What’s Your Issue? What Are You Going To Do About It?

The Global Action Grant is for youth interested in creating innovative solutions to youth issues in development. Three $500 grants will be awarded to young people from across Canada to fund micro-projects that raise awareness about development issues at here in Canada.

Grant applicants are encouraged to submit applications that engage their peers and the public around global development issues. Ideas for possible projects include:
• A collaborative or crowd-sourced film project with youth viewpoints from across Canada on environmental issues
• A facilitated program in a small community in Canada for local youth to learn tools for advocacy
• A ‘Feast or Famine’ dinner party series to shed light on issues of global youth hunger and food security
• A mini-conference/call to action for local youth to collaborate with community leaders to improve youth services in their municipality

We will be accepting applications until December 1st, 2012 for project activities to be implemented between January 15th and March 30th 2013. Grant applications can be submitted in any format (e.g., video, essay, infographic, photos, blog, etc.). Tell us in the most compelling way you can, ‘What’s Your Issue? And, What Are You Going To Do About It?’ We are looking for creativity and innovation in the applications and the projects. Include in your submission a breakdown of how you plan on spending the $500 for your micro-project.

Winners will be featured on the YCI website, blog and social media channels. Press releases will also be distributed in the winners’ local community. The grant recipients will be expected to report on the progress, successes and challenges of their micro-project prior to the March 30th, 2013 project completion deadline.

To submit your application or if you have any questions: sarah.vickery@yci.org

Throughout the coming months, we will be featuring blog posts from our Youth Writers, Alumni and staff featuring the issues they feel strongly about. Keep Reading!

http://www.seattlecenter.com/thenextfifty/announcement_detail.aspx?aid=24

Winners will be announced at the closing event at Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) Cinema on Wednesday, October 17 at 7pm (details
on this FREE event are included in the link above – please join us!).

After the Celebration and Awards event on October 17, the website will be updated to showcase the winners, and all other submissions as well.

Attached is A Founder’s Story for more details about “Lizzie2Good.”

Pink is the colour of the month with it being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In support of Breast Cancer Awareness the UCT Med School is having pink Fridays every Friday of October and will be hosting a number of different events.

On an international front – uBid.com, the go-to online marketplace, is teaming up with handbag designer Patricia Nash and various celebrities in the fight against breast cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

With an estimated 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the United States alone, uBid.com, along with Nash and participating celebrities hope to show solidarity with all women impacted by breast cancer and encourage others to do the same. Throughout October, Patricia Nash Designs will be auctioning off 17 celebrity-signed Barcellona Saddle Bags on uBid.com with the winning auction bid benefitting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Celebrities who have signed handbags include January Jones, Liv Tyler, Giuliana Rancic, LeAnn Rimes, Kristin Chenoweth, Vanessa Hudgens, Elizabeth Hurley, Maria Menounos, and Jenna Dewan Tatum.

Read more: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/9031-celebrities-sign-handbags-for-breast-cancer-awareness-month#ixzz28LD7k8sU

Tattoo Drive

Closer to home and happening this weekend is the Tattoo drive which is in aid of a mass sterilisation campaign. The proceeds will go to ART, Orange Grove Sterilisation Programme in East, London Cluny Trust and Grabouw Animal Welfare. Essentially the money you pay to get yourself inked will save lives. If you are interested please phone the studio in advance to secure your booking and send an email to info@auctions4charity.co.za so that they can track how many sterilisations have been paid for. Please note that the max tattoo size 10cm x 10cm.

Pink Week

This week is also Pink Week on campus which is being run by Rainbow UCT. “RainbowUCT is a society for all people who appreciate sexual diversity. We celebrate the individual’s right to choose their own lifestyle. We offer support to people coming to terms with their own sexuality and strive to create an environment that is accepting, tolerant and free of homophobia both on our campus and in the wider community.”

Visit www.rainbowuct.org

And then the UCT Radio campaign Sponsor A Child is still in full swing so if you are interested click on the tab to find out more.

Walk The Talk

Susan Sarandon  

Charity Related things she’s done:

-          She is an ambassador for UNICEF.

-          Susan is on the board of advisors for the Yéle Haiti Foundation, and has served on the Advisory Committee for FilmAid International.

