For many, January 30th is known as the School Day of Non-Violence and Peace (or DENIP: Dia Escolar de la No-violència i la Pau). Today also marks the 64th anniversary of Mohandas K. Gandhi's death, and it’s not a coincidence.

As we all know, 2012 brings the International Year of Cooperatives. To keep in theme with this, it is interesting to look at the issue of biopiracy and the patenting of crop-breeding techniques. Biopiracy is the unpermitted exploitation of indigenous environmental knowledge for commercial gain.

Happy Lunar New Year from TIG!

Also known as the “Spring Festival,” Lunar New Year falls on January 23 this year, and marks the exit of the Year of the Rabbit and the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.

Lunar New Year is a time to honour elders, and celebrate with friends and family. Celebrations last for fifteen days, and often include lion dances, large meals, and fire works.

The festivities come to a conclusion with the Lantern Festival on February 7. Candles are lit to guide spirits home, and revelers take to the streets with beautiful lanterns.

Share photos and art depicting Lunar New Year celebrations in the Global Gallery, and have a great Year of the Dragon!

Wishing you good health and happiness,
 

The TIG team

Photo: "Dragon Head" by Choo Yut Shing

Photo of coffee handler with beans at a Timor Cooperative. Photo by United Nations Photo

As we create our lists of New Year’s resolutions and resolves, it is worth taking a moment to consider what social change we might inspire in the upcoming year. And there is something special about 2012—the United Nations has declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives.

This year’s theme of “cooperatives” is part of an effort to promote global awareness of the value of cooperatives in combatting poverty through job creation and social integration. As a business organization, cooperatives are unique in the sense that they are equally and democratically owned and run by a group of members with the aim of shared benefit.

The International Cooperative Alliance outlines seven basic principles that comprise a cooperative:

·      Voluntary and open membership

·      Democratic member control

·      Member economic participation

·      Autonomy and independence

·      Access to education and training

·      Cooperation among cooperatives

·      Concern for the community

These principles allow cooperatives to strike a balance between profit and community/member wellbeing.

Support cooperatives by being an educated consumer—products marked as “fair trade” are often sourced from cooperatives. For those who want to take it one step further, a project page is a useful tool to implement in your cooperative. For an example of this, check out the Women's Economic Empowerment through Co-operative Farming, Vocational Training and Business Development project page. Make taking part in the UN's International Year of Cooperatives a New Year's resolution!

It has been thirty years since November 25th was first designated as a day to educate and inform about the very serious and widespread issue of violence against women, and twelve years since the United Nations General Assembly officially endorsed and promoted it as such. When we, as a global community, promote these days of interest, we bring light and information to causes that some people may not realize the weight or importance of. It is our hope that readers of this blog and TakingITGlobal members will share their knowledge, insights, and suggestions on the issues that speak to them.

Children’s rights and Women’s rights are two issues that have always spoken to me, because women and children’s rights are intranssient in all other causes. A woman is the strength of a family, and the strength of a nation. Inherently she is a teacher, a nurse, and a compassionate person. These qualities are in her nature. She nurtures the children of this world, who grow up to inherit the land and seas, the schools, banks, corporations, hospitals, and churches. It is, therefore, particularly disheartening to me to see violence against women as a persistent international problem.

The United Nations Statistics Division reports, “Rates of women experiencing physical violence at least once in their lifetime vary from several per cent to over 59 per cent depending on where they live.” Although domestic abuse is proven to be the most widespread type of gender-based violence reported, violence and abuse are also common in other forms, such as sexual (including female genital mutilation), psychological, and economic abuse. (UN STATS DIVISION). In most cases, abuses are not singular. They are reoccurring and often paired with different types of abuses.

In 2005, the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) reported that domestic abuse is mostly tied with serious psychological, as well as verbal, abuses and a quarter of domestic violence victims are also subjected to sexual abuse. Due to cultural practices as well as the stigma related to these violent acts, oftentimes the violence remains unreported and women are afraid to seek help. The following graph from the World Health Organization illustrates this fact.



Other than the immediate and long-term results of violence against the victim herself, such as lingering psychological effects and mental trauma, irreversible damage of her reproductive organs which can increase the risks of miscarriage, and premature delivery of babies or even stillbirths, the consequences of such widespread violence is much more far-reaching in terms of global health concerns. Where sexual abuse is committed, the risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases being transmitted is exponentially high. This is especially true in cases of systemic violence where rape, beatings, and mutilation are used as weapons of war. Psychologically, children who witness abuse tend to become more accepting of violent practices and are at risk for perpetuating the behaviours towards their future spouses and children, or conversely, can grow up to be more likely to accept these behaviours from their spouses.

For such a grave and ubiquitous issue, solutions for relief and elimination of abusive acts are surprisingly easy to implement. I have personally delivered workshops to young girls in rural communities centering on topics such as health and sexual education, assertiveness training, community involvement to ensure a strong network of local support, and career guidance. The older girls in these rural areas pledged to continue to educate and inform their younger peers and to train them to do the same. The difficulty lies in changing cultural-social acceptance of abuse which is prevalent in many communities, and has been for generations. With this in mind, it is important to implement systems of change which are sustainable by creating fearless leaders out of young people, and educating them to give them the knowledge and confidence to move forward and succeed.

The increase in the number of banks as a result of globalization plays an extended role in improving living conditions for women and their families in developing nations. Women are generally financially weaker than men as they earn less, spend more on their families and therefore save less, and are more credit controlled than men. This is due to discrimination against women in the labour market. It is for these reasons that women are susceptible to economic abuse. When they are able to take advantage of career opportunities, they constantly prove themselves to be intelligent, resourceful, and most of all, keen and industrious. Microloans to women have been shown to facilitate improvements in communities. It has been proven that when women are able to have their own money, they are more likely to invest in the education of their children, buy more nutrition-rich foods, and invest back into their communities. Earning income increases a person’s self-worth. With the confidence, ability, and tools to sustain themselves, women are also more likely to start their own community-based projects to help other families. They are regularly key players in NGOs, public protests, as well as electoral referendums and other civilian strengthening and energizing developments which all hold more and more weight as democracy holds power. 

Once women’s needs are properly surveyed and attention is given to the major subjects we will see a change across many global issues – lower birth rates, fewer maternal and child deaths, improved health, nutrition, increased opportunities for education, a decrease in the spread of disease, the creation of strong and successful community organizations, and greater proletariat democratic involvement. Improvements will never be stifled because above all things, a woman is a teacher who will teach her children, and her children’s children what she knows, and plant her confidence to grow inside of them.

Recently we celebrated Global Dignity Day. Violence, abuse, and any kind of deliberate hindrance in the ongoing development in an individual strips that person of their dignity. To encumber the development of a woman is to impede the development of entire communities, nations, and the world itself. For this reason, it is imperative that we support women’s programs. Before coming to TIG, I volunteered at an immigrant women’s center in Toronto. The organization worked to alleviate the burdens of abused female immigrants who were naive to the processes of obtaining social/financial assistance from our municipal and provincial levels of government. In many cases, women do not know where to turn for support and are sometimes even unaware of their rights. Therefore it is extremely important for us to promote our projects, organizations, and the tools we have to offer by calling out to the voiceless members of our communities. I found it personally remarkable and inspiring to see such deep strength of character and spirit in these women despite the ordeals and burdens they battle daily, sometimes for years. I was touched by the kindness of these women and the blessings they showered on me in every meeting, with every communication. I am constantly baffled by the capability of people to inflict abuse on innocents. Witnessing forgiveness and boundless love radiate from these women renewed my faith that the work that we do as local and global activists does in fact touch people, and their courage and bravery touches us back, propelling us to do more, and better work.

I beseech all TIG members to support women’s projects, speak out against rape and domestic violence, to promote and facilitate the growth of women as equal citizens from a young age. Find projects in your local communities, sign international petitions, recognize the depth and effect of abuse on a human being. This issue exists in every town, city, country, and continent. The sheer scale of terror inflicted on women, and the everlasting effects on their families and communities demand that we inspire and implement change NOW.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is not just one day of promotion, but a chance to mark yet another year of encouraging peace and equality within our communities, and within our homes.

For further information, please visit the World Health Organization, United Nations Statistics Division, and the United Nations Population Fund.

