e-news
sept '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, youth.afairerworld.org

Dear Members and Supporters

From where I sit it has been a busy time for action on social justice in Tasmanian schools. Much of this is due to the success of the Make Poverty History Campaign. Its attraction and success lie in its strong, unified message: from Nelson Mandela to Bono, from church groups to pop groups, people are saying to governments around the world, "There is a way to reduce poverty and we want to do it".  Young Tasmanians have heard the message and are effectively passing it on through music and advocacy.

The Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign provides a similar focus for action on poverty in Australia. With a federal election not far away both campaigns are seeking policy commitments from all parties. Through these campaigns Australians have an opportunity to tell the Government that we do care about poverty.  Students in the north are currently doing this by organising concerts in Launceston and Burnie, under their own banner of ENOUGH07. In the south, a new schools' group has formed out of the recent Justice Action Day. 

Then there was our own ruMAD? Youth Ambassador Conference in Hobart, which brought together 140 students who have been making a difference on many fronts. We're looking forward to the northern Conference on October 9th in Launceston.

Other coming events to be found on our on-line Events Diary include Gagebrook Primary's Great Art Auction to raise funds for child victims of landmines, and a huge range of local events for Anti-Poverty Week.

Thank you to all those who have supported our work by joining or renewing membership of the Centre.  If you're not currently a member but would like to support our work please contact us or download and send in the membership form from our website.

Best wishes
Helen Hortle, Coordinator

In this issue

ruMAD? news

1. 2007 Youth Ambassador Conferences
2. Gagebrook Primary School & Landmines
3. Exeter High School Making Poverty History
4. ruMAD? Training & Introductory Sessions
5. Conferences
6. Competitions, Awards & Funding
7. Great On-line Resources
8. New Resources in the Library

Other Centre news

1. Make Poverty History
2. Anti-Poverty Week
3. Make Indigenous Poverty History Campaigns
4. Climate Change Project in Tasmania
5. Justice Action Network
6. Sexual Diversity Resource

Take action

1. Make Poverty History: add your face to the Face Up to Poverty petition
2. Tasmanian Justice Action Network: contact Eamonn Pollard 
3. Anti-Poverty Week (Oct 14-20): join one of the many events happening in Tasmania or Stand-Up and Speak Out against poverty
4. Human Rights Week (Dec 3 to 10): contact Santi Mariso on  6216 4427
5. Climate Action: Join Climate Action Tasmania
6. Take action on your favourite issue before the election: Get Up
7. 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

2007 ruMAD? Youth Ambassador Conferences 

What a great day the southern conference was! 140 students from 16 schools attended the event hosted by Collegiate on Friday August 31st. The 22 local activists and educators who ran the mornings sessions - 23 including Jimmy the pig - challenged students on a variety of issues, from animal rights to global peace, climate change to sexual diversity.

After some great food, students had the opportunity to showcase and share their MAD activities. Gagebrook Primary concluded the day on a suitably MAD note with a lively activity to get everybody thinking about the impact of landmines on children in Cambodia. I'm sure everyone there agreed it was a dynamic day.

We're now looking forward to the northern Conference at Launceston College on Tuesday October 9th.

Many thanks to the host schools, workshop leaders, community guests and financial supporters, without whom the Conferences would not be possible. 

Visit the Youth Ambassador & conference web pages

Gagebrook Students Take on Landmines

This year as part of their MAD activities, Gagebrook grade 3/4 students have been researching the impact of landmines in Cambodia and exploring how they can assist children living with the direct effects of this terrible hazard.

According to the United Nations, last year in Cambodia there were 841 landmine casualties - 278 of these were children - and each year 8,000 children are killed or mutilated by landmines worldwide.

The Gagebrook students have prepared artwork for an auction (October 16) to raise funds for children in Cambodia. Their aim is to collect signatures for a petition calling on all governments to sign the Ottawa Treaty. 

Check the Events Diary for details of the art auction

Exeter's High-Profile MAD Day

According to Principal, Christine Males, the end of term 1, "finished in the biggest possible way for Exeter High with two very powerful events. We had a Make A Difference Day Assembly... and our Make A Difference Day on Friday."

