Two days ago we landed in Bangkok, jetlagged but unbelievably excited and ready for an amazing trip to the Thai-Burma border to learn more about the conflict in Burma and the effects on the communities in these border towns.

We spent our first day in Bangkok wandering the city and checking out the beautiful Grand Palace and giant reclining Buddha.  The next day, we met with Alt-SEAN, an NGO which trains ethnic minority women in advocacy and organizing skills.  We met six amazing interns who are all doing unique and inspiring work, especially regarding women’s rights, within their home communities.  These women are returning with the skills from Alt-SEAN to train fellow activists to create a network and create political change that fits their cultural needs, while also uniting various ethnic groups that otherwise held tensions between each other.

Last night, we took a night bus from Bangkok to the border town of Mae Sot (and managed not to kill each other on the ten-hour ride.)  Today was jam-packed but mind blowing!  First we met with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, founded and run by people who have been held as political prisoners within Burma to help current political prisoners or previous political prisoners now living in exile.  We were struck by their optimism and resolve even in the face of the horrific things they have endured at the hands of the Burmese military regime, simply for seeking human rights.

Next, we got the chance to hang out with the famous Generation Wave, a hip hop group doubling as underground political activists.  Using music, graffiti, and technology, these young activists have kept the democracy movement alive amongst the youth of Burma.  They were incredibly cool and, beyond just chatting about their experiences and jamming to an acoustic Burmese version of "I’ll Be Missing You," they made us lunch – traditional home-cooked Burmese style!  It was awesome to hear ideas to create change in Burma from their perspective. Like the members of AAPP, they can’t reveal their identities, so unfortunately we couldn’t take videos or pictures of them for you.

Last but not least, we met with Yuang Chi Oo Workers Association, an NGO that deals with the issues Burmese migrant workers face in Thailand.  There are hundreds of thousands of Burmese migrant workers struggling to support their families back home while struggling to protect their own rights. All the people we spoke with today told us that above all, though they value the safety of living and working in Thailand, they miss their families and their lives in their home country and long to return home. 

Today was amazing, and offered us a view we don’t normally receive as activists in the U.S.  It is rare to see the situation from the perspective of Burmese people and to have the opportunity to see and discuss their tools and tactics as activists.  The rest of our week will only get better, so keep checking back for more video and blog content!

Peace, love, STAND,

Morgan, Nikki, and Matthew

(Burma Education Coordinator, MA State Outreach Coordinator, Online Strategies Coordinator)

Today, we kicked off the Pledge2Protect canvass. In cooperation with the Genocide Intervention Network and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, we are asking people across the country to take the pledge to prevent genocide.

To do this, chapters are holding awesome events throughout this week to educate about the ongoing conflicts and motivate people to take action. Not only this, but they are using these events as a chance to collect pledges from the attendees.

One such school is the University of Central Florida. Tomorrow, their chapter is hosting a screening of “Darfur Now” on their campus in an effort to bring a more personalized account of the conflict in Darfur to their student body and collect 1,000 pledges.

This newly formed chapter (they only joined STAND earlier this semester after the Pledge2Protect conference) is, in the words of vice-president Brittany Duhrkoff, committed to taking a STAND against genocide because they realize that “once you allow yourself to feel what these people are feeling and hurt like they’re hurting, you really can’t turn back.”

Join Brittany, the student of University of Central Florida, and over 34,000 other people across the country in taking the Pledge2Protect by either hosting your own event or taking the pledge now! A few minutes of your time could make a world of difference.

Is your chapter holding an event? E-mail mheck@standnow.org about it and you could be featured on our blog!

 On the final day of my 7th grade class on the Holocaust, our religious school teacher unexpectedly announced that we would be taking a final exam.  As he passed out the exam face down, I became nervous that I would be unable to conjure up all of the information that we had learned throughout the year.  However, when I turned over single sheet of paper, I realized with relief that it was not a typical final exam.  Instead, it consisted of a single paragraph we had to read that simply stated: Your final exam in how you conduct the rest of your lives. Can it happen again? The answer is up to YOU and to YOUR CHOICES.  Will YOU CHOOSE to get involved or will you be a bystander?

It was on that day that I promised never to by a bystander to injustice.  Five years later, I continue to use those words as a reminder of my responsibility to stand against human rights atrocities.

In December of 2007, I discussed with Judd Holzman of Facing History and Ourselves, an organization dedicated to using examples from history to change the future, the need to unite student actions against genocide in the Chicago-area.  Although dozens of student groups were taking action within their own schools and communities, coordination among all of these student groups would raise the volume of our voices and increase the effectiveness of our actions.

Soon after that discussion, I reached out to several student groups in the northern suburbs of Chicago and quickly formed a coalition consisting of 10 students groups who were all excited to become part of a larger community of student activists in Chicago.  We then proceeded to plan our first event called the Youth United for Darfur Conference, which aimed to educate students about the genoicde in Darfur and how to effectively take action against it.  After numerous conference calls, several meetings with the Sudanese community, hundreds of phone calls and many more emails, 150 students attended the conference in a demonstration of youth solidarity against genocide.  Professional activists, Lost Boys of Sudan, and even state legislators spoke, and the event concluded with a press conference for Illinois’ new Sudanese Community Center. 

After successfully organizing the conference, Youth United for Darfur participants decided that Chicago youth should organize a large-scale rally in a display of solidarity against genocide.  In January of 2009, our group of 10 high schools quickly mobilized and began reaching out to high schools, colleges, youth groups, popular musicians, and influential political figures.  In just weeks, we became a coalition of over 40 student groups, all of whom were excited to both plan and participate in the Youth United for Darfur Rally.  We also reached out to national organizations for help and support – official sponsors now include the Save Darfur Coalition, the ENOUGH Project, STAND, Amnesty International, American Jewish World Service, Darfur Dream Team, and the Sudanese Community Association of Illinois.  Through the hard work of so many Chicago students, Youth United for Darfur has spread the word to thousands of Chicago citizens and created an event that cannot be ignored by our legislators.

The Youth United for Darfur Rally has several goals.  First, student groups involved aim to collectively raise $15,000 to support schools attended by Darfuri refugees in the Djebal refugee camp and the Sudanese Community Center in Illinois.  In addition, the rally aims to unite thousands of Chicago activists, especially youth, against the genocide and to show President Obama that Chicago demands swift and sustained action to promote peace in Darfur.  As youth in president Obama’s home city, we believe that our voices can be especially powerful in shaping U.S. foreign policy in Sudan.

The rally will take place on April 19^th at Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago at 1pm.  Participants will hear speeches by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky and State Representative Andre Thapedi, and musical performances by Company of Thieves and the Hood Internet.  The full list of speakers and musicians can be found on our website at YouthUnitedforDarfur.org. 

Over the last four months, I have been inspired by the dedication of so many students to ending the genocide in Darfur.  Within school walls and beyond, student activists have effectively voiced their concern for the ongoing atrocities in Dafur and advocated for swift action from legislators, including the Obama administration.  It is through the efforts of local citizens, especially youth, that the international community can slowly move Sudan towards long-lasting peace and stability.  And, if we are to ever truly make “Never Again a reality, then we must all be upstanders for humanity by acting NOW against ongoing genocide in Darfur. 

Save Darfur,

Ethan Barhydt
Youth United for Darfur

Sixteen humanitarian agencies have been kicked out of Darfur by the Government of Sudan. This action by Sudan will leave about 1 million Darfuris without food, water, or medical aid.

Call your Representative on Genocide Intervention Network’s hotline, 1-800-GENOCIDE (1-800-436-6243) and urge them to sign onto Congressman Capuano’s letter to President Hu of China, Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa and African Union Chairman Muammar Qadhafi. These are Sudanese allies that must be urged to tell Sudan that its action against these humanitarian aid organizations is unacceptable.

Visit 1800Genocide.org to read more about the situation, and call your Representative today.

STAND is proud to join our friends over at the Enough Project in taking the Congo Challenge. We knew all our readers would want to take the Challenge, too, so we’ve included a blog post from Candice Knezevic at Enough below. Once you sign up to take the challenge, comment and let us know!

Last weekend, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert wrote an op-ed called “The Invisible War.” In it, he described the unspeakable and horrendous crimes of sexual violence being committed in eastern Congo, where rape is used as a weapon of war on a scale seen nowhere else in the world. Mr. Herbert’s piece ignited hundreds of comments, many of which ask the ubiquitous question, “What can I do?”

Really, the question should be…what can’t you do? There are so many ways that you can be an advocate for the women of Congo. To make it a little easier to answer this question, however, the RAISE Hope for Congo campaign is kicking off a three month “Congo Challenge.” Each month, you’ll get a menu of actions that you can take to make an impact. Whether you only have 5 minutes or 5 hours, there’s an option for you.

In March, we’ll ask you to help us RAISE Awareness and recruit new activists to the movement. This movement is in its infancy, which means we need your help to grow it. In April, we’ll ask you to RAISE Your Voice, and help us hold the electronics industry and our leaders accountable for the scourge of "conflict minerals" in Congo. In May, we’ll ask you to RAISE the Profile of the conflict in Congo by shining a light on our direct link to this ongoing crisis. Each month we’ll have an activist conference call with special guest speakers, and in April, we’ll hold a live advocacy training webinar.

So this spring, challenge yourself to be an advocate for the women of Congo. You have the power to help Congolese women end the violence and change their country’s course. That power is your voice.

On December 3, you, and thousands of other students like you, took a STAND to protect civilians in Darfur and Burma. Thank you so much for supporting GI-NET’s groundbreaking initiatives to transform the world’s response to genocide from one of humanitarian response to one of prevention and protection.  

STANDFast and Civilian Protection are an important, life-saving part of GI-NET’s work.  But there is so much more to do!  GI-NET and STAND work throughout the year to develop a permanent political constituency equipped with the tools and resources to prevent and stop genocide. You’ve already been a part of these efforts—by organizing events on your campus, by calling 1-800 GENOCIDE to support the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act and increased U.S. funding for U.N. peacekeeping operations; by sending DarfurScores.org report cards to your representatives; and by working on movements to successfully divest 27 states and 61 universities from companies funding the Sudanese Government.

And we are just getting started. 

In 2009, GI-NET will continue our advocacy and civilian protection work and will expand beyond Darfur to address other conflict areas in which genocide and mass atrocity are occurring.  Your STAND Chapter can support GI-NET’s work throughout the year by hosting grassroots fundraisers to support our civilian protection AND advocacy efforts. 

We are working to create a world without genocide.  And you are the most important part!  Please visit our fundraising section to get ideas for other events you can hold to support GI-NET’s work throughout the year.

Angie Deane and Victoria Smith,
GI-NET Development Team
 

We have an important opportunity to tell the new administration that ending the Darfur genocide is a top priority of the American people. Change.org is sponsoring a competition called Ideas for Change in America and ending the genocide in Darfur is in the finals. But we need your help.

Vote today to ensure that ending the genocide in Darfur is one of the top ten issues that will be presented to the new administration.

President Obama must create a peace surge for Sudan, focused on ending the crisis in Darfur rather than managing it. Tell him that supporting a U.N.-authorized peacekeeping force that actively protects civilians, and holds the perpetrators of the genocide to account, is a priority to you.

Vote now to make Darfur a priority from Day One at http://www.change.org/ideas/view/end_the_genocide_in_darfur.

We only have until January 15th to put Darfur on the list. On January 16th, Change.org and the Case Foundation will announce the top ten issues, and will then launch a national campaign behind each one.

We aim to make ending the Darfur genocide an administration priority from Day One! Vote today to make your voice heard for the people of Darfur. And after you’ve voted, e-mail your friends, post it to Facebook, or promote it on your blog!