compelled to take action without truly understanding what it is they are trying to accomplish or how they can effectively do so.
Posted by Jason at 7:43 PM
December 20, 2004
Raising the Roof: The battle against homelessness
Okay, today with the windchill factor it was -32 degrees Celcius!!!! As I settled into my cozy Toronto home, popped open a bottle of wine and chilled with my cats to Coltrane, I couldn't even begin to imagine a life on the streets. And yet this is the reality for thousands of Canadians each day.
Raising the Roof, is a Canadian organization dedicated to eliminating homelessness in Canada. They run the Toque Tuesday Campaign, a campaign where Canadians are asked to purchase a Raising the Roof toque (a winter hat) to support its social endeavours. Canadians are really into this campaign, with many proudly collecting toques over a number of years.
The Raising the Roof website has tons information on all aspects of homelessness. For instance, did you know that over 80% of Canada's homeless are actually "underhoused" meaning living in transitional housing or are about to be evicted? I'd love to learn more about what organizations in your city or country are doing to eliminate homelessness. Drop me a line and let me know. jason@akaactvist.org
Posted by Jason at 9:48 PM
December 17, 2004
Inspirational Booster Shot: The Change Masters
For those into social-entrepreneurism, check out FastCompany's "Social Capitalist Awards 2005". The list of organizations making positive change are pretty impressive.
Posted by Jason at 11:48 PM
December 16, 2004
Kenyan environmentalist earns Nobel Peace Prize
A nice segue from yesterday's post. Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the Green Belt Movement - a reforestation project that has planted over 20 million trees throughout Africa. Why the Nobel Peace Prize? Maathai is not alone in her belief that many of the world's wars are waged over natural resources (e.g. the Middle East, Darfur).
Posted by Jason at 8:09 PM
December 15, 2004
Congo Conflict: 1000 people dying a day
I saw this article on CBC.ca last week. The New York-based International Rescue Committee reports that the military conflict in the Congo is taking 1000 lives a day! Despite this astonishing death toll (think of how many people died in 9/11) the international response has been anemic. The report states that "during 2003, Iraq received aid worth the equivalent of $138 per person, while [the] Congo received roughly $3 per person in aid."
I try not to believe that the world doesn't value African lives but 1000 citizens a day and we're challenged to find an article about it in the mainstream press?! What's the UN doing about this (especially after Rwanda)? Where's the U.S involvement? Oh that's right...there's no oil to be pillaged. My bad.
Posted by Jason at 1:14 AM | Comments (1)
December 14, 2004
Welcome to aka Activist!
Welcome to aka Activist, a new blog for the activist within everyone. My name is Jason and I run an educational new media company called PlanetYou.
AKA Activist is my attempt to collect and share stories about people trying to make a difference in the world. It's also about disseminating information that you don't normally see in the mainstream press. Like the tagline says: Inspiration. Information. Education. Hopefully through reading this blog, you'll get inspired, feel empowered to improve your community, champion a cause or charity, or just have an informed conversation about the world and the potential solutions to make it a better place. My name is Jason Robinson aka Activist. Now you try it.
Posted by Jason at 8:14 PM