EMCN United Way Campaign
Greetings all staff, students and volunteers!
The United Way is an organization that assists many, many organizations across Canada. Every fall they raise millions of dollars in the community to assist organizations such as EMCN. Last year the United Way gave EMCN over $100,000 for the following programs;
- Parenting & Literacy, in which 3, 10 week sessions were held with six month - six year olds to help develop fundamental literacy skills. Parent and facilitators spend half an hour with the children and then parents are off to language classes and children continue to play and learn. This has been extremely successful to children's social and academic development in a new culture and school.
- Transportation - the United Way pays for the EMCN Community Van
- Family Fun on Friday's - summer program, in which 60 families attended 6 field trips through the summer.
- Community Referral for Families - approximately families were referred for futher help with both EMCN and other community organizations and programs
- Language Literacy and Enchancement - another program to assist older children
- Family Support for Karen Community
Every year each many organizations host United Way Campaigns to raise awareness of programs, support that children, youth and families need and of course dollars. This year Katrina and I will be co-chairing the EMCN campaign. We hope to have some fun, raise awareness and encourage all staff to contribute a minimum of $10 each to the campaign.
We need about 10 staff to help us with the campaign. The work involved will include approximately 3 - one hour lunch meetings. Our goal is to have one event at each location and then the remaining work should involve approximately 4 additional hours of time. Interested? The campaign runs from September to early November. Please join us for a fun and exciting time. The first meeting is Friday, September 12 at noon, in room 2 - 4 at HQ, 82 Street.
Submitted by Helen Rusich
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Canada Career Week Fair
November 14, 2008 - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
November 15, 2008 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Northlands Agricom
The Canada Career Week Fair promotes opportunities for informed career and education planning, and connects employers with employees. It is a two-day career information and job fair. It is Edmonton's most comprehensive and best attended career fair. This year's fair will feature up to 190 exhibitors and draw more than 7,500 visitors.
http://www.canadacareerfairedmonton.com/
Submitted by Mirela Pirvu
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Employing a Diverse Workforce: Making it Work
Alberta Employment and Immigration has just published a new booklet titled "Employing a Diverse Workforce: Making it work" that has strategies and resources for employers wanting to have a more successful inclusive workplace. It may be a helpful document to share with employers in your circles. It can be ordered online in the "Order publications' area of www.alis.alberta.ca or by calling 780-427-5775 and using catalogue number 675126.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Edmonton Crisis Unit Temporarily Re-locating
The Edmonton Crisis Unit is getting some much-needed renovations. However, to accommodate the renovation team, Crisis Unit will be re-locating to the Edmonton and Area Child and Family Services Authority (CFSA) North Central office as of September 3, 2008. This temporary re-location will last for about three months.
North Central office is located at 9720 – 135 Avenue. Although the physical location has moved temporarily, Crisis Unit will still have the same phone numbers.
During the week of September 3-8 in particular, Crisis Unit is asking for your patience and understanding as they settle into their new, temporary location. We will let you know as soon as Crisis Unit is ready to move back into their permanent quarters. If you have any questions regarding the move, please don’t hesitate to contact the Crisis Unit at 780-422-2001 and ask to speak with the on-call supervisor.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Updated TFW Guides
TFW Guides have been updated and they are online at the website listed below. Also, please note new translated versions of the Guide for Employees are forthcoming. The e-mail also includes information on how to order print versions.
An edit of the online TFW Guide for Employees (English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish), the TFW Guide for Employers, and the TFW Guide for Employers using Employment Agencies was completed. The purpose of this edit was to update the booklets with the various provincial changes that have occurred since first published. The online versions have all the correct names and phone numbers and addresses as of Aug. 1/08. You can find them at http://employment.alberta.ca/cps/rde/xchg/hre/hs.xsl/1699.html.
By the end of August, an updated resources card (printed) with all of these changes will be available, and you’ll be able to order these if you have stock of the older printed booklets. There will also be 6 new translations of the TFW Guide for Employees available on the website and in print by the end of the month. The new languages are Punjabi, Romanian, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. You can place orders with the TFW Helpline (780) 644-9955 (Edmonton local calling area) or 1-877-944-9955.
In December, a content review will be done.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Charity Central
A new 3 year project titled above is going to launched September 2008, they are hosted by Legal Resource Centre of Alberta located at 201 10350 124 Street email address is info.lrc@ualberta.ca
Executive Director is Diane Rhyason project staff: Lesley Conley and San San Sy
Goals
- they will operate a toll free helpline for registered charities operating in Alberta
- assist registered charities in understanding the regulatory requirements of the Canada Revenue Agency with respect to fundraising, receipting, and books and records.
