- Ella Baker Center Continues the Fight for “Books Not Bars” WITNESS caught up with our friends at the Ella Baker Center for an update on the 2001 campaign "Books Not Bars", a youth-led movement that targeted the juvenile prison system in the California and pushed to end to the prison industrial complex in the U.S.
- WITNESS Joins the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival to Recognize Young Filmmakers Calling all young filmmakers! WITNESS will present awards to two of our favorite entrees in this year’s PLURAL + Youth Video Festival.
- We Must Act: Obama Announces Climate Action Plan, Citing Health of Future Generations Obama announced his climate change plan, advocating for future generations the same way TRUST activists have done for themselves and their communities.
- Kony 2012: Juggling Advocacy, Audience and Agency When Using #Video4Change "Kony 2012" is now the most rapidly disseminated human rights video ever. In six days it reached an aggregate 100 million views – faster than other pop culture phenomena like Susan Boyle (9 days), Rebecca Black (45 days) and ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ (445 days).
- Judges in Five States Will Hear Climate Change Cases Filed by Youth Over the course of the last year WITNESS has partnered with Our Children’s Trust (OCT) and the iMatter Campaign to elevate the voices of youth from across the country who are defending their right to a healthy atmosphere and sustainable future. The youth are taking their case to judges across the country and asking that the courts order the adoption and implementation of scientifically sound Climate Recovery Plans.
- TRUST: Alaska Youth Call on Our Governments to Restore our Atmosphere With the international climate talks wrapped in Durban, South Africa the reviews are mixed. World leaders touted their success in reaching the Durban Platform, but observers outside the negotiations are much more skeptical.
- Celebrate Thanksgiving by Supporting Our Youth Fighting For a Healthy Atmosphere As we gather to spend time with families and friends this Thanksgiving, and share stories from the past and hopes for the future, I want to take a moment to share a story about a group of remarkable youth who are taking action to ensure a healthy future for us all. I have been traveling across the United States over the past few months with our partner, the iMatter Campaign, and have met extraordinary youth who are taking big steps to protect our atmosphere and our collective future.
- Video Advocacy Training for Youth Activists in Egypt After the recent revolution, the country now finds itself in a transitional period that is accompanied by a new set of challenges. The transitional government, led by military leadership, is still struggling to set up a concrete plan for real democracy, human rights and the well-being of all citizens. With the elections scheduled for later this year, Egyptians believe that they have a long journey ahead.
- New Film Captures the Trials and Triumphs of Housing Activists in South Africa Less than two decades ago, South Africa joined the ranks of democracies around the world as years of agonizing civil struggle and violence gave way to the moment so many had fought for: the end of apartheid, and the beginning of a government representative of all its people.
- Act Now to Stop the Eviction of 25,000 People in Mexico Our partners in Guerrero, Mexico, need your help. For the past eight years, they have been fighting to defend their homes and communities against the threat posed by the planned construction of a new megadam in the region. If built, the La Parota Dam would displace at least 25,000 people from their lands and negatively impact an additional 75,000 people.
- It Gets Better: Collective and Individual Voice in Video Advocacy Recently a number of public figures in the USA have added their voices to the "It Gets Better" campaign, which aims to share hopeful messages with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth who may be wondering if life will always be bad.
- A Canadian Model for Human Rights Awareness The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) and the global online youth-led social network TakingITGlobal (TIG) have joined forces to create EVOKE—a national online art contest that calls on Canadian youth to share their perspectives on human rights issues through visual art.
