| Tell the Denver Broncos to Take a Stand! |
Within the last few months the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants have all made videos for the It Gets Better campaign to benefit the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. These teams have spoken out against bullying and hatred in our society. The Giants became the first professional sports team to make a video for the campaign and numerous other teams have stepped-up to help inform LGBT youth that it gets better and help avert suicide.
We are urging the Denver Broncos to set an example for the rest of the Colorado teams by making an "It Gets Better" video. The It Gets Better campaign started last fall following the alarming number of gay teen suicides around the country. The "It Gets Better Project" is a website and organization dedicated to helping "young people who are lesbian, gay, bi or transsexual see how love and happiness can be a reality in their future." We hope the Broncos will continue fostering its impressive record of community service by taking it to a new level. Sign this petition to let the Denver Broncos know that you're a fan and that you want to see them make an "It Gets Better" video.
Tell the Denver Broncos to be the first NFL Team to make an "It Gets Better" video now by signing clicking here to sign this petition. |
| Submitted 12/19/2011 at 9:45 AM by Jes W | |
| SAVE THE INTERNET! |
Right now, the US Congress is debating a law that would give them the power to censor the world's Internet -- creating a blacklist that could target YouTube, WikiLeaks and even groups like Avaaz!
Under the new law, the US could force Internet providers to block any website on suspicion of violating copyright or trademark legislation, or even failing to sufficiently police their users' activities. And, because so much of the Internet's hosts and hardware are located in the US, their blacklist would clamp down on the free web for all of us.
The vote could happen any day now, but we can help stop this -- champions in Congress want to preserve free speech and tell us that an international outcry would strengthen their hand. Let’s urgently raise our voices from every corner of the world and build an unprecedented global petition calling on US decision makers to reject the bill and stop Internet censorship.
Foryears, the US government has condemned countries like China and Iran for their clampdown on Internet use. But now, the impact of America's new censorship laws could be far worse -- effectively blocking sites to every Internet user across the globe.
Last year, a similar Internet censorship bill was killed before reaching the US Senate floor, but it's now back in a different form. Copyright laws already exist and are enforced by courts. But this new law goes much further -- granting the government and big corporations enormous powers to force service providers and search engines to block websites based just on allegations of violations -- without a trial or being found guilty of any crime!
Sign below to stop US censorship, and save the Internet as we know it:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet/?vl |
| Submitted 11/30/2011 at 4:33 PM by Jes W | |
| Day of Action to End Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict |
Did you know that up to 500,000 women were raped during the Rwandan genocide?
Did you know that over 64,000 women were raped in Sierra Leone?
Did you know that over 40,000 women were raped in Bosnia-Herzegovina?
Did you know that over 1,000 women are raped every day in Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo?
Enough is enough.
Today is the Nobel Women's Initiative international day of action against sexual violence in conflict.
Nobel Peace Laureates Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Maguire will TAKE A STAND to end rape in war. We urge you to TAKE A STAND in your home country and join them virtually.
Following the unprecedented conference in Montebello, Quebec where they hosted over 120 women from around the world to discuss strategies to address sexual violence, the Laureates will be TAKING A STAND in Ottawa - addressing Canadian parliamentarians and urging them to take the lead to end rape in war. Together - through online action - we can take this message to governments all over the world.
Take a stand:
Go to the UN Action Stop Rape Now website at http://bit.ly/m4GiDb and download the sample letter asking your elected official for increased action against sexual violence in conflict - and send it! Tell your government you are TAKING A STAND!
Write a blog post, tweet or share on Facebook. We will be posting video messages and live-tweeting throughout the day - letting you know what ACTION we are taking.
Make sure to check the Nobel Women's Initiative blog and follow the #endrapeinwar hashtag. Use it in your posts - let's make it trend!
