My father and I are bicycling across Canada this summer. We hope to raise some money and awareness for Amnesty International (AI).
AI is a worldwide movement dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights. AI takes action to stop grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination. We campaign to free prisoners of conscience, protect refugees, abolish the death penalty, and end political killings, "disappearances" and torture. AI seeks to expose human rights abuses accurately and quickly. We systematically and independently research the facts of individual cases and pattens of human rights abuses. These findings are publicized, and members, supporters and staff then mobilize persistent public pressure on governments, armed political groups, companies and others to prevent and stop these violations.
An ancient Japanese legend states that anyone who folds 1,000 origami cranes will be granted a wish. This legend was popularized by Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who contracted leukemia as a direct result from the atomic bombing at Hiroshima. She died after folding 600 cranes. Today, tens of millions of cranes are folded in that country and others every year. These symbols have come to represent hope for a better world. I have folded 1,000 cranes and we will give these out in exchange for donations.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Human Rights College = Awesome

I really don't know where to start writing about the HRC, it was just that incredibly amazing. To avoid rambling on and on I think I'll just pick a few of the highlights: (According to me and in no specific order)

1. The Amazing Activist Race, part of which included taping up 4 Amnesty posters in the best places you could find. For our group these places included a Metro bus, Theodore the Tugboat, and Jenn Farr's bike.

2. Getting to hangout with people from right across Canada. A couple of them were even from....
Manitoba. Which is a joke that you might not get unless you were at the concert at Grand Parade, which happens to be the next highlight.

3. The march in support of the Lubicon Cree and the free concert. For the march pretty much everyone who was at the HRC and AGM walked from the Dalhousie Student Union Building to Grand Parade in downtown Halifax carrying posters with various slogans on them. Once we made it to where we finished we listened to some live music and had our pictures taken infront of a pumpjack that we the HRCers had made.

4. My final one would have to be taking part in the Annual General Meeting. I also realized during all the discussions that doing all the workshops during the HRC really prepared me to be able to talk to other Amnesty members and tell them my point of view without having to make everything up as I went.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 10, 2009 at 2:40 PM

    Happy Trails :)
    Krista from the Library

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 12, 2009 at 10:06 PM

    hey tuck its avery good luck :}

    ReplyDelete

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