Babble Fish

Do you have a campaign to promote your cause for a better society, cleaner environment, brighter future, etc.? Well, this might be the right tool for you.

I met the guy who is involved in the Information Activism project under the Tactical Technology Collective. They are going to launch a video with training materials to help people to explore how rights advocates use information and digital technology to create positive change.

They are going to launch the DVD on December 4th 2009. You can be part of the global screening exercise too, please go the Information Activism website to get more information.

Temacapulín, México, October 1-7, 2010

We invite you to attend the 3rd International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and their Allies, to be held in Temacapulín, Mexico in October 2010. Villagers in Temacapulín are in the midst of a campaign to stop El Zapotillo Dam. They are graciously welcoming members of the international dams movement to their village and their homes for this important meeting.

More than 300 dam-affected people, NGO representatives and experts from across the globe will gather to share experiences and information, develop collective strategies, and strengthen the international movement to protect rivers and human rights.

Please mark the date on your calendars and come! A very limited amount of funding will be available to pay for travel for southern participants. We encourage you to raise money for your own travel costs to make sure you can attend. If you can raise money to support other participants to attend, please contact susanne@internationalrivers.org.

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WHAT: 3rd International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and their Allies

WHEN: October 1-7, 2010. October 1 and 7 will be travel days. There will be four days of meetings and workshops, plus a one-day field trip to visit with affected people and to learn about local struggles against dams.

WHERE: Temacapulín, México. Plan to fly into the Guadalájara City airport.

WHO: Dam-affected people and activists from around the world!

WHY: The first two meetings of dam-affected people and their allies were influential, helping to catalyze the international movement against dams. The movement has celebrated many victories since the 2003 meeting in Thailand, however, we still face serious threats to our rivers and our rights. A new generation of dams are being financed by Southern governments and companies that show little concern for upholding national laws or human rights. Dams are being promoted as a solution to climate change despite concerns about how a changing climate will affect their performance.

Now is the time for us to come together in solidarity to share experiences and develop joint strategies to protect our rivers and defend our rights.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit our website at www.internationalrivers.org/riversforlife3. We will post and send out more information as the meeting approaches. If you have any questions or if you are interested in helping out, please contact Susanne Wong at International Rivers, susanne@internationalrivers.org.

HELP SPREAD THE WORD
Please translate this invitation into your local language and circulate it far and wide, especially to dam-affected communities and NGOs that might not know about this meeting.

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* This meeting is being organized by International Rivers, three local partners and an international steering committee.

Local partners:
Mexican Institute for Community Development (IMDEC)
Committee to Save Temaca, Acasico and Palmarejo
Mexican Movement of People Affected by Dams and in Defense of Rivers (MAPDER)

International Steering Committee:
Sena Alouka, Young Volunteers for the Environment, Togo
Robert Kugonza, Africa Rivers Network, Uganda
Ercan Ayboga, Initiative to Save Hasankeyf, Turkey/Germany
Catriona Vine, Kurdish Human Rights Project, United Kingdom
Lata Anantha, River Research Centre, India
Tek Vannara, Culture and Environment Preservation Association, Cambodia
Luiz dalla Costa, Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens, Brazil
Roberto Epple, European Rivers Network, France
Gustavo Castro Soto, MAPDER and Otros Mundos, México
Marco von Borstel and Carmen Diaz, IMDEC, México
Susanne Wong and Berklee Lowrey-Evans, International Rivers, USA

Ever since you sang that song
for the defenders of our rights
I often put it on and sing along
never expected it to be a tribute for you tonight

In times of hardship, you asked us to be strong
with comforting words and hopes in sight
But today everything went terribly wrong
Why God choose to exercise Its might

You’re like a star
the brightest in the starry nights
dancing gracefully with the northern lights
shinning tirelessly as our guiding light

In moment like this, I will put on that song
remembering you in this lonely silent night
though it is difficult but let’s be strong
let’s band our hands and strive on for our rights

Let’s hear that song again… Download MP3

Toni Kassim
1967-2008

(continue reading…)

The International Accountability Project, WITNESS, EarthRights International and the Unit for Social and Environmental Research at Chiang Mai University, Thailand are pleased to announce the call for applications for the Video Advocacy Workshop (VAW). This workshop will train people in WITNESS’ highly effective methodology for integrating video into human rights advocacy campaigns. WITNESS uses video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. It empowers people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting public engagement and policy change.

This workshop is for Asian community activists, civil society advocates and filmmakers who want to use video in an advocacy campaign challenging unjust forced eviction in the name of development.

Date: September 15-26th 2008
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
More info: http://www.accountabilityproject.org/ourwork/video.html