Sample tweets:
Hundreds of women will be raped today. TAKE A STAND and send a letter to your gvt urging to #endrapeinwar http://bit.ly/m4GiDb
Almost 48 women are raped every hour in Congo. TAKE A STAND and send a letter to your government urging to #endrapeinwar http://bit.ly/m4GiDb
Women Nobel Laureates are taking a stand to #endrapeinwar. TAKE A STAND and send a letter to your gvt urging action: http://bit.ly/m4GiDb
Sample facebook posts:
As you sit at your computer right now, hundreds of women around the world are being raped as a strategic tactic of war. Tell your government: enough is enough! TAKE A STAND and send a letter to your elected official urging them to take action. link: http://bit.ly/m4GiDb
Women Nobel Peace Laureates are TAKING A STAND to end sexual violence in conflict. Why don't you? Send a letter to your elected official urging them to be a leader by acting to end rape!
link: http://bit.ly/m4GiDb
Be sure to let us know when you have TAKEN A STAND by:
sending us an email (web@nobelwomensinitiative.org)
tweeting: #itookastand #endrapeinwar
or click the I TOOK A STAND button on our website!
We hope you will join us!
-Nobel Women's Initiative |
| Submitted 5/26/2011 at 11:15 AM by Betsy L | |
| Help Those Affected by the Tornado in Joplin, MO |
On Sunday, May 22, Joplin Mo. was struck by a devastating tornado. According to NPR, "it was the deadliest single twister in the U.S. in nearly 60 years and the second major tornado disaster in less than a month." As of Monday, 116 people lost their lives, with searches still underway for missing persons. Much of this town of 500,000 is destroyed, including a hospital, schools, businesses and homes.
Please help the people of Joplin and volunteer efforts underway. Below are a list of different ways that folks can provide support at this time.
* If you are in Missouri, call 2-1-1 (800-427-4626) to join volunteer efforts), or contact a local volunteer reception center.
* Donate blood. Last heard, there was a great need for O+.
* Call 573-443-4523, go online to http://uwheartmo.org/, or text JOPLIN to 864833 to make a donation with Heart of Missouri United Way! . A MO family has pledged to match up to $50,000 in donations made to this fund, beginning Tuesday morning, and 100% of proceeds go straight to Joplin with ZERO overhead.
* Southwest Missouri Bank has established a fund: Red Cross Joplin Tornado Fund. SMB made an initial deposit of $10,000. Donations accepted at any open SMB branch or by mail:
SMB
Red Cross Joplin Tornado Fund
110 N Neosho Blvd.
Neosho, Mo. 64850 |
| Submitted 5/24/2011 at 8:53 AM by Jasmin M | |
| Free Political Prisoner Bahareh Hedayat in Iran |
Click here to sign a petition to help free Bahareh Hedayat!
Click here to visit and like the Free Bahareh Hedayat page on Facebook!
Read below for more information about Bahareh Hedayat:
Bahareh Hedayat, a prominent student and women’s rights activist, is suffering at the hands of the Iranian authorities in Iran’s notorious Evin prison. Bahareh is a leading member of Iran’s pro-democracy student movement, Daftar-e Takhim-e Vahdat (Office for Consolidating Unity), and was active in the One Million Signatures Campaign for women’s equality.
Bahareh has received one of the heaviest and harshest prison sentences to date. She has been imprisoned for over one year under severe conditions in the women’s ward of Evin Prison in Tehran. The injustices and oppression inflicted upon Bahareh are retaliation for her peaceful activism as a university student and as an advocate of equality for women in Iran.
Around midnight on December 31, 2009, after the fraudulent June 2009 elections, Bahareh was arrested by the Intelligence Ministry of Iran for the fifth time over the past four years and was initially placed in solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. On May 5, 2010, after an unjust trial, the authorities laid 16 charges against her. Bahareh was sentenced to 9 ½ years’ imprisonment—one of the harshest sentences a student movement leader has received in recent years.
