Andy Kondrat
November 26, 2008 | 3:11 pm EST
I blogged last week about how awesome Causecast is and here is more proof. Below is a video they made in an effort to get people to think about freedom and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Also, it stars Nobel Peace prize-winning Aung San Suu Kyi, Prime Minister elect of Burma, which makes the video that much cooler!
To learn more, takepart at causecast.org
When you think of protesting, you probably imagine a bunch of people, marching and shouting, possibly as a mob, possibly as peaceful people. But the crux of it always the mass of people collectively voicing displeasure. Well, the Economist thinks that age is over, and we’ve officially entered into the internet protest age when it comes to ecological abuse.
Instead of needing a horde of people in one place to even be noticed, lone dissenters now can make a huge splash, and these people can link up online to create a global resistance.
Jon Corbett, of the Centre for Social, Spatial and Economic Justice, an affiliate of the University of British Columbia, was first involved in Indonesia’s anti-logging movement in the 1990s, in the pre-internet age. Today, he says, things are far easier: local campaigns against big commercial and political interests at least have a chance, especially if they win global attention.
And, of course, a mainstay of this social action is blogging.
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What the F**K (excuse my language) is social media? If this is a question you’ve ever asked yourself or simply something you want to learn more about you should definitely check out the awesome slideshow below. It is full of amazing facts, figures and graphics to help you see how important this thing we call social media is:
Be sure to takepart and see how one great group, IAVA is using social networking (and media!) with their new Communityofveterans.org!
photo by rscottjones
The New York Times noted that much of the success of the Obama team was due to their efficient, highly disciplined campaign that stayed on message for nearly two years straight. And the uniting theme that voters consistently heard nationwide from Obama was about change. Change in Washington, across the country, in our visions, beliefs and understanding of our personal and national potential. This message strongly resonated with voters. I feel like the world’s zeitgeist has shifted since Tuesday with people feeling inspired and driven to fulfill the vision Obama articulated at all levels of our society.
American citizens who care environmental protection, education, civil rights, homelessness, ending the war in Iraq, health care access and a myriad of other issues have been voiceless at the White House for the past eight years. Under the Obama Administration, we finally have the opportunity to be heard, seen and respected for our beliefs and values. The President-elect said he wants to hear from us! One incredible way to participate in this open process is the Social Action network site Change.org. which connects you to blogs, ideas, action items and organizations around the issues you are care about. The top 10 ideas developed through the site will be submitted to the new Obama Administration.
We’ve never lost our voice. But we finally have the opportunity to be respected, heard and to impact policies at the highest echelons of our government. Takepart today at Change.org to translate your passion for change into reality.
Last week, I started cross posting Social Actions amazing weekly roundups. Here is the latest installment! (My sincere apologies for being 1 day late with this one!)
There were at least three awesome social change conferences this week! The week started off with a bang with Social Capital Markets. The SoCap08 blog team did an excellent job covering this 3-day event. You can also check out a few videos from SoCap08 on Fora.tv here. The Feast’s Social Innovation Conference was also this week and SwissMiss has some great notes on the event here. And over at ReadWriteWeb, you can check out a review of MobileActive08.
And new from last week’s Online Giving Marketplaces - there’s a podcast with GlobalGiving’s president, Mari Kuraishi. (Hat-tip to Tactical Philanthropy)
Platform Updates:
(after the jump!)
I spent some time online this afternoon watching the 2008 NBA draft live. Memphis University’s Derrick Rose went first to the Chicago Bulls followed by KSU’s Michael Beasley to the Miami Heat. Scandal-plagued guard OJ Mayo went fourth to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Hopes and dreams were made. NBA trades went down between the Milwaukee Bucks, the (soon to be) Brooklyn Nets, and many other teams around the league. For the first time in months, Kevin Durant smiled.
Some of us at TakePart are certainly sports fans (exhibit A and exhibit B), and we’re especially fans of the league’s corporate social responsibilty (CSR) program NBA Cares. Sure, it’s partially a marketing ploy, but like a good role player, you can’t argue with the stats:
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3 things I love are the cinema, social action and YouTube! Now, once a day I cam going to combine all 3 in one awesome post by posting an awesome social action YouTube video and an awesome cinema related YouTube video (sometimes maybe I’ll even find one magical video that combines the two)
Like TakePart and Participant Productions, YouTube entertains and informs. With that I give you the
Social Action and Cinema YouTube Videos of the Day:
1) The Real News : US polar bear protection falls short
For the Cinema YouTube Video of the Day, Click here >>>
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Shepard Fairey, fresh off the opening of his new Subliminal Projects gallery, will be showing work at this week’s LA vs WAR event in downtown Los Angeles. Fairey, who gained fame with his ubiquitous “Obey” and “Giant” poster campaigns, will be one amongst hundreds of visual artists with work on display at the event. Also on tap will be a Graffiti & Stencil Garden, DJ performances and film & video screenings.
According to their website:
“LA vs WAR highlights the travesty of a senseless war now going into its 6th year, giving LA artists a platform to exercise their freedom of speech. Hundreds of artists representing our diverse communities unite in delivering a universal message of peace and understanding, and offering resistance and opposition to the US government’s war policies.”
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Inspired by TakePart’s PSAs on voting the issues? Have you already made your Chicago 10 clip, but still have more to say to America about how you would vote, and why? Link TV’s Dear American Voter Project allows you to speak out and be heard regarding your thoughts on the coming presidential election in the form of a short video letter. Not an American citizen? Not a problem. Link TV encourages international submissions as well so that folks abroad can let Americans to know how US foreign policy affects their daily lives.
Come November, these famous friends of TakePart and the I Am Voting For campaign will be all about what (not who) they’re voting for, and encourage you to vote the issues ” not the personalities ” this election season. Forget about race, gender, campaign contributions and ill-spoken statements by loose-lipped advisors. It’s time to distinguish the candidates by the issues we care about, and the platforms that they stand on.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld fame is voting for “a greener world, less carbon emissions and more fuel efficiency” : Read the rest of this entry »