I just got this from a friend of mine from UC-Santa Barbara.  He graduated the year after me in Film Studies.  Looks like what he’s doing is really great and hopefully it will turn out fantastic.  Go to his website for more info.  Or read what he has to say, below.

Friends & Colleagues,

As some of you already know, I am currently traveling around the world filming a documentary. The project itself, entitled “People of Change,” is focused on humanitarian and environmental non-profits and their invaluable work to assist less privileged populations, further benefiting our entire global community. Brazil, Spain, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Australia and Easter Island (Chile) are the countries I will be visiting along the way. Indeed, there are several people dedicated to social and environmental causes around the world; yet, their efforts remain mostly anonymous. Such works must be exposed and further serve as an example and inspiration to us all.

“People of Change” is currently being distributed through the Internet (a combination of texts, pictures and videos). This project has been one of my professional goals for the past five years and the public response thus far has been immensely gratifying.

I would greatly appreciate if you could take a moment to check out the website and spread the change.

www.fernandosapelli.com

People of Change - Behind the Scenes #01 from Fernando Sapelli on Vimeo.

The U.S. Marine Corps have figured out an interesting way to get information.  I say interesting for two reasons: it is non-confrontational and involves women from both the US and Afghanistan.

The new strategy used by the Marine Corps involves groups of four to five women accompanying the teams of men going on patrols in the Helmand Province of rural Afghanistan.  Their mission is to attempt to gain the trust of Afghan women, who have more influence than one would expect.  If they win over the women, the Marines hope to gain the trust of the rural population as a whole.

The tactics: engagement.  Because Afghan women are culturally off-limits to outside men, it has been difficult to get information from them, as female Marines have not been able to go on patrols full-time until now.  These “engagement teams” will meet women in their homes (after getting permission from the house’s elder), and begin a conversation with them by asking basic questions, trying to get as much information as they can.

Gaining the trust of the general population by beginning with the women is not the only reason that the engagement teams are there.  Women are also a great source of information, as they exchange news from one village to another when they meet at communal places, like wells.  They can carry intelligence involving the political dynamics of their community, and more importantly, information on insurgents and the Taliban.

Speaking with the women is also a great way to get information on how to improve the communities.  “If the population has told you that their biggest problem is irrigation and your unit does something about it, that’s a huge success,” said Marina Kielpinski, the instructor of the team’s program.  (She also said, “If you have a pony tail, let it go out the back of your helmet so people can see you’re a woman.”)

The strategy is a part of General Stanley A. McChrystal’s campaign for Afghan hearts and minds.  He says that “you cannot gain the trust of the Afghan population if you only talk to half of it”.

I read about this issue in the New York Times.  Their article, by Elisabeth Bumiller, is here.

Send me your comments! What do you think of the new strategy?  Will it work?  What are the risks involved?  Would love to hear your opinion.

In Fall 2005, my Junior year at UC-Santa Barbara, I attended Semester At Sea for my semester abroad. The people I went to school and around the world with for 3 months were some of the most intelligent and broad-minded people I’ve ever come into contact with.  Many Semester At Sea alumni go on to do really amazing things, one of note being Andrew Briggs, who attended the program in the Spring semester, 2002.  An avid traveler in his undergrad years, Briggs travelled to countries such as Bolivia and Kenya.  It was there that his notion of social responsibility grew into something he wanted to incorporate into his life.  In 2006 he resigned from teaching and moved to Uganda to do research, and then founded his organization, Freedom in Creation (FIC) in 2007.

Freedom in Creation artist, Nyeko Ben Ivan from Freedom in Creation on Vimeo.

Freedom in Creation, based in Uganda, has three major missions for war-affected or at-risk communities:  to provide Therapeutic Art Activities, International Education, and Fresh Water/Water & Hygiene Sanitation Training.  These three things empower such communities with the psychosocial care that FIC provides, and ultimately, FIC hopes, lead to peace.

The international education that FIC provides does not only go out to the less fortunate.  FIC also teaches people in the US about what they do and how they help, showcasing the artwork created in their Art Therapy sessions.  They’ve visited numerous Elementary and High Schools across the country, engaging American students in collaborative art projects with their Ugandan counterparts. (See picture below.)  By spreading awareness of the injustices around the world, the FIC, along with the people they have touched, can foster peace in a turbulent, conflict-ridden country.

Below are the dates and locations for future FIC Art Shows.  Comment if you have been to any or if you end up going!  Pictures are more than welcome, too.

MARCH 2010 
February-May 2: FIC exhibit “The Story of Freedom”  at the Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC

APRIL 2010
February-May 2: FIC exhibit “The Story of Freedom”  at the Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC
April 22: Lecture at Queen’s University, Charlotte, NC

For more information, please visit www.freedomincreation.org

Below are more videos from the FIC website.