In December 2010, while serving her sentence in Evin Prison, Bahareh published a statement in honor of “Students’ Day” along with two other imprisoned student activists. Because of this act, Bahareh was again called to the municipal court to face new charges.
From the moment of her arrest on December 31st 2009, she has spent three months in solitary confinement, has been deprived of temporary leave from prison, and over the past three months her weekly visitation rights and phone privileges have been revoked.
Before December 2009, Bahareh was arrested on four other occasions. Over the past three years, this brave and unremitting activist has spent Nowruz (the Iranian New Year) behind bars. |
| Submitted 4/3/2011 at 10:52 AM by Jaala H | |
| Save the PeaceJam AmeriCorps VISTA team! |
On February 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, legislation that would make deep cuts in government spending for the rest of the fiscal year. The measure – which eliminates the Corporation for National and Community Service and its programs [including AmeriCorps VISTA] -- passed 235-189.
PeaceJam is supported by a team of 13 AmeriCorps VISTAs across the United States. Their work is extremely valuable and it would be a great loss to PeaceJam if this legislation is passed in the final spending package.
We know H.R. 1 – as it passed the House – will not be the final funding package. The bill has been sent to the Senate for their consideration, and the Senate and the President will have opportunities to shape and influence the final spending package. But Congress must reach a compromise before April 8 or the government will shut down.
Difficult decisions on funding priorities will have to be made in the next few weeks and we have to work very hard to ensure that any compromise restores funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service. Programs that speak out the loudest will be saved. Others will not.
Please take two minutes to take action below and pass this info on to your networks. Call your Representatives and Senators today and explain what will be lost if H.R. 1 becomes a reality. It is important that you ask that funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service be restored in the final spending bill.
Click here for simple talking points when you call your Senators and Representatives.
Click here to learn how your representatives voted.
Current VISTA Members and Site Supervisors, please keep in mind the following Corporation for National & Community Service rule: Grantee staff and program participants may not (1) attempt to influence legislation or (2) participate in, or endorse, political events of activities, if they are doing so while charging time to a Corporation-supported program, accumulating service or training hours towards an education award, or otherwise performing activities supported by the Corporation. Individuals may exercise their First Amendment rights, including participating in the political process, on their own initiative, on their own time, and using non-Corporation funds and resources. To clarify, use your personal phone or your personal email, on your personal time, to contact your members of Congress. |
| Submitted 2/28/2011 at 9:42 AM by Jen C | |
| Send a message to Aung San Suu Kyi |
U.S. Campaign for Burma says:
Add your name to our message or personalize a message to Aung San Suu Kyi today telling her you stand with her in her quest to bring democracy to Burma.
Help us create a groundswell of worldwide support for Aung San Suu Kyi to show Burma's dictator Than Shwe that he cannot continue to ignore Suu Kyi's call for dialogue.
We will share your words of support and encouragement directly with Suu Kyi in Rangoon.
U.S. Campaign for Burma and supporters like you are a critical part of her global network. Show Aung San Suu Kyi the power of our network today. |
Click here to take action! |
| Submitted 12/17/2010 at 12:46 PM by Betsy L | |
| Free Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo |
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo was charged with "inciting subversion of state power" and given an 11-year prison sentence on December 25, 2009 simply for co-authoring a proposal for political and legal reform in China. Freedom of expression must be protected by the state in China, in line with Chinese constitutional guarantees and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which China has signed. Urge Chinese authorities to release Liu Xiaobo immediately and unconditionally.
Click here to learn more and take action. |
| Submitted 10/15/2010 at 2:50 PM by Ryan H | |
| Call your Ambassador to urge the UN to take action in Burma |
Right now, the European Union is drafting a resolution on Burma that will be introduced at the UN General Assembly meeting (UNGA) which will begin on the 3rd week of September. Send an email or make a phone call to make sure this resolution calls for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into Crimes Against Humanity in Burma.
Click here to send an email.