-          Sarandon was Action Against Hunger’s award recipient at the “Restaurants Against Hunger Campaign” gala in 2006, in honor of World Food Day.

-          The Children’s Aid Society presented its first “Dreamspiration Award” to Susan Sarandon at its 15th annual Blue Jean Ball in 2007.

“It’s not like my activism is something recent. I come from a generation where, growing up, if you had half a brain in your head and half a heart, you were automatically active.” – Susan Sarandon

Jack Johnson

Charity related things he’s done:

-          Johnson and his band work tirelessly towards raising environmental awareness.

-          Johnson and his management crew have created the All At Once Campaign, and Jack also created the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation. This charity promises to match fans’ donations to the local charities featured in the Village Green area at each of his shows (up to $2500 per concert).

-          Johnson and his wife set up the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, and Jack has performed in school classrooms to help raise awareness for the charity and the environment.

-          Johnson supports the Australian Marine Conservation Society, which is working to increase protection for threatened sea turtles through the Save Moreton Bay campaign. Ten Jack Johnson concert tickets have been donated as a reward to the charity’s volunteers.

-          Johnson recorded a John Lennon song for a CD compilation to raise funds for Amnesty International.

-          And he supports the Inspire Foundation’s ActNow program.

Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OLAG)

OLAG was started by Oprah Winfrey in 2002 and officially opened in 2007. Since then the academy has grown to its full potential catering for 380 students and in 2011 celebrated its first class of matriculants. Their vision and mission statement sum up what they do best:

Vision: “We support the development of a new generation of dynamic women leaders. By virtue of their unique education, this generation will lead the enduring transformation of their communities and country.”

Mission: “We strive to provide a nurturing educational environment for academically gifted girls who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our educational programmes are designed for girls in Grades 7 – 12 who have demonstrated academic talent and leadership potential. We equip students with the intellectual and social skills necessary to assume positions of leadership in South Africa and abroad.”

AUCE Aie Club CIM Training

On the 22nd of September, Fadi Darwish & Myriam Kharma successfully trained the cabinet members of the AUCE Aie club as well as the liaison. The training which is known as CIM or Club Initiation & Management training, aimed to help the cabinet members manage their Aie club, divide responsibilities according to roles, hold effective meetings, recruit members, manage the team and plan projects.
During the full training day, the team members brainstormed the projects they wish to implement during the academic year; and the outcome was 2 projects under community service, another pair under community development and a final 2 under community awareness.
At the end of that day, all AUCE Aie Club members left the Aie Serve office with an amazing plan just waiting for execution.

Aie Consult Fundraising Workshop

Moving on to the 23rd of september, the day that held the Aie Consult Fundraising workshop. This workshop was given
to 12 participants representing several NGOs by Aie Serve’s President Afif Tabsh. The objectives of the workshop were several yet some main objectives were: defining fundraising, briefing participants on fundraising basics & best practices,  explaining the 5 fundraising strategies & case studies, collaboratively drafting fundraising plans for each NGO.
And the better part is the result! The outcome was a remarkable fundraising plan for each and every participating NGO. This all was done in the presence of Aie Consult’s program coordinator Tareq Youness, Aie Clubs project coordinator Rami Zoueini, Maha Jaafar as a facilitator and Youssef Nassar as photographer.

Moving on to a series of events that took place over two separate days. These events were Aie Consult’s Fundraising Coaching (2 Afternoon Sessions), and the Coaching & Evaluation Sessions for Aie Power’s e4Waste Team.
Those two days, the 24th and 28th of September , were indeed a challenge to the Aie Serve’s team but that is the benefit of having such a great coordinated team. The team did work on managing the time and making sure that everything was delivered perfectly and completely.

And now moving backwards to the 26th and 29th of september, and specifically to the afternoon of these days and exactly at 6pm in the Crown Plaza Hotel, the Acheive (Get Your Career On) was hosted. As you know one of the Aie Power’s finalists was “Get Your Career On”, who delivered several sessions in Aie Serve’s offices for different participants about the best way to write CVs, prepare for interviews and start the career in the best possible way.
The team finished their two workshops at the Crown Plaza with many other workshops to come more success to achieve by “Achieve”.