Freedom in Creation Child Artist Komokech Richard from Freedom in Creation on Vimeo.

Freedom in Creation kids testimonies from Freedom in Creation on Vimeo.

for more information, go to www.peaceoil.org

more on this later, but i just wanted to post about them.  they provide clean water to underdeveloped countries, and i think that what they are doing is really fantastic.  in fact, i read today in Invisible Children’s blog, that the two charities would be partnering together to do their part in rebuilding Port Au Prince, Haiti.  so awesome.

I can’t believe I still haven’t posted anything about Haiti.  The 7.0 earthquake that happened back in December, while devastating, brought out the best in people, in terms of how they reacted towards the natural disaster. What we saw happen around the world was an outpouring of charity toward the country.  one foundation that exemplifies such reactions is the Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ).

Started in early 2009 by award winning filmmaker Paul Haggis, APJ has led efforts in Haiti to improve the lives of Haitians.  Since December’s earthquake, APJ has successfully engaged Hollywood in supporting the relief efforts for Haiti.  The roster of celebrities includes Gerard Butler (see video below), Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, and many more.  These celebrities have donated their money and time to the cause, allowing the organization to build schools for children.  ”Schools right now might not seem like the most important thing tore establish but it just isn’t true. The children may not be in urgent need of an education, but they desperately need physical and psychological support. They need a daily meal and water and medical care that comes with our schools. These thousands of children need a safe place to gather, where they can find hope, and even joy and beauty. The issues on the rise right now are gangs, violent crime, prostitution and child slavery. Schools are more important now than ever,” Paul Haggis stated.

It’s heartwarming to see that people with such influence as movie stars use their fame and fortune for good causes, such as helping a third world country recover from the most devastating disaster in decades.  With the help of APJ and other charities like it, Haiti will hopefully rebuild and be a better place to live for its citizens.

conflict doesn’t just exist outside of the united states.  it happens all over the place, and tends to manifest itself in many different ways.  the US has seen a lot of conflict within its own borders, one type being street violence.  Tyrone Parker, from the neighborhoods of Washington, D.C., co-founded the Alliance of Concerned Men after the accidental death of his son, who was hit by a stray bullet during a skating rink shootout in 1989.  instead of seeking revenge, Parker dedicated himself to ending the violence in his hometown and restoring the sense of community he himself had grown up with in the same place.  Parker and the Alliance’s co-founders (Rahim Jenkins, Joe Nelson, Eric Johnson and James Alsobrooks) reasoned that the secret to ending violence was to go to the source to cultivate truces between conflicting groups.  the five men became volunteer peacemakers, going out unarmed and confronting violence on a person-to-person basis.

knowing that the Alliance isn’t there to hurt anyone, gangs and their individual members have begun to trust Parker and the Alliance; when Alliance mediators set out to settle disputes among killers and vengeful street leaders, giving them a chance to escape the crime an violence in which they have established themselves.

the Alliance has several programs, serving around 300 kids per day.  operating on the fact that every person has his or her own integrity and worth, the Alliance mentors all kinds of people, from ex-convicts, to students after school, to people in substance abuse programs.  countries such as Russia and Brazil have reached out to the Alliance for guidance on how to improve their own civic situations.

Attorney General Eric Holder spoke on february 18th of the achievements of the Alliance.  Of it he said,

I’ve watched the Alliance of Concerned Men grow from a handful of frustrated – yet, ultimately, hopeful – friends and neighbors into what it is today: one of this city’s most powerful, and most successful, voices for change. You’ve helped to create peace in some of our most dangerous and divided neighborhoods. You’ve spoken out for communities in crisis. And you’ve stood up for families and individuals in need. This work has always begun in the same, simple way – by getting people together, by talking, and by listening.

i think we can all learn a thing or two from Tyrone Parker and Eric Holder.  resolving conflict in a non-violent way that brings people together–now that is the best way to do it.

send your comments, stories, or thoughts.  who knows, i may repost them! and i would love to read what you have to say.

for more information on the Alliance of Concerned Men, go to www.allianceofconcernedmen.com

“Stand By Me” performed by musicians around the world:

The Playing for Change Foundation is dedicated to connecting the world through music. Look for the upcoming documentary film “Playing for Change: Peace Through Music”.

www.playingforchange.com

“There are also concerns that a “nuclear renaissance” could soon take place, with nuclear energy being seen as a clean, emission-free alternative at a time of intensifying efforts to combat climate change. The main worry is that this will lead to the production and use of more nuclear materials that must be protected against proliferation and terrorist threats.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Address to the East-West Institute
“The United Nations and security in a nuclear-weapon-free world”
(24 October 2008)

click on the pic below to watch the video.  i’m reposting it because it’s so awesome.