Carol Aubee-Girard
CEO, ECALA
ceo@ecala.org
Edmonton, proud home of the University of Alberta for 100 years.
www.100years.ualberta.ca
Submitted by Ariela Cerna
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CBR course Graduate-level University of Alberta
January2009
**NEW** Course at the University of Alberta:
INT-D 500 "Introduction to Community-Based Research and Evaluation"
To be launched for the first time in January 2009 at the University of Alberta, this course will offer a graduate-level introduction to conceptual and methodological foundations of community-based research and evaluation in the health and social sciences, particularly pertaining to the development of children, youth, and/or families.
Seminar format. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Contact Sherry Ann Chapman at sherryann@ualberta.ca for more information.
This course offering is part of the Mobilizing Knowledge About Development (MKAD) project, a collaboration between the Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families (CUP) and the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research (ACCFCR). For more information about the project partners, please visit www.cup.ualberta.ca and www.research4children.org .
Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families (CUP)
306 Campus Tower
8625-112 Street
Edmonton, AB T6G 1K8
Tel: (780) 492-9551
Fax: (780) 492-9084
www.cup.ualberta.ca
sherryann@ualberta.ca
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Stories: Between Our Fingers
Edmonton Public Library is hosting the premier showing of “Stories: Between Our Fingers” - a short video made by immigrant and refugee youth in Edmonton about their experiences of arriving and adjusting to life in Canada.
In the past five years Canada has welcomed more than 1,100,000 immigrants and refugees; more than 30% are under 20 years old. These youth often get lost between the cracks of society as they struggle to find hope for a new life in Canada. Their stories of alienation and assimilation to Canadian culture are remarkable tales of survival.
Edmonton is a major centre for immigrant and refugee families seeking acceptance into the Canadian multicultural milieu. The Edmonton Immigrant Services Association (EISA), along with the Supporting Culturally Diverse Youth (SCDY) agency have prepared a short film with the cooperation of the CBC to document the challenges faced by Edmonton's immigrant and refugee youth as they integrate into Canadian culture.
Come and share the experiences, enjoy live performances, and engage in discussion with some of Edmonton's immigrant and refugee youth.
When: Saturday, September 20th from 1-3 pm
Where: Stanley A. Milner branch of the Edmonton Public Library
7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Stanley Milner Library Theatre (basement)
Click here for the promotional poster featuring the DVD cover art. Copies of the DVD will be available for purchase at the event.
Douglas Whistance-Smith EMT-P, BSc, BA, MLIS
Multicultural Librarian, Mill Woods Branch
Edmonton Public Library
601 Mill Woods Town Centre
2331-66 Street
Edmonton, AB, T6K 4B5
Ph: 780-442-4534
dwhistance-smith@epl.ca
submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Canadian Mental Health Association - Youth Life Skills Development Program
Visit: http://www.cmha-edmonton.ab.ca
CMHA-ER is offering a program for Youth 13-15 experiencing mental health issues and/or behavioral disorders. It's aimed at life skills development through social recreation & fun! In order for a teen to participate there is a referral form that has to be completed by a professional working with the teen & there is a form for parents to fill out to be included with their fees.
September 2008 - June 2009 (10 week sessions)
Fee: $100. - per 10 weeks. Subsidies may be available
(This programs start date is delayed- start date TBA)
CHILDREN'S SATURDAY PROGRAM
(September- June) (10 week sessions)
Context: CMHA Children's Saturday Recreation Program was developed to meet the recreational & social needs of children who are presently diagnosed with, or are experiencing behavioral problems, or come from families experiencing mental health issues.
Eligibility: Children must be between 6 - 12 years of age and be referred by an individual knowledgeable about the mental health of the child and/or family. This may include a teacher, social worker, therapist, etc. Only 12 children will be accepted into each session at any one time.
The program is run by qualified program leaders and utilizes volunteers as well. Note: Each participant is expected to be able to function independently in a group setting where the ratio of children to staff may be 3 or 4 to 1.
