e-news
march '07

• 4 Battery Square, Battery Point, Tasmania, 7004
• Ph 03 6223 1025 or 0400 824 261, Fax 03 6224 8041
• Email admin@afairerworld.org, Web www.afairerworld.org

Dear Members and Supporters

It's been a busy start to the new year. The level of interest in ruMAD? reflects a growing awareness in schools of the value of student participation in real-life issues.  Our new website A Fairer World Youth is on-line, providing resources on global issues specifically for young Tasmanians, and also a place for students to display their work and ideas.  As always you can find out about coming events and regular meetings on our on-line Events Diary.

Annual membership invoices are in the mail - if you are not currently a member but would like to support our work please contact us or download the membership form from our website.

Best wishes
Helen Hortle, Coordinator

In this issue

ruMAD? news

1. MAD Day 2007 - Thursday May 10th
2. ruMAD? training & introductory sessions
3. Education Conferences
4. Competions, awards & funding
5. Great on-line resources
6. e-Festival of ideas
7. New resources

Other centre news

1. NEW WEBSITE! A Fairer World Youth
2. Centre focus areas for 2007
3. New feature story on A Fairer World 
4. Extension of International House lease
5. Kid's View 2007: Children's Rights Forums & breakfast fundraiser
6. Hobart's first Fair Trade Fiesta
7. Climate Change Project in Tasmania
8. Social Education Association of Australia
9. Citizen of Humanity Program: human rights in the classroom
10. Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
    

Take action

1. Fair Trade: attend or help out at the Fair Trade Fiesta
2. Climate change: Attend the Inconvenient Truth workshop, Join Climate Action Tasmania, Find out about Tasmanian speakers 
3. Poverty: join the Walk Against Want, attend a forum or breakfast for Bahay Tuluyan
4. Refugees: join Amnesty's organising group for Refugee Week (June 18th - 24th)
5. David Hicks: Rights Australia video & campaign kit, sign the Enough is Enough petition
6. Help us make a difference: donate, join as a member or volunteer

Mailing list:if you do not wish to receive this e-newsletter in future please let us know by return email.

ruMAD? news

MAD Day 2007 - Thursday May 10th (or pick a day to suit your school) 

This is an opportunity for schools to 'taste' the ruMAD? Program. MAD Day is a day of action that empowers students to see and believe that they have the ability to Make A Difference. It can be:

Suggested themes in this year’s Action Pack include:
Or let your students express their vision for a better world - try the MAD flags activity!

Download the MAD Day flyer or email Karen for the Action Pack

ruMAD? training & introductory sessions

Bookings have been steady and we can only register a limted number of schools so don't leave it too long to book.  Options are:

Email Karen to book or phone the Centre

Education Conferences

Register for one of the following conferences - ruMAD? is likely to be there in the form of either myself or Josh Levy, the new ruMAD? Program Facilitator at the Education Foundation in Melbourne:

Competitions, awards and funding

Awards, competitions and grant funding can act as both reward and incentive for students - and schools - taking on MAD Projects.  As part of our support for MAD schools we are building a database of rewards that fit with MAD themes. For instance, nominations are now open for the World Environment Day School Award, in which Woodbridge School was a finalist last year.

Find out more about the WED School Award and other awards and competitions on our website

To find out about funding opportunities email Karen or phone the Centre

Great on-line resources

Our new youth website A Fairer World Youth has recently gone 'live'.  It's a great resource for students taking on MAD activities, with carefully selected links for information, inspiration and local contacts - all specifically chosen for young Tasmanians.  See more information below on topics/themes and page contents.

We also welcome contributions from Tasmanian students - see the climate change rap from New Town Primary students and the thoughts on child soldiers from Clarence High students. 

Find more great resources on our new youth website or email contributions for inclusion

e-Festival of Ideas

The e-Festival of Ideas invites young people to express themselves on a variety of issues and to share ideas, ideals and concerns about the future. Held in conjunction with National Youth Week 2007, April 16-21, Vibewire’s online conference is the only event of its kind, giving everyone - expert or a novice – the chance to get the low-down and explore some of the most pressing issues facing young people today and join in on the dialogue. They're looking for contributions in the form of perspectives, opinions, insights, and art.

Find out how to be a part of this innovative on-line dialogue

New resources 

in the library

Action on Global Poverty: A Guide to Making a Difference: This education resource by Plan and The Age introduces secondary students to the causes and consequences of global poverty with an emphasis on practical action and web-based activities. Teacher notes also available.