Strategic Planning Workshop

And thats not all! Also on the 29th of September, the president of Aie Serve, Afif Tabsh, gave a Strategic Planning workshop. Through that workshop, Afif managed to cover several points which included the definition of Strategic planning, the types of it, how to draft the vision, mission & goals of an organization, how to evaluate programs, projects and team Performance, how to extract lessons learned, and the training also had a part for practicing SWOT and  PESTLE analysis. And no doubt that at the end of the workshop, each NGO now has a better understanding of strategic planning and the tools to use for it.

Last but not least, September ends on a Sunday, but that is no excuse for Aie Serve to rest. Afif Tabsh ended Aie Serve’s September with a Human Capital Management workshop. The workshop aimed to define Human Capital Management (HCM) and its importance in an organization, Differentiate between HCM and HR, elaborate the 5 stages of HCM and practice these stages.

Human Capital Management Workshop

The September workshops of Aie Serve ended but that only means that October’s Aie serve workshops are yet to come, so stay tuned.

Operation Shoebox is an organisation that essentially organises Christmas gifts for children in the care of over 50 Cape Town based charities. Every year they ask charities for lists of the children in their care and then find sponsors to fill up a shoebox with Christmas goodies for them. Each sponsor ‘adopts’ a child and is given the child’s name, age, gender, clothing and shoe size, and where possible some details about their hobbies and interests so that they can personalise the shoebox. The shoeboxes get handed in at the drop-off points all across Cape Town and then the rest is up to the team. Sponsors can get involved with the sorting and distribution of the boxes and sometimes even meet their ‘adopted’ child.

This year’s drive was launched on the 12th August with a list of 4955 children. On the 16th September Operation Shoebox announced that the list was almost filled with the exception of ten teenage boys and 5 toddlers. The drop-off sites for these kids are still open so if you are keen to get involved register by clicking the pink button on the left hand margin of their website and they will provide you with the necessary information. For more information check their website or Facebook page.

Website:  http://www.operationshoebox.co.za

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Operation.Shoebox

Gardens Charity Book Sale

Wola Nani and Well-Read Books are putting on ‘book’ sale at the Gardens Shopping Centre from the 21st-30th September 2012. There will be a fantastic selection of books, DVDs and CDs ranging across the genres so it something not to be missed!  The sale will run upstairs at Gardens Centre (opposite the parking pay stations) from 09h00 to 19h00 (weekdays), 09h00 to 17h00 (Saturday) and 09h00 to 14h00 (Sunday).

The sale is in aid of Wola Nani which was established in 1994. The NGO operates a variety of programmes to support women, orphans and vulnerable children infected and affected by the HIV / AIDS pandemic.

For more information contact Mark Leach on:
Phone: 083 342 2261
Website: www.wellread-books.com

WALK THE TALK

Avril Lavigne

Some charity related things she has done:

- Avril recorded a John Lennon song for a CD compilation to raise funds for Amnesty International.

- She also recorded a version of Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” for a CD in support of British-based children’s charity War Child.

- She performed at a Prince’s Trust event, London Party in the Park.

- Lavigne donated items for the Grammy online charity auction benefiting the Grammy Foundation and MusiCares.

- Lavigne worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2005 East Coast tour.

Award-winning singer/songwriter and philanthropist Avril Lavigne created The Avril Lavigne Foundation in early 2010 to support sick and disabled children.

The Avril Lavigne Foundation partners with leading charitable organizations to design and deliver programs, raise awareness and mobilize support for children and youth living with a serious illness or a disability.

The Avril Lavigne Foundation R.O.C.K.S. Respect,

Nick Hock from the UCT Water Polo club came to visit us to chat about the clubs charity involvement in Khayelitsha. For the past 4 weeks they have visited the local Khayelitsha swimming pool in order to teach the local underprivileged children how to swim and play water-polo.

A HUGE Just Listen cheer to them for the great work they do!

Film Soc

Chris and Andrew (outgoing and incoming presidents) dropped by to give us an update on everything Film Soc related!

On the website:

There are some things in life that get old very quickly. Among these are: Res food, that creepy dude who sits behind you in lectures and doesn’t stop sniffing, motorized wheelchairs, the television commentary for spelling-bees, Mariah Carey’s voice, the smell of urine in an old age home and, of course, the Green Campus Initiative.

But we’ve got good news. Film Society never gets old. Nope, in fact we just keep getting bigger and bigger, better and better, louder and louder. And we say – screw the planet! Let’s just go out with a bang!

