No one can take away your Human Rights

December 10th 2009 will commemorate the United Nations’ adoption and proclamation of the International Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration was first ratified in 1948 and since then the United Nations has worked tirelessly to provide “dignity and justice for all.”

Even though the document has stated that all human beings are entitled to certain rights this has not been the case for many in the past. Youth for Human Rights has produced a series of videos on each right. Featured below is the right to your own human rights. Watch the video below and visit the link below for more videos.

Human Right #30:

No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights

Human Rights are the most important assets citizens of the world can enjoy without any doubt that they will be upheld.

What are human rights? Find out at youthforhumanrights.org.

World AIDS Day: What does it mean?

By Dorothy Garcia & Tom Harding

Photo by Tom Harding

For the 1,000 African mothers who today will give birth to a child infected with HIV, probably not much. AIDS is a reality they live with every day, and they most likely face imminent death, or witnessing the death of their child, or both.

In wealthy nations, modern medicine has nearly eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission through a relatively simple procedure that could also be available to African mothers. To make that a reality, we citizens of wealthy nations must exercise our political and economic power to pressure our governments and pharmaceutical companies to collaborate with African governments. In our day-to-day interactions, we must educate our children, students, friends, family and colleagues to make healthy choices and to understand their power to make positive change.

Last year we spent World AIDS Day in South Africa leading a service learning group to celebrate the opening of our organization’s new center in Khayelitsha. It was a euphoric experience after three years of community collaboration, planning, fundraising and building, and brought to mind Nelson Mandela’s words: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
After the opening, as we moved through the day, we were struck by the widespread collective effort to educate the nation about AIDS. Employees in shopping centers not only wore red ribbons, but t-shirts with potent messages discouraging stigmatization and promoting unity. On television, there were more than the obligatory public service announcements; every television soap opera and sit-com involved plotlines focusing on AIDS-related myths, human rights issues and safe sex practices. And this occurred in a country where just a few years ago the President at the time was, at least to a degree, an AIDS denialist.

Like any day of recognition, World AIDS Day is meaningful only if it spurs us to reflect on the issues and problems, to consider our responsibility, and then to take action toward a solution on that day and days to come.

That’s how we make the impossible possible.


Dorothy Garcia and Tom Harding are co-founding Directors of Art Aids Art, a nonprofit organization promoting health, arts-based literacy and sustainable economic development in South Africa. In North America, Art Aids Art works with colleges and schools to create awareness about South African culture and the AIDS crisis through art exhibits, presentations and student-led chapters. Art Aids Art leads annual social justice trips to Cape Town. For more information, visit www.artaidsart.org.

Canadians can take action Environmental Change today

By Bilaal Rajan

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark (Cop15) this December 2009 is a great opportunity for Canada to show the rest of the world how serious we. as Canadians, are about climate change and what we are prepared to do in order to reverse its devastating impact on our ecosystems.

There is a great deal of concern from scientists and other policy experts, however, that Canada is not pulling its weight to stop climate change. A recent study by German insurance company Allianz SE and the global conservation group WWF puts Canada at the bottom of the list for having one of the world’s largest per capita emissions and failing to implement any program to change this.

I am afraid that this kind of inaction will damage Canada’s reputation as a forward-thinking and progressive country. The fact is that we have a highly-educated workforce and a strong entrepreneurial spirit that can help move us away from fossil fuels and towards more environmentally-friendly forms of energy. Not only will this create tens of thousands of new jobs, but will put Canada on track to reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

At Cop15 this December, Canada has the opportunity to lead the world and show how environmental sustainability and economic strength can go hand in hand. But this won’t happen unless we let our elected leaders know how we really feel about this most important issue.

I am urging each and every one of you to write letters to your members of parliament (MPs) today and tell them to step up and take action on the environment right now. I wrote to several MPs and even members of the Ontario Provincial Parliament. It takes very little time. And don’t forget to write to Prime Minister Harper as well. My friends at Roots and Shoots have produced a document that lists all the emails of MPs on the Environment Committee, among others available here.

Please forward this message to as many friends and family as possible so they can get involved too! Time on the environment is running short. But if we send enough letters, it will force them to act on climate change. Thank you for making a difference, and happy writing!

Bilaal Rajan is a Canadian fundraiser, motivational speaker, author and founder of Hands for Help. He has raised over $5 million for various causes and is the youngest Ambassador ever for UNICEF, worldwide. Visit bilaalrajan.com for further details on his work.

10 Ways to Support Charities in Social Networks

Originally posted July 14, 2009 at Mashable.com by Josh Catone

1. Write a Blog Post
2. Share Stories with Friends
3. Follow Charities on Social Networks
4. Support Causes on Awareness Hubs
5. Find Volunteer Opportunities
6. Embed a Widget on Your Site
7. Organize a Tweetup
8. Express Yourself Using Video
9. Sign or Start a Petition
10. Organize an Online Event

Read the full details and see examples of these tips in the full post at Mashable.com!

This post is a collaboration between Mashable’s Summer of Social Good charitable fundraiser and Max Gladwell’s “10 Ways” series. The post was simultaneously published across more than 100 blogs.

To the Fallen

By, Mozafer Rajabali

Remember the day that voice shook the earth,

Your arms and legs didn’t tremble in the face of death,

It was the beginning of a new birth,

An essence entangled against the will of Macbeth…

Remember, Remember, the day we went asunder,

When the world was illuminated with those that never make a blunder,

They blessed us, forbade us, and sacrificed change,

For it was written in their blood, to forever exchange –

Their blood for ours in a deal inexplicable,

In a transaction unaccounted,

In a contract with a timeless seal,

Thus Remember, remember the fifth of November*.