Preparation started a month before the events: Grade 10's focused on Make Poverty History; Grade 9's on Democracy; Grade 8's on Justice; and Grade 7's on Equality. At the Assembly there were guest speakers, an entertaining debate, drama and 2 DVDs (including one made by students). This was all to prepare students for the MAD Day when a petition with 6,000 signatures was presented to visiting politicians!

Contact us if you would like to see the movie made by the Exeter students: MAD Man is a brilliant 2 minute spoof on a superman who rids the world of poverty.

Contact us for more information

ruMAD? Training & Introductory Sessions

Training sessions have been run at 24 schools as well as regional workshops in Hobart and Launceston - 211 teachers have attended in total!  Sessions can still be booked for third term on the following basis:

Email Karen to book or phone the Centre

Conferences

Conferences for 2008:

Competitions, Awards and Funding

Competitions and awards coming up soon include:

The Sustainable Living Challenge closes on the last Friday in October.

Spirit of Gen Y is a Tasmanian competition by the Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner. Closes 15 December 2007.

Youth Change Makers offers the opportunity of grants up to $10,000. Closes 29 October 2007.

Social Educators Association of Australia has a webquest and art competitions on the theme of citizenship. Closing November 1 2007.

World Vision's Art for Aid Competitions, Toilet Door and Fashion, both close 1 November 2007.

The Tank A Day Challenge provides a rainwater tank to a primary school in Australia every school day for one year.

 Visit our awards and competitions web page for details of these and others

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

Great on-line resources

Two new pages on A Fairer World Youth.  Don't forget that we welcome contributions from Tasmanian students on any of the themes: items could be media links, poems, cartoons, local hero stories. View Child Rights page; Animal Welfare page

What's Going On? is a series of 10 half hour videos hosted by "stars", each on a global issue related to children; poverty, homelessness, child soldiers, child labour, landmines, refugees, HIV/AIDS, intolerance, girls education, and one on Australian Aboriginal youth. Try these links to watch or download the videos (wmv version); buy the videos; and view/download the lesson plans.

Up2Me for Kids: No prizes but this local initiative encourages students to take the environmental challenge. View the website

Miniature Earth is a very moving 2 minute movie that shows what the world would be like if there were only 100 people. View or download the video

International Children's Day of Broadcasting, December 9: Make your own videos or watch others on the theme of The World We Want: find out how; view Australian videos; or view top 10 on children's rights.

The People Speak organise Global Debates for high schools. The October debate is on carbon emission reduction, March 2008 is on water. Find out more

For more resources contact us or try our websites

New resources in the library

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2007: Borrow this surprisingly accessible report (1 page per target, good use of graphs and pictures) or download from the UN.

Make Poverty History & Millennium Development Goal DVDs: We have a variety of films, including concerts suitable for student fundraisers, and good ones for the classroom.

Everybody Counts, Every Drop Matters: UN educational resource with a global focus and activities to suit grades 3 -10.

Wise Ways to Win: Fun illustrated children's book and poster set using Australian animal characters to show how to peacefully resolve conflict.

We Will Be Remembered for This: DVD following the emotional journey of a diverse group of young people taken to visit Baxter Detention Centre.

Zapizapu Crosses the Sea: Colourful children's book demonstrating fair trade principles - read it to believe it!

Magazines & journals: We receive a large range of journals and magazines - electronic and printed. Articles from these can be forwarded to members. An example is the UNHCR magazine, Refugees, which has articles, photos and statistics from around the world.

For these or other resources on MAD themes contact the Centre

Other news

Make Poverty History

The UN Millennium Development Goals set out clear and achievable targets to halve world poverty by 2015.  In 1990, world governments, including Australia, signed on to the plan to achieve these goals. The  plan required a commitment of 0.7% of GNI to overseas aid for basic poverty alleviation. Australia currently provides only 0.25% with a commitment to increase this to 0.36%.

2007 marks the half way point and in The Millennium Development Goals Report 2007, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon says that the indicators "suggest that there have been some gains, and that success is still possible in most parts of the world. But they also point to how much remains to be done. There is a clear need for political leaders to take urgent action, or many millions of people will not realize the basic promises of the MDGs in their lives."