Fee: $100.00 per 10 week session - subsidies may be available
For more information, registration packages/referral forms contact:
T: 780.414.6300 / E: main@cmha-edmonton.ab.ca / F: 780.482.7498
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Regional Cooperation to End Violence against Women
A free public lecture
Event Overview
Come learn how municipalities in Brazil are working together to end violence against women. Andrea Chelles, women’s rights activist and Coordinator for the “Regional Consortium for the Promotion of Equity,” will discuss how community groups, planners, and government officials from four municipalities in the Belo Horizonte Region are collaborating successfully to address social issues on a regional level.
Ms. Chelles will speak about innovative governance mechanisms that allow municipalities to coordinate action and planning in order to improve the living conditions of vulnerable urban people. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A, and a short discussion on the relevance of the speaker’s comments to the Capital Region.
Schedule & Location
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Room 2-159, Enterprise Square, 10230 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, AB (map)
Cost: FREE, registration is required
LIMITED SEATING
Please feel free to share this invitation: forward this email to a friend.
Contact us to register:
Tel: 780-492-9957
Fax: 780-492-8265
Email: crsc@ualberta.ca
www.crsc.ualberta.ca
About the City-Region Studies Centre
The City-Region Studies Centre is a University of Alberta-Faculty of Extension research unit that engages with communities, particularly within the Alberta Capital Region, to explore the nature of city-regions. Our goal is to increase understanding of the interactions and interdependencies of the human (political, economic, and socio-cultural) relationships within the city-region. In doing so, we inform public policy and improve the well-being of the city-region’s citizens.
Visit our website at www.crsc.ualberta.ca
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Welcome to the Reel World: Film and Speaker Series, September 17th-November 19th
Welcome to the Reel World: Global Issues Film and Speaker Series
September 17th-November 19th
5 PM Wednesdays, Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
Map: http://www.campusmap.ualberta.ca/index.cfm?campus=1§or=5&feature=44
The University of Alberta International is excited to launch the fall portion of the Welcome to the Reel World film series, which will run every Wednesday between September 17th and November 19th, 2008. The Reel World series seeks to raise awareness about global issues both on campus and in the larger Edmonton community. By pairing award winning documentaries with academics, experienced NGO partners and remarkable individuals with firsthand international experience, the series provides a platform for open dialogue on the most pressing issues confronting us today. These screenings are free of charge and everyone is welcome to attend. Information on 2008 listings can be found below. For more details on upcoming or past films, see: http://www.international.ualberta.ca/globaled/reelworld.cfm
September 17
The Devil Came on Horseback
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(85 Minutes, 2007)
The tragedy taking place in Darfur as seen through the eyes of an American witness and who has since returned to the US to take action to stop it. Uses the photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle to take the viewer on a journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where an Arab run government is systematically executing a plan to rid the province of its black African citizens. As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate. Ultimately frustrated by the inaction of the international community, Steidle resigned and returned to the US to expose the images and stories of lives systematically destroyed. We witness Steidle's transformation from soldier to observer to witness and, finally, to passionate activist.
Speaker: Members of the Darfur Congress of Calgary and U of A chapter of STAND. This first film in the fall series is also part of the Edmonton Small Press Association’s “North of Nowhere” Exposition. Everyone is invited to stay for refreshments and a discussion following the film.
September 24
To Tell the Truth
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(59 Minutes, 2006)
Liu Binyan, a leading Chinese journalist, sought out the truth his whole life and consequently paid a huge price for his honesty. Starting in 1949, Liu Binyan began a long career of writing and reporting about the injustices and the sufferings of ordinary people, with a fervent devotion to social ideals. As a fearless and outspoken journalist Binyan suffered many consequences, including being kicked out of the Communist Party twice, and sent to labor camps for more than 20 years. Throughout all this he continued to expose corruption and write about injustice. In the spring of 1988 he left for the United States to teach and write, but was barred from returning to China. He never saw his homeland again, although he continued to write about China. Often referred to as “the Conscience of China,” Liu was named one of Time Magazine's Asian Heroes in 2003. Through interviews and archival footage, this film documents the story of Liu Binyan, his determination to speak the truth, and his struggle to build a freer China.
Speaker: TBA
October 1
We Don’t Play Golf Here
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(33 Minutes, 2008)
What can the construction of a golf course in Mexico teach us about globalization? Using Mexico as an example of what much of the developing world has experienced in recent years, this disarmingly engaging documentary offers a primer on how ‘free market’ economics can distort both culture and the environment.
We Don’t Play Golf Here – and other stories of globalization is a concise exploratory depiction of the negative side of globalization, and the extremes that everyday people go to in order to save their land and communities.