Remember the true sword, to show who’s boss,

Much like the Mexicans El Dio De las Muertos,

A pledge to remember those that have fallen,

Under the motive that remains not stallen.

The Muslims call it Jihad,

In two different fads,

The most important curing the inner self,

The lesser ordains removing weapons from a shelf.

No matter where you look – change seems to breathe,

Yet a stimulus remains hanging, in the midst to believe –

That one must fight an inner war of desperation

To come out and be of an alteration.


* - a quote taken from the movie “V for Vendetta”, representing the pain that can be suffered under the hands of the government by the people. The movie illustrates very carefully, how the political change in a country can have a psychological affect on people and determine their lives forever. Although this is a hypothetical situation, it demonstrates the will power of those that want to bring about immediate change and can go to the extreme of sacrificing their own lives as an epitome for those that remain alive.

** Mozafer Rajabali is a grade 11 student in the IB program, who wants potential to be recognized in the most deprived countries.

Opportunity to Listen: Why Everything Must Change

By Abid Virani

Each and everyday, educational institutions welcome guest speakers to share their knowledge with students. Speakers range dramatically, from young determined activists to former politicians turned humanitarian. Students should take every opportunity to listen to these speakers “not only to hear them, but also listen to them.

It is vital, in this day and age, for students to gain an understanding of multiple perspectives. Although a speaker may not intrigue you “they may be too right wing or left wing“ it is still a valuable experience to listen to them. By doing so, students are better prepared to understand their own beliefs and perspectives.

Occasionally, there is an outlet that consistently shows various perspectives. Speak Up for Change not only addresses hundreds of issues, from literacy to technology, but it is also one of the many outlets of knowledge that cannot be ignored. On October 23 - 24, another outlet for students was available in Oakville, Ontario.

Fatmire Feka, Nobel Peace Prize nominee and Founder of Kids Club for Peace, is amongst the list. There are best-selling authors, CEOs and Presidents of non-profit organizations. Organizations represented include Student Reach International, Nelson Mandela's Children Fund, Gender Equality Incorporated, Opportunity International Canada and Habitat for Humanity. The conference is called, "Why Everything Must Change".

How fortunate we are to be a drive away from such knowledge and experience. Let us never doubt the powerful impact of, not hearing, but listening. Let us always remember that our ability to listen and learn is perhaps the strongest weapon in our arsenal for a making positive and lasting change in this world.

As youth in Kosovo, we worked hard. We didn’t change the world, nor did we change our country, but we did have an impact on our communities, on our peers, and we did plant a powerful seed of hope in people’s hearts.

- Fatmire Feka, in her keynote address at WEMC 2008

Media Literacy in the Digital Age

Media Literacy Week was conceived in 2006 under the name National Media Education Week to promote media literacy as a key component in the education of young people and to encourage the integration and the practice of media education in Canadian homes, schools and communities.

Media are powerful forces in the lives of youth. Young people are immersed in media, moving beyond geographical and regulatory boundaries as they access, absorb, communicate, create and repurpose media content. And they're doing this largely without guidance and often without reflection.

To be media literate in this new environment, young people need to develop knowledge, values and a range of critical thinking, communication and information management skills - and media education is an essential tool in helping them acquire these skills.

Media Awareness Network (MNet) and Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) are working with an advisory committee, teacher and media education organizations and community groups to develop and promote a wide range of media education resources, professional development programs and youth activities in support of the week.

This year's theme

The theme for Media Literacy Week 2009 is Media Literacy in the Digital Age, emphasizing the multiple literacy skills needed by today’s youth for accessing, evaluating, repurposing, creating and distributing media content to successfully navigate their digital media world. How do they find, evaluate and make sense of online information? Do they know how to protect their privacy online, stay safe using social networks and be good digital citizens?

Over the years

Canada's Media Literacy Week has been building momentum and gaining collaborators since its launch in 2006. Previous years have been resounding successes with educators, broadcasters, community groups, academics and youth organizing media awareness events and activities, creating podcasts and teaching media literacy in classrooms across the country.

In 2008, National Media Education Week saw the launch of Passport to the Internet, an online tutorial to help students in Grades four to eight develop the critical thinking skills they need to navigate the Web in a secure and ethical manner. MNet and CTF also held a workshop for youth at Historica Encounters with Canada where they created public service announcements (PSA) to promote ethical and pro-social online behaviours and encourage a more positive image of young people's Internet use in the mainstream media. The PSAs played on the theme for 2008 – Think Critically, Act Ethically: Inside and Outside the Classroom – which encouraged young people to be ethical and responsible online citizens.

In 2007, the theme for National Media Education Week – e-Parenting - encouraged the active involvement of parents in their children's cyber-world. The week was the launch pad for Devenir e-Parent: un tutoriel pour suivre vos enfants en ligne, a French-language online tutorial for parents. To empower students, MNet and Shaw worked together to host MyMedia— a video podcast contest that challenged youth, in Grades 7 to 12, to create a video about how or why certain members of society are represented, misrepresented or absent from the media.

In 2006, the theme for National Media Education Week - A lot goes into media. What do you take out? - focused on deconstructing media and urged viewers, listeners and readers to consider what goes into media creation, and what meaning and messages can be taken out. A PSA based on the theme aired in high rotation across the country and was viewed online several thousand times. Also that year, educators were offered free online professional development resources through MNet's Media Education: Make It Happen! program.

Above details from the Media Literacy Website: www.medialiteracyweek.ca

Do you know where your food comes from?

Eat Real, Eat Local, Canada!

This short film explains what's happening to Canada's local food system and why we should all care. Watch the video below to find out more.