Australian Report Cards: The Australian Make Poverty History campaign (a coalition of over 60 organisations including the major churches and aid organisations) has now released a report card on Australia's political parties showing how the stated policies of each party measure up to the commitments needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  Read the report cards.

Face Up: If you think Australia should do more, add your face to the on-line petition: 21,000 have so far. Add your face here

Stand Up and Speak Out: Did your school help to achieve the world record of 23 million people standing up against poverty last year?  Help to make it even bigger this year on October 16th, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Tasmanian schools can register with Mary Dickins

Enough07 concerts: Tasmanian students are doing their bit to raise awareness of the campaign with these concerts in Launceston and Burnie on October 26 & 27. Check concert details on the Events Diary

Contact the Centre for posters, DVDs, books and kits for Make Poverty History

Anti-Poverty Week in Tasmania

There are a large number of local events, focusing on both local and global poverty, in this important week on the social justice calendar from October 14 to 20.

Housing Advocacy Campaign: Housing Advocacy Day will be held at Parliament House on October 16. Community representatives and people who have experienced housing crises will tell their stories directly to those with the power to make changes. The campaign is to produce a housing policy position paper. Find more information on the campaign

Check out other events in Anti-Poverty Week

Indigenous Poverty in Australia

The Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign aims to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) do not overlook the poverty suffered by Indigenous Peoples around the world, particularly in Australia. The campaign is hosted by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC).  Find out more about this campaign in Australia

Close the Gap is an Australian campaign to improve Indigenous health. It is supported by more than 40 Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations and calls on federal, state and territory governments to commit to closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation. Find out more about the campaign

Climate Change

The conclusion to the Stern Report reminds us that "the most vulnerable - the poorest countries and populations - will suffer earliest and most, even though they have contributed least to the causes of climate change." Climate change will potentially have a devastating effect on attempts to reduce poverty. Read or download the Stern Report  

The Climate Change and Development Roundtable hosted by the Climate Action Network Australia brings together Australian organisations to look at implications for developing countries. CANA website, check Oxfam Australia's resources on climate change and development, watch a video clip on the links between climate change and poverty.

New Al Gore presenter: Nick Towle from Burnie is the latest Tasmanian to do the Al Gore Climate Project training.  Nick will be running the climate change workshop at our northern ruMAD? Conference and is available to speak with schools and other groups. Read more about Nick. Contact Nick.

Workshops in Hobart: Sustainable Living Tasmania is offering groups and individuals the opportunity to “host” workshops that help people to take personal action on energy saving. The workshops must be between October 2007 and January 2008. Sustainable Living is able to help with organisation (advertising, equipment, speakers and materials). Contact Beth at Sustainable Living Tasmania

A Community Gathering to explore and consolidate community involvement in climate change action will be held on November 18, 1 – 5 pm at Scots Church Hall, 29 Bathurst St, Hobart. Contact Sustainable Living Tasmania

The Walk Against Warming will again be held this year - this time 2 weeks before the federal election. Sign-up for the Walk Against Warming or contact Sustainable Living Tasmania

Nuclear power as a viable option to reduce emissions is a hotly contested topic. We have a number of DVDs and other resources to get debate started in the classroom. Contact the Centre for nuclear resources

Justice Action Network

Tasmania's first school Justice Action Day was held at the Derwent Entertainment Centre on Wednesday September 5th. The day, focusing on the UN Millennium Development Goals, brought together over 300 students from around the state.

With assistance from Mary Blake and Caroline Wootton the Centre ran a  workshop on the Make Poverty History campaign, during which students took photographs for the Face Up petition (see Make Poverty History article above).

The day resulted in the formation of a new school group, the Justice Action Network. This group will be running a poverty awareness day on Parliament House Lawns on Sunday October 14 starting at 11am.

For more information contact Eamonn Pollard 

Sexual Diversity Resource

Working It Out provides professional development and training in the areas of gender identity and sexuality. One of their new programs for schools, Pride and Prejudice, is a nationally acclaimed six week program that provides students with an avenue to discuss sensitive issues. We have available a DVD with Tasmanian students describing their experience of the program.

Check out the Working It Out website or the Pride and Prejudice website