Because this year we’re:

 hosting over a dozen free parties,
 screening at least two movies per month,
 offering our members the chance to make their very own films,
 we’re handing out vests, boerie rolls and some awesome prizes,
 running exciting competitions,

Where:  Silver Cloud Hotel, Jimmy’s On Broadway, 1100 Broadway Seattle, WA 98122

When:    Thursday, September 27, 2012

Time:      5:30 PM Networking and Refreshments  6:30 PM General Membership Meeting

Cost:       UFSC-PS Members:  FREE      Nonmembers:  $10 Donation

FREE PARKING PERMIT ATTACHED Urban Financial Services Coalition 9.27

Space may be limited so please RSVP early and bring a friend!  Contact Program Committee Chair Diane Biegler at program@ufscps.org to confirm attendance.

In Partnership With

Check out the video:

Photograph by Asia Batey

Whether your planning a trip to our hidden treasure, or were born and raised here, I highly recommend you try to get your hands on one of these. Contributors include Post and Courier staff writers as well as other local experts. It is a guide to Charleston’s history and landmarks, restaurants (and their owners/head chefs), beaches, shopping, events and local pass-times. There is even a section about community school districts for families who may be looking to relocate.

Things I learned:

• In May 2012 Charleston announced its first female fire chief
• During the 2012 PGA Championship at the Kiawah Island Resort Ocean Course, all spectator photography was prohibited (including cell phones) except during practice rounds
• SocialPrimer.com
• Travel + Leisure named Charleston the second best dressed city in America (bet you can guess who was #1)
• The only way to be “from here” is to be “born here,” but it is still possible to learn enough about Charleston and its surrounding communities to be considered an honorary “local” (I may not TOTALLY agree with this–but I won’t rain on any parades either)

I’m having a great time getting to know the peninsula through the eyes of an ambitious young adult. There is so much to love; from the arts, fashion and entertainment to food, history and nightlife. It’s no wonder our tourist season lasts year round. A question for the true locals; what’s your favorite part about this city and being from here?

International News:

Save the Children in collaboration with OneRepublic launched their Every Beat Matters campaign yesterday on the Tuesday the 11^th September. Adverts featuring the creation of the band’s new single “Feel Again” will be distributed to more than 33 000 media outlets across the United States in the hopes of inspiring support for what the organisation is calling “a movement” and not merely a campaign. The adverts show how children’s heartbeats collected in villages of Malawi and Guatemala inspired the hit song that will hopefully help bring hope to children around the world.

The Aim of the campaign is to bring basic lifesaving care to children worldwide. Every year about 7 million children die before their 5^th birthday from mostly preventable and treatable causes. By downloading the song or taking action in other ways on their website the public can help these children survive through supporting the frontline health workers who are trained by Save the Children. They are striving to expand the reach of local clinics in these areas and help more children.

You can get involved by checking out their website: www.EveryBeatMatters.org, following them on Twitter @EveryBeat or find them on Facebook at facebook.com/everybeatmatters.

You can also check out the Save the Children website: http://www.savethechildren.org

South Africa:

On Friday, 21^st September 2012 the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) are holding a golf day at Atlantic Beach Golf Estate. It will cost you R1,820 per 4-ball (includes green fees, halfway house, dinner and great prizes) or you can sponsor a hole for R3,200 manned or R5,000 unmanned or sponsor prizes (4 of each item).

Contact: Alison Smith on 021 434 4011

The NSRI was started in 1967 by Miss Pattie Price. Miss Price, who had been saved by life boat rescue herself in the British Channel, started campaigning for the formation of a sea rescue organisation in 1963 when 17 fishermen drowned due to a lack of rescue service. The NSRI’s first craft was a 4.7m inflatable boat called Snoopy. As well as providing assistance to troubled vessels they run educational programmes giving people tips about water safety especially about rip currents along the coasts of South Africa. As well as this the NSRI help marine life and for example assisted in freeing a 12m long Southern Right Whale which was entangled in a rock lobster rope and buoys in January 2012.

You can contact them or find out what they are up to on their website: www.nsri.org.za.