Review these instructions to make a phone call:
1) Dial one of the numbers below and ask to speak to the corresponding ambassador (if you are not able to call, please email or fax).
Hi, may I speak to Ambassador XXX, I would like to ask him to support an UN Commission of Inquiry into Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes in Burma.
Ambassador's Contacts
(1) His Excellency Mr. Pedro Serrano, Ambassador, Acting Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations Tel. (212) 371 3804
Fax (212) 758 2718
Email: delegation-new-york@ec.europa.eu
(2) His Excellency Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, European Union Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to the United States
Telephone: (202) 862-9500; Fax: (202) 429-1766. Email: catherina.bagnall@ec.europa.eu
2) It is likely that they will ask you to leave a message with his assistant.
Hi Ambassador XXXX. As you may know, the United States has already pledged its support for a UN-led Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity in Burma. This is a much needed step as the military regime in Burma has been brutally suppressing ethnic minorities and human rights defenders for more than four decades. Recently, the level of violence has been on the rise. Since 1996, the regime has burned down over 3,500 villages, and instances of rape and forced labor by the military are well documented. That is why I urge the EU to join the United States, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Australia in calling for this important measure towards accountability and justice in Burma.
* We know that the EU is writing a draft resolution on Burma that it will submit at the upcoming UNGA 65th session. We want the EU to make sure that its draft resolution includes a call to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to set up a Commission of Inquiry.
* We believe that this is the right moment to take this action to pressure the regime to stop its sham election and to start negotiations with the democratic opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi for real and sustainable national reconciliation and democratization.
3) You may want to leave your number in case they would like to call you back.
If you have any further questions about why you should support a Commission of Inquiry in Burma, feel free to call me at XXXXX
4) Thank them for taking the message!
5) Email myradah@uscampaignforburma.org to let us know how the call went. |
| Submitted 9/9/2010 at 2:31 PM by Betsy L | |
| Give 67 minutes for Nelson Mandela |
Nelson Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. Will you give 67 minutes of your time on July 18th to help build a better world?
The Elders have joined the former President of South Africa in a special message of support for Mandela Day.
In a new video message the Elders and Mr Mandela urge people everywhere to give 67 minutes of their time to reach out to others in their communities.
Check out more HERE |
| Submitted 7/14/2010 at 1:51 PM by Betsy L | |
| Iranian mother faces death sentence |
Iranian mother Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, accused of adultery, has been sentenced to death by the Iranian government.
The original death sentence was to be death by stoning. The Iranian government has said the "stoning charge" will be reviewed, however the death sentence remains. According to a petition for her release, "Knowledgeable Iranian human rights activists, including Amnesty International, question the veracity of this statement and remain deeply concerned about Ashtiani’s fate."
Ashtiani has already received 99 lashes as a result of the accusations.
To read more about Ashtiani's situation,
CLICK HERE.
To sign the petition to stop death sentence proceedings,
CLICK HERE. |
| Submitted 7/13/2010 at 3:59 PM by Kate P | |
| Urge the U.S. to Join the Mine Ban Treaty Now! |
HELP US MAKE HISTORY
The U.S. may never have been closer to joining the Mine Ban Treaty! A letter, signed by 68 senators, was delivered just this week calling on the Obama administration to join the Mine Ban Treaty. Sixty-eight is a special number because it represents the Senate two-thirds majority we would need for ratification if the administration sends the treaty to the Senate for consent.
But we need your help to make sure this happens! Last night Avaaz.org launched an international petition calling on the U.S. to join the treaty. At the time of writing, we already have 55,000+ signatures. Avaaz will deliver the petition to President Obama once we have 200,000 signatures. Add your name now at http://www.avaaz.org/en/obama_ban_mines/96.php.
Then visit the USCBL site at www.uscbl.org and email your own letter to President Obama and Secretary Clinton using the templates we have created through our CapWiz tools. |
| Submitted 5/20/2010 at 3:02 PM by Bradlee A | |
| Stop Oil Drilling in the Arctic Before It Starts |
Within the remote waters of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas – off the coast of Alaska – swim gray and bowhead whales, more than 3,000 belugas, and endangered fin and humpback whales.
But this region will see new guests within weeks: ships from Shell Oil, bent on drilling five exploratory oil wells.
The disaster in the Gulf is a tragic reminder that there is no fail-safe way to drill for oil offshore. Help us stop oil drilling in the Arctic before it ever begins – and avert another offshore drilling disaster.
Under the Bush Administration, millions of acres of the Arctic Ocean were leased to Shell Oil. The Wilderness Society and other conservation groups were able to convince the Obama Administration to review leasing plans there. The WildAlert community's support had a big impact. Now Interior Secretary Salazar's safety review is due out by May 28th, so we have a small window of time to influence his decision.
An oil spill in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas would have devastating consequences on the marine life there, far from ports or any clean-up support. In fact, Coast Guard commandant Admiral Thad Allen, who is overseeing response efforts in the Gulf, told a recent Senate field hearing in Alaska that oil spill cleanup is "significantly more difficult" in colder temperatures and the [Arctic] region has "limited response resources and capabilities."
Take Action Now to Block Oiling Drilling in the Arctic |
| Submitted 5/14/2010 at 11:09 AM by Bradlee A | |
| Email Your Senators for Burma |
The military regime in Burma continues to commit egregious human rights violations that are so widespread and systematic that they amount to crimes against humanity. Against this tyranny the people of Burma are engaged in one of the worlds most inspiring freedom struggles.
Burma's popularly supported democratic opposition, led by the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has called for the world to cut the regime's financial lifelines. In response to this call Congress passed the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act in 2003, which prevents millions of dollars from entering the pockets of the regime and its cronies.
The act must be renewed every year. This is no time for the US to turn its back on Burma's democratic opposition. With sham elections coming up designed to legitimize military rule and the Burmese army increasing hostilities against ethnic minorities in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi and the people need our support more than ever.
Click here to take action. |
| Submitted 5/7/2010 at 11:54 AM by Bradlee A | |
| Support civil and human rights in Iran |
In support of 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi, we the people ask UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to reject the Islamic Republic of Iran's bid for membership in the Human Rights Council.
Please sign the following petition: Click to sign petition
We hope that by rejecting the Islamic Republic of Iran’s bid for membership in the Human Rights Council, you will draw the Iranian authorities’ attention to their wrongdoings, and that you will also make that country’s membership to the council conditional on the implementation of UN resolutions on human rights violations in Iran, in particular the resolution 64/176 of December 2009.
 |
| Submitted 4/22/2010 at 3:47 PM by Pantea B | |
| Become a PeaceJam Partner with Adolfo’s Aldea Schools in Argentina |
Send donation to PeaceJam with a cover letter.
Adolfo and his colleagues run two schools in Argentina for over 400 of the most needy youth, many of whom are “street children”. The schools provide youth with remedial reading and writing instruction, job-skill training in trades such as plumbing, carpentry, rabbit breeding, bee-keeping, teachings in social justice and human rights, and a safe educational community for the youth. PeaceJam programs have the unique opportunity to partner with these schools which are in desperate need of support and resources.
The Aldea Schools need support with the most basic operating expenses which include the cost for buses to bring the youth from rural areas out to the countryside where the schools are located. The schools also grow their food and have livestock to be able to feed the youth a fresh wholesome meal every day (for most, it is the only meal they get each day). They have staff who tend the gardens and the livestock and others that cook the meals for the youth.