Make Poverty History 2006 Melbourne concert DVD: students will love this recording of their favourite bands, interspersed with information and inspiration on the Make Poverty History Campaign with an Australian perspective.

Fair Trade For All: an education kit by the Fair Trade Association of Australia and NZ. Modules can also be dowloaded from FTANZ.

Make Poverty History poster sets: sets from both Oxfam & World Vision highlight the 8 UN Millennium Development Goals and provide classroom activities on the back. Teacher resources also available.

on-line

Get Global: A teacher's guide to facilitating active global citizenship in the classroom - very ruMAD!  Download here...

For more resources on MAD themes contact the Centre

Other news

NEW WEBSITE! A Fairer World Youth

Have you had a look at this great new resource for young Tasmanians yet?  So far there are nine topics/themes, with more to be added during the year: 

° Poverty     ° Peace & bullying      ° Diversity     ° Climate change      ° Water conservation
° Saving species       ° Fair trade       ° Youth health        ° Gender equity        

For each topic there are:

° pithy quotes   ° a roundup of key ideas from those involved   ° statistics (referenced)
° how other young people are making a difference                   ° ideas for school projects
° media links (on-line videos, podcasts, games and activities)     ° local contacts

Checkout A Fairer World Youth

Centre focus areas for 2007

At its first meeting for 2007 the Centre's new Committee planned focus areas for the year - not an easy task with lots of passion but limited resources.  Five issues/themes were selected on the basis of relevance to schools and community interest. Although we will still be promoting and participating in a wide range of other activities, these are the topics on which we will be building resources, supporting events and projects, and promoting the value of greater awareness:

If you can help us with resources or to let us know about events contact the Centre

New feature story on A Fairer World 

Have you seen our new feature story about Overland07, the two Tasmanians cycling from London to Tasmania to raise awareness of poverty and money for Oxfam.

Read more...

Lease extension on International House

Thanks to all the letters written by supporters the Government has granted the tenants (TCGL, UNAA and Oxfam) an extension on the lease until the end of September.  This will provide more time for the Department of Education to find suitable alternative accommodation. 

Kid's View 2007 Children's Rights Forums & Fundraiser

Young people from the Bahay Tuluyan centre for abused and exploited children in the Philippines are again visiting Tasmania to conduct Children's Rights Forums. The theme this year is "Challenging Poverty and Supporting Children's Rights".

There will be two forums (primary and secondary) at Parliament House on April 23rd; a forum at Triabunna District School on April 24th; and a fundraising breakfast on April 25th.

More information and registration

Hobart's first Fair Trade Fiesta

This innaugural event is planned for Sunday 29 April during Fair Trade Fortnight (28 Apr - 13 May). There will also be a Film Night (with a Costa Rican guest) on 7 May.

Find out more about the Fiesta and film night

Climate Change Action Project in Tasmania

I hope that everyone has now seen and been galvanised by An Inconvenient Truth.  The next step in Al Gore's mission to reach every person on the planet has been the training of other lecturers to present the message in An Inconvenient Truth to audiences around the world.  

In Sydney last November, Al Gore trained 75 specially-selected people with the skills needed to deliver the slide presentation across Australia. The sessions were run with the assistance of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and eminent Australian climate scientists. Two of these trainers are Tasmanian and are now available to talk to schools, businesses and community groups. 

Read more about the Climate Project or contact us for details of the Tasmanian trainers

Social Education Association of Australia

The Centre has become the official Tasmanian representative for SEAA, a national organisation of people with a common interest in promoting and improving the quality of learning about society, both in formal institutions and in society at large. Its members include primary and secondary teachers, curriculum consultants, curriculum policy developers, tertiary educators, tertiary students, other professional associations, community groups and individuals.

Centre Committee member and teacher, Sally Fuglsang, has taken on this role on our behalf and we hope to be bringing you more news of the Association's activities shortly.

Visit the SEAA website

Citizen of Humanity: human rights in the classroom

We are continuing to support schools running this program in 2007.  Based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it would make an excellent resource for work around Refugee Week (June 18-24), Anti-Poverty Week (October 14-20) or Human Rights Week (December 9-15).

UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)

Presenters from UNESCO-APNIEVE will run two Tasmanian workshops on "Sustainability and Values: Making Connections".  The connections being made are between quality education and the aims of the DESD.  Workshops are April 17th or 18th.