Walk the Talk

Ellen DeGeneres

Television host Ellen DeGeneres supports numerous organizations, and has won many awards for her charitable efforts.Recently, DeGeneres learned about an organization called The Gentle Barn, a home and hospital for animals that have been abused. On her website, DeGeneres urges her viewers to donate.

The Gentle Barn

Our Mission: To rescue, rehabilitate and give sanctuary to abused animals. Through the interaction with our animals people learn reverence for all life.

The ultimate goal is to open Gentle Barn’s across the country so that every animal and child can have a place of healing and safety and where they can be seen for the perfect beings that they are. Since its inception, The Gentle Barn has been home to hundreds of animals and host to over 100,000 people.

At The Gentle Barn, we work with children from the inner-city, group homes, mental health care facilities, foster homes, and schools to teach them that even though we are all different on the outside, on the inside we are all the same and are deserving of the same rights, respects and freedom.

Website: http://gentlebarn.org/aboutus.php

Desmond Tutu – Patron of the SACCT.

The Giving Organisation Trust

Nine years ago, the South African Children’s Charity Trust (SACCT) was formed with the exclusive goal to raise funds for charities on commercial terms.  The SACCT benefited Reach For A Dream, Cotlands, CHOC, The South African Red Cross Society and the Ithemba Trust.

During 2005, the SACCT was expanded to form The Giving Organisation Trust (TGO), benefiting the initial 5 beneficiaries as well as CANSA, World Wide Fund For Nature, South Africa, NSPCA, ACFS African Feeding Scheme and the Desmond Tutu HIV Aids Foundation.

The management team behind the Good Card has already distributed more than R48 million to various South African charities over the past few years – all through various innovative commercial projects.

Seals of Nam

The Namibian Seal hunt goes beyond the realm of cruelty and animal welfare, and impacts on pressing matters of social development, sustainability, employment, and even basic human rights of impoverished people.

Unlike the seals targeted by the commercial Canadian seal massacre, the Namibian seal has much greater locomotive abilities. These seals will attempt to run away and can run almost as fast as a man, even over rough terrain. When they are being beaten to death, they take evasive action. Several blows are typically landed before the animal is rendered dead or unconscious. Since the EU and Russia have banned the import of Canadian skins, the Namibian seal “cull” has become the largest slaughter of wildlife on earth. It is for these reasons that the Namibian hunt is considered the most brutal of all seal hunts.

Not only do Cape Fur Seals appear on Appendix II of CITES, they are also on the RED LIST of the IUCN. It is critical they get the protection they deserve.

Website: www.thesealsofnam.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesealsofnam

This organization encourages groups of volunteers to get involved, across Australia, with planting and weed management, environmental education and community awareness programs, sustainable agriculture activities, seed collection and propagation and erosion control.

It’s a really impressive movement that launched in 1985 by the then Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands. In 1989, it became national. In July 1989, the Australian Government announced a ‘Decade of Landcare Plan’ and committed $320 million to fund the National Landcare Program.

The website is very informative and helps to make getting involved easy.

I discovered L.I.F.E. when I came across their most recent commercial – a 3D animated spot that reminded me of the recent award-winning  Chipotle commercial. This is a great 2 minute spot that somewhat illustrates the purpose of the movement, but makes you want to learn more.

It was done by Murphy & Friends – a creative agency in Australia that doesn’t seem to have a website.

I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post. My sincerest apologies for the absence; things are starting to really speed up around here. I accepted a full time position at Spa Adagio, a boutique spa in the heart of downtown Charleston.

Why I took the job -

• Flexible hours/schedule
• Money to save/invest/attend community events
• Location
• Client lists (hellooo networking) – upscale regulars, business owners and tourists from EVERYWHERE
• I’m learning the ins and outs of running a small business (my boss started Spa Adagio 15 years ago!)
• Lots of responsibility and room for creativity

Its been a couple weeks and I’ve enjoyed every minute. I have the opportunity to pitch and implement my own marking/communications/public relations tactics to help the company grow. I also have plenty of time to meditate on my own business and branding while bouncing around ideas with a great group of people.

Since starting my job, I’ve been keeping busy attending art show openings, doing photo shoots and experiencing some of King Street’s nightlife. I promise there are lots of great posts coming soon!

Supports the 2^nd Annual Stand Down for Veterans

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Where: Seattle Central Community College

              1701 Broadway, Seattle, Washington 98122

JOIN US: