Element : Action on Earth » human rights

Element at the MDG Awards!

admin — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:36:20 +0000

In just hours, Tina and Ifie’s Element episode on gas flaring in Nigeria will be presented at the United Nations – and streamed to the world. It’s part of the Inaugural Millennium Development Goals Awards Ceremony; an all-singing, all-talking concert celebrating the all-doing people working to achieve the MDGs. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. Macy Gray’s performing!
We’re very pleased to be played.

Watch the Awards here:

http://mdgawards.org/webcast.html

More on the MDGs here (is it all a giant conspiracy?):

http://www.element-tv.net/mdg/

And more on Tina and Ifie’s fight to make the oil industry do the decent thing, here:

http://http:www.element-tv.net/news/2007/03/episode-2/

element: tia

admin — Mon, 28 May 2007 05:49:42 +0000

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Want to write to Tia? Here’s her address:

Message from Tia:

It’s been just over a year since I returned from Papua New Guinea Global Forest Rescue Campaign and it feels like yesterday.
Since working with the local tribes in PNG- sharing food, traditions and stories – my views have broadened to more of an Indigenous Unity direction.

Because of the issues affecting the indigenous people (Maori) here in Aotearoa/ New Zealand, I’ve gotten involved in an organisation called Conscious Collaborations.

Our vision is to collaborate with other NGO’s creating Global Networks, so that indigenous peoples from around the world can share struggles, victories, strategies, arts… all the things that make us unique to our lands.
By doing this we can create a stronger voice and empower people to move forward in their campaigns… and just be there to support each other in each others’ fight for our lands and resources.

One thing I strongly remember from my time in Papua New Guinea was warning the local tribes about colonisation, corporate theft, government confiscation and privatisation of lands and resources: the things that Maori people in Aotearoa/ New Zealand have already experienced and are now fighting to reclaim.

I hope that from our example the people of Papua New Guinea will not go down the same road.

Peace love and indigenous global solidarity

Tia

With thanks to Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/

and to Pitch Black and Salmonella Dub for the music:

http://www.salmonelladub.com

http://www.pitchblack.co.nz/

and to Serena Stevenson for the footage of Tia’s moko session:
http://www.serenastevenson.com”

Tia’s Element relates to:
Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

element: craig

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:25:07 +0000

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Message from Craig:

At Free The Children, we are shameless idealists. We believe that young people of all ages possess the power to make real change in the world today, on both local and international scales. We believe that when given the opportunity of education, the world’s children can overcome poverty and injustice to become empowered global citizens. We believe that by taking action, today’s generation can have a positive impact to help developing nations break free of the cycle of poverty. And we believe that this movement begins with you.

For the first time in history, we possess the ability to actually eradicate extreme poverty on a global scale. Accomplishing this goal might seem an overwhelming task, but the power is within our grasp. But it will require a fundamental shift in the way we spend, think and act.

Many thanks to Element and MTV for their help in our ongoing mission.

Be the Change,

Craig Kielburger

What next?

Adopt a Village: empower a community by providing access to education, clean water and health programs, alternative sources of income
http://www.freethechildren.com/getinvolved/adoptavillage.htm

Step out of your zone: volunteer internationally–building schools, interacting with community members and see the possibility for change.
http://leaderstoday.com/trips/

Speak out through silence: Take a “vow of silence” with Free The Children to raise awareness and collect funds for the millions of children throughout the world who do not have a voice.
http://www.freethechildren.com/youthzone/campaigns/vowofsilence.htm

Craig’s Element relates to:
Millennium Development 2: Achieve universal primary education

element: monica

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 22:18:51 +0000

This episode has been selected for the United Nations’ Stories from the Field Film Festival

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Want to write to Monica? Here’s her address:

Message from Monica (academic, human rights worker, internationally published poet and performer):

As an Afro-Peruvian woman, I face sexual and racial discrimination every day. I’d like to tell you about two hours of my life walking down the street in Peru. At 5 PM, I walk past a father and his child. The father points at me. He is laughing. He says, “Monster, monster! Do you see the monster?” The child says, “Her skin is burned!” At 6 PM, I walk past two men. One of them asks, “Woman, are you African? My doctor tells me that you are the best medicine, because you can make a man so happy.” At 6:10 PM, A taxi driver starts following me. He tells me to get into his car: “Nigger, come on.” I get angry and yell at him. He says, “You should be grateful that I am even looking at you.” This isn’t just an especially bad day. This is every day. So imagine what happens to Afro-Peruvian girls younger than me, girls living in the poor, rural town of El Carmen or in a port called El Callao, based in Lima.

Tourists with money approach them constantly, asking them to dance for coins -or to have sex. And these girls think they have to say “yes.” They think that sex is the only way to get a better life. I founded my organization, LUNDU, six years ago, because I wanted young Afro-Peruvians to have choices. Since 2004, the Coalition has supported our work with young people in El Carmen. We work with children and adolescents-mostly girls-to develop skills to resist sexism, prejudice, and what we call internalized racism, which makes us hate our culture and our own bodies. One way we help children and young people appreciate their Afro-Peruvian identity is with an activity we call The Mask. We ask the girls in our program to make a plaster mask of their face. We then ask them to wear the mask, give the mask a name, and tell a fantasy story about the mask.

Esmerelda, who is 19 years old, tells this story about her mask: “I am Maria. I am white, with brown, straight hair. My eyes are blue. I have my own dance school. I travel abroad. Like most girls in the program, Esmerelda, who is Afro-Peruvian, created a character who is white, with straight hair and blue eyes. Esmerelda then takes off her mask, and tells her own story:

“I am Esmerelda. I am black. I don’t like my face. It is so big. And I hate dancing for coins.” When the girls compare the story of their mask with their own story, they become angry, or start to cry-their reality is so different from their dreams. So in groups of peers and with LUNDU staff, we work to build their self-esteem—to really love who they are, as beautiful black young women. We are establishing a new youth center in El Carmen. With this center, we can reach more young people who need our support. With the Coalition, we can empower more young women against violence, abuse, forced sex, unwanted pregnancies, and AIDS. Our girls believe their lives are worth something. When tourists ask them to dance, or have sex, our girls can say “no”. Our girls learn to live without wearing a mask.

www.racismonuncamas.com
and www.oruperu.com

With thanks to Madre: madre.org

Monica’s Element relates to:
Millennium Development Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Millennium Development Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health