Monthly Costs:
Aldea School – Rodruguez
• Buses to transport 300 youth to and from the school each day: $1,000
• Cooks to prepare the food for the youth: $400
• People to tend the gardens and livestock: $400
• Electricity: $250
Total Monthly Costs: $2,050
Aldea School – Pilar
• Buses to transport 100 youth to and from the school each day: $500
• Cooks to prepare the food for the youth: $400
• People to tend the gardens and livestock: $400
• Electricity: $250
Total Monthly Costs: $1,550
Take Action
Donate to Aldea: Host a fundraiser to help keep the Aldea Schools open! Send your donation to the PeaceJam Foundation with a letter indicating the amount of money to be donated and which of the Aldea Schools you would like to support (you may also indicate which of the above costs you would like your donations to cover). The PeaceJam Foundation will wire the funds to the Aldea Schools. Aldea will send receipts for costs paid through your donations.
Become an Aldea PeaceJam Partner: Through PeaceJam, you can become a partner program with one of the Aldea Schools. This partnership will include on-going email, letter, and/or video communication between your program and the youth in your Aldea partner school, collaborative Global Call to Action projects, joint fundraisers, and the potential for exchange visits with your Aldea partner school. The possibilities are endless! The PeaceJam Foundation and Adolfo’s Foundation staff will work directly with you to develop the partnership activities. To become a partner school, contact Kate Cumbo at kate@peacejam.org |
| Submitted 4/6/2010 at 9:51 AM by | |
| Stand with Suu Kyi Photo Action |
Burma's military rulers have detained Nobel Peace Prize Winner and prisoner of conscience Aung San Suu Kyi for 14 of the last 20 years. Although she is imprisoned, Suu Kyi's message of hope and dignity remains strong. Show your support for her and human rights in Burma!
Help Amnesty International gather at least 2,100 photos to represent the 2,100 political prisoners detained in Burma. You can take pictures anywhere - at school, near local landmarks, with community leaders - get creative!
Click here to download your "Stand with Suu Kyi" sign and post your photo today! |
| Submitted 3/16/2010 at 12:44 PM by | |
| Join International Campaign To Abolish Nuclear Weapons |
Forty years ago today, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty entered into force. Now it’s one of the most widely ratified treaties in the world.
However, after 40 years, the time has come to ask if governments globally have made enough progress towards realizing the treaty’s promise of a nuclear-weapon-free world. The answer is clearly “no”. Despite reductions in global stockpiles, there are still more than 23,000 nuclear weapons across the globe, many of them on hair-trigger alert, ready to be used within minutes of a command.
But we have an important opportunity to change the current state of play, and we need your help.
This May key decision makers from 189 countries — almost every country in the world — will meet in New York for a major month-long review of the NPT. Our task is to persuade them to set a bold action plan for nuclear abolition. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is calling for governments to make a firm commitment to negotiate a comprehensive nuclear weapons ban.
This new treaty — known as a Nuclear Weapons Convention — would outlaw the development, testing, possession and use of all nuclear weapons, and put in place the mechanisms needed to eliminate them. We’re under no illusion that the journey to abolition will be easy, but it must start now. In fact, with a President in the White House who shares the vision of world without nuclear weapons, right now is the best chance we have ever had.
Together we can generate a powerful groundswell of public support, in every continent, for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Here’s what we’re asking you to do today on the NPT’s 40th anniversary:
* Write to your UN ambassador: Write a letter to the head of your country’s UN mission in New York using our simple online form, and one of our team will hand-deliver it! Explain why you feel so passionately about abolishing nuclear weapons, and call on your government to support a Nuclear Weapons Convention at the NPT Review Conference.
* Please make a donation of $20 or more: ICAN needs to step up its efforts in the lead-up to the NPT Review Conference, but we can’t do it without generous contributions from supporters like you. Donations of as little as $20 can make a big difference when they come from hundreds of people. Every dollar counts.
And remember: NWC doesn’t just stand for “Nuclear Weapons Convention”. It also stands for “Now We Can”. So let’s work together and make nuclear abolition a reality! We thank you for your continued support.
In peace,
The ICAN team
http://www.icanw.org |
| Submitted 3/4/2010 at 9:37 PM by | |