Speaker: Dr. Julian Castro Rea, Professor of Political Science
October 8
Quaalunaat! Why White People are Funny
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(52 Minutes, 2006)
What's so funny about white people, otherwise known as Qallunaat to the Inuit? Well, among other curious behaviours, Qallunaat ritualistically greet each other with inane salutations, repress natural bodily functions, complain a lot about being cold, and seem to want to dominate the world. This docucomedy is collaboration between filmmaker Mark Sandiford and Inuit writer and satirist, Zebedee Nungak.
In its use of archival clips, Why White People Are Funny pokes as much fun at the illustrious history of NFB documentaries as it does at society in the south. As early as the classic 1922 feature "Nanook of the North," white society has been fascinated with native subjects, studying them as exotic specimens, documenting their cultural and social behaviours. Those who were holding the mirror up to Inuit culture finally have it turned back on themselves. Why White People Are Funny is a humbling portrait of what it must feel like to be the object of the white man's gaze.
Speaker: TBA
October 15
We Feed the World
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(56 Minutes, 2006)
Close to a billion of the nearly seven billion people on Earth are starving today. But the food we are currently producing could feed 12 billion people. This is a film about food and globalization, fishermen and farmers, the flow of goods and cash flow -- a film about scarcity amid plenty. Why doesn't a tomato taste like a tomato today? How does one explain that 200 million people in India, supplier of 80% of Switzerland's wheat, suffer from malnutrition? Why are thousands of acres of the Amazon being cleared to grow soybeans? Is water something to which the public has a basic right or, as the CEO of the world's largest food company Nestlé suggests, a foodstuff with a market value? These distressing questions are addressed as filmmaker Erwin Wagenhofer travels from Austria to Brazil, France to Romania to interview Jean Ziegler, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, CEOs and directors of the world's largest food companies, agronomists, biologists, fishermen, farmers and farmworkers.
Speaker: Dr. Suresh Narine, Professor of Agriculture Food and Nutritional Science
October 22
War Dance
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(105 Minutes, 2007)
Dominic, Rose, and Nancy are three children whose families have been torn apart, their homes destroyed, their innocence lost, and who currently reside in a displaced persons camp in Patongo. These children attend a school where they can momentarily forget the brutal realities of their lives, as they participate in music, song and dance. When they are invited to compete in an annual music and dance festival in their nation's capitol, their historic journey is also an opportunity to regain a part of their childhood and to taste victory for the first time.
Speaker: Renee Vaugeois, executive Director of Ainembabazi Children’s Project
October 29
Seoul Train
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(54 Minutes, 2008)
Today, there are an estimated 250,000 North Korean refugees living underground in China. They escaped a food crisis and other persecutions at home that have claimed the lives of approximately 3 million in the past 10 years. The Chinese Government repatriates hundreds of these refugees each month. Defecting from North Korea is a capital offense, and repatriated refugees face human rights abuses ranging from concentration camps and torture to forced abortion and summary executions. For a lucky few refugees, however, there is hope. A group of multinational activists has taken it upon themselves to create an Underground Railroad. Via a network of safe houses and escape routes, the activists -- at great personal risk -- help the refugees on daring escapes to freedom over hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of miles of Chinese territory.
Speaker: TBA
November 5
War Made Easy
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(72 Minutes, 2007)
War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq. Narrated by actor and activist Sean Penn, the film exhumes remarkable archival footage of official distortion and exaggeration from LBJ to George W. Bush, revealing in stunning detail how the American news media have uncritically disseminated the pro-war messages of successive presidential administrations. War Made Easy gives special attention to parallels between the Vietnam war and the war in Iraq. Guided by media critic Norman Solomon’s meticulous research and tough-minded analysis, the film presents disturbing examples of propaganda and media complicity from the present alongside rare footage of political leaders and leading journalists from the past, including Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, dissident Senator Wayne Morse, and news correspondents Walter Cronkite and Morley Safer.
Speaker: Peace activist and Project Ploughshares founder Patti Hartnagel
November 12
Tangier Treehouse
5 PM, Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(57 Minutes, 2007)
When a group of Moroccan street children are invited to take part in a treehouse building workshop, they find themselves unexpectedly transformed. Tangier Treehouse offers a timely and intimate window into the world of Arab youth. In Tangier, unemployment runs as high as 30%, and more than 30,000 illegal Moroccan immigrants a year use the port as a jumping off point to Europe, tantalizingly close across the Straits of Gibraltar. Hundreds of street children lurk at the port, waiting to hide in the underbelly of 18-wheeler trucks and ride the ferry boats to Europe. Many die every year, and even if they make it across the 14 km stretch of water, the chances of being caught and sent home are great The film explores the borders between North Africa and the West, between the Arab world and America, and between those who have and those who have not.
Speaker: Dr. Lahoucine Ouzgane, Professor of English and Film Studies, with specialization in Islamic Studies.
November 19
La Sierra
5 PM , Civil Engineering Building (CEB) 325
(84 Minutes, 2005)
Thousands of people were killed in gang related violence in Colombia over the last ten years. The film profiles three young people living in La Sierra, a Medellín barrio which is controlled by paramilitaries known as the Bloque Metro. It chronicles their lives and their involvement in the conflict, and records the despair and poverty these young people experience, and the hope that the changes that are made will bring peace and a better life for them and their families.
Speaker: Dr. David Johnson, Professor of Latin American History
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Creative Expressions!!! AHC 5th Annual Fundraiser…
“Creative Expressions” has always been a fun and great event that truly reflects the celebration of diversity and success. Core to the success of this event is the invaluable support of AHC friends, supporters, event sponsors and donors to whom we owe tons of gratitude and are proud to have in the circle of our network.
All proceeds from this year’s “Creative Expressions” go to support community driven crime prevention, safety and healthy living projects.
How this fund raising event started?
5yrs ago a group of community leaders/members who were provided small grants and facilitation support through AHC Seed Grants program to organize Community Initiatives (CI) expressed their interest in giving back to the community.
They came together with AHC staff/board and other volunteers to create an event that would partly celebrate Community Initiative (CI) achievements and partly raise money to support more people create new CIs in Greater Edmonton.
‘Giving back to the community’ was the drive behind this effort of collaboration 5yrs ago when this fundraising event was first started, and still is, today as we prepare for the fifth annual fundraising event.
As CI leaders enjoy the ripple of the support they received for their CI activities in the successes achieved, they were more than pleased to become partners in organizing an event that celebrates their successes as well as raise funds to support more people, celebrate more new successes, and enjoy health and well-being in their communities.
What is Action for Healthy Communities Society of Edmonton (AHC)?
We are a registered charity and community development organization working to build stronger and healthier communities in Greater Edmonton.
Our programs include a variety of individual and community capacity building activities that strengthen leadership skills of youth, adults and seniors from diverse communities and neighborhoods and provide them with hands-on experience in improving community health and well-being.
Our programs also include providing people interested in serving their communities with one-on-one support and resources to get organized and start their own community action projects (also called Community Initiatives - CI) - for example, guidance to develop a senior’s exercise program, help locating a meeting space for a collective kitchen or small funding amounts to purchase supplies for a children’s Saturday art class.
For more information about AHC, please visit our website at www.a4hc.ca or call us at 780-944-4687.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Cinema in the Suburbs
Taking its cue from Cinema at the Centre, Whitemud Crossing Library is now showing little known independent and foreign films on the first Sunday of each month (from September to May). These films are also available in Edmonton Public Library’s collection. You may also be interested in the NFB Film Club and Cinema at the Centre.
Upcoming titles in the Cinema in the Suburbs series:
Sunday, October 5, 2:00 p.m. – I Can’t Sleep
Beautiful Daiga has emigrated from Lithuania to Paris and is looking for a place to stay and work. Theo is a struggling musician, and his brother Camille – a transvestite dancer. One of these three people might be connected to a serial killer who has been terrorizing Paris. Declared “Daring and original!” by Premiere Magazine, director Claire Denis’ I Can’t Sleep depends on mood rather than plot to trace the fragile connections of urban outsiders.
110 minutes – French with English subtitles – France 1994 – 18A for nudity and violence
Sunday, November 2, 2:00 p.m. – The Secret Life of Words
Academy Award winner Tim Robbins stars in this compelling film from Isabel Coixet, director of the acclaimed My Life Without Me. The Secret Life of Woods is a moving story about discovering love and hope when least expected. A wounded oil worker forms an unlikely and emotional relationship with a nurse (Sarah Polley) based on his need to divulge the secrets of his past and her mysterious silence about her own identity. Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News calls it “remarkably compelling – one you won’t soon forget.”