Browse Human Rights/Gender Equality organizations here to get inspired and involved.
Search petitions here.
Search or start projects here.

But remember, it all starts with a COMMITMENT!



Peace, Love, Empathy.

New Online Volunteer Cycle!

Be a part of the TIG Team!

Volunteering online is a great way to give back to the TakingITGlobal community and to help extend our offerings to global audiences. The following opportunities are open for applications from now until October 15th. 

Online Community

• Global Issue Team Member
• Panorama Team Editor
• Resource Content Editor
• Global Issue Coordinator
• Discussion Board Moderator

Language Translators

• Bengali Translator
• Farsi Translator
• Turkish Translator
• Korean Translator

It was in her first year of university that Executive Director, Jennifer Corriero, co-founded TakingITGlobal with Michael Furdyk. She identified a need  to build an inclusive, online space to engage an extraordinary generation in cultivating social change in their communities. Over a decade later, on June 15, 2011, Jennifer addressed an auditorium full of unversity presidents, vice-chancellors, rectors and students in attendance at the Talloires Network Leaders Conference - Building the Engaged University: Moving Beyond the Ivory Tower.

Just as the greatest teachers are students, Jennifer transported her audience into an interactive learning environment and charged decision-makers of leading universities around the world with the following task:

How can universities harness the power of technology to create positive social change and meaningful student engagement within communities?

“In order to overcome the 20 pressing global issues we are facing, we need a new global citizen mindset.… and this is where education and educators have a critical role to play.” ~ High Noon: 20 Global Problems 20 Years to Solve Them by J.F. Rischard

So what can universities do to move beyond the ivory tower and cultivate engagement opportunities for students to solve these pressing global issues? Jennifer outlined the following as part of her inspiring keynote:

1. Provide open, dynamic inclusive spaces for redefining the possible;
2. Offer platforms for students to amplify voices of concern about local and global issues;
3. Facilitate connections between nodes and hubs within your networks of influence;
4. Provoke students to see their role as trend shapers and communicators;
5. Match mentors with students in an exchange that enables shared growth; and,
6. Value the importance of taking concrete actions with measurable results.

Highlighting some of the extraordinary TakingITGlobal members who - as students - are creating change in their communities, Jennifer shared stories of the dreamer, megaphone, sparkplug, storyteller, sherpa, and task master. These trends in youth engagement are beginning to turn heads.

Read one student's response to Jennifer's keynote here.

It was an honour - as Program Manager for both the Sprout E-course and the Pearson Fellowship for Social Innovation - to feature the impact of our programs on screen for all to see. The official launch of our new impact video along with our presence via a booth at the conference left everyone very enthusiastic about their own university's engagement with TakingITGlobal.

As further commitment to building the engaged university, TakingITGlobal partnered with Talloires Network and Pearson Foundation to co-create the Talloires Network Institute - "a first deliberate attempt to develop an international network of academic and student leaders who will work together to encourage social change".

Interested Talloires Network members joined the breakout session Jennifer facilitated on leveraging technology toward the engaged university.

Debra Kagan of Pearson Foundation shared with the group the intent to co-create the Talloires Network Institute to meet the direct needs of participating members.

Participants shared best practices at their respective universities. Here a university official from India shares ideas on how to engage students using technology with a fellow university representative from Hong Kong.

In an effort for Talloires Network to walk their talk, an intergenerational roundtable was hosted to surface challenges and opportunities students face.

Overall, the outcome of the Talloires Network Leaders Conference was phenomenal for TakingITGlobal and youth everywhere. University officials from the likes of Colombia, Mexico, Malaysia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda are now - as a result of stories and insights shared - integrating the values and importance of student voices into strategic university priorities.

[Photo credits: (1, 4 & 5) Kristle Calisto-Tavares, (2 & 3) Elizabeth Babcock, (6 & 7) Jennifer Corriero.]

Here are three ways to take action towards a greener planet on Earth Day:

Challenge yourself to be greener with Tread Lightly , join us and youth from around the world in the mobilization towards Rio+20 and, if you are looking for a little inspiration, check out the Sprokets, Jumpcuts award winning film An Inconvienient Youth which was shot at COP16 in Mexico.