112 minutes – Spain 2005 – 14A for course language, mature themes
Sunday, December 7, 2:00 p.m. – Inertia
Joseph can’t accept that his soul mate, Laura, no longer loves him. Laura is infatuated with Bruce. Bruce is Joseph’s best friend. Bruce has settled into married life with Yumi but finds himself vaguely unfulfilled. When Joseph’s young cousin Alex arrives in the city, her spontaneity and zest for ilfe shake everyone out of their rut. Winner of the Best Canadian First Feature Film award at the Toronto International Film Festival, written and directed by Seas Garrity, this “smart, funny and stylish” (Georgia Straight) comedy is a charming tale of sex in the big city – Winnipeg!
95 minutes – Canada 2001 – 14A for mature Themes
Submitted by Helen Rusich
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SOS Small Islands
Dear friends,
Next week, desperate due to accelerating sea level rise, a group of small islands' leaders plan to take the unprecedented step of putting a resolution before the United Nations calling upon the Security Council itself to address climate change. Stand with these threatened people:
Sign the petition now!
Imagine the sea rising around you as your country literally disappears beneath your feet, where the food you grow and the water you drink is being destroyed by salt, and your last chance is to seek refuge in other lands where climate refugees have no official status. This is not a dream, it's the fearful reality for millions of people who live on islands around the world, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.
That is why these small islands are planning the unprecedented step next week, ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting, of calling on the Security Council itself to address climate change as a pressing threat to international peace and security.
This is a creative move born of desperation, a challenge to global powers to end their complacency and tackle this lethal crisis with the urgency of wars. This effort could help shift the tenor of the world's debate -- from a far-off storm cloud to a life-threatening crisis here and how. But the island states' campaign will meet fierce opposition from the world’s biggest polluters, so they need our help. Sign the petition now to raise a worldwide chorus of support for this call -- our signatures will be presented to the UN by the islands' ambassadors as they introduce their resolution next week:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/sos_small_islands
For the first time in human history, the North Pole can be circumnavigated -- the Arctic ice is melting more quickly than almost anyone anticipated. Now, small island nations -- where homes are, at most, mere meters above sea level -- are preparing evacuation plans to guarantee the survival of their populations. They are on the frontline, experiencing the first wave of devastating impacts from climate change which soon will threaten us all.
President Remengesau of Palau, a small island in the Pacific, recently said:
Palau has lost at least one third of its coral reefs due to climate change related weather patterns. We also lost most of our agricultural production due to drought and extreme high tides. These are not theoretical, scientific losses -- they are the losses of our resources and our livelihoods.... For island states, time is not running out. It has run out. And our path may very well be the window to your own future and the future of our planet".
Beyond the islands, countries like Bangladesh -- population, 150 million -- face losing large parts of their landmass. The experience of our planet's most vulnerable communities serves as a warning sign of the future world we can all expect: extreme weather growing in intensity, conflict over water and food supplies, coasts disappearing and hundreds of millions made refugees.
The more signatures we raise to be delivered to the UN next week, the more urgently this call will ring out to protect our common future. Sign now:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/sos_small_islands
The small islands' brave campaign for survival is our campaign as well. Just as sea levels rise or fall everywhere at the same time, the choices of every person everywhere affect the future of our common home. By standing with the people at the front line of the climate crisis, we show them, and ourselves, that we recognize our fundamental shared humanity -- and the responsibilities that come with it.
With hope, Ben, Iain, Alice, Paul, Graziela, Pascal, Ricken, Brett, Milena -- the Avaaz team
PS: For a report on Avaaz's campaigning so far, see:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2
PPS: These are the States who are sponsoring the resolution: Fiji, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, joined by Canada and Turkey.
For a draft of the Small Islands States Resolution, please see:
http://islandsfirst.org/draftres.pdf
For more information about those presenting the petition please visit:
http://islandsfirst.org
For information on Tuvalu's evacuation plan and climate refugees, see:
http://www.wwf.org.au/articles/climate-refugees-in-a-drowning-pacific/
For information about how rising sea levels will affect us all:
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update2.htm
For more information on the rapidly-melting Arctic ice:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/for-the-first-time-in-human-history-the-north-pole-can-be-circumnavigated-913924.html
For more information about all of the island states:
http://www.sidsnet.org/aosis/
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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The Story That Brought Me Here: To Alberta from Everywhere
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Navigating a Course for a Healthy Future
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2009 Conference - Alberta’s Cultural Communities: A Diverse History – Call for Papers
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Coaching Conversations that Work: Building on a Foundation of Real Meeting
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Diverse Voices – Family Violence Conference
