Minutes for November 13, 2008

Attendees:
Rafael
Spencer
Kerry
Shefali
Nikki
Jason
Stephanie
Claire
Avital
Teki
Pronoma
Jennifer C
Erinn
Allison
Simon
Amanda

1. Introductions
a. Updates
2. Special visit from Dr. O (talk about trip to UN)
a. Purpose of the trip is to be involved and engaged so that you can see how things happen at the individual level in real life rather than reading it in a book
b. Imagine yourself at some period in your life doing a similar thing
c. After you get back, take time to reflect on your experiences.
i. What inspired you?
ii. What made you think?
d. Questions
3. Break out: people going to NY vs. people not going
4. Hot Cocoa and Cider Night in McMahon
a. In global house room
b. Focus on poverty in the United States
c. Focus on poverty around the world
d. Tables set up with global poverty, poverty in US
e. Thursday, December 4th
f. 8PM- 9 PM
g. On Main Level (floor above the dinning hall)
h. Prototype for a bigger event next semester
5. How should our meeting work for Dec 4?
a. Meet --> go to dinner together --> event
6. Shefali has an event on Monday, November 17, 2008
a. Needs help with advertising
b. Will email people flier, if they have a printer
c. Other fliers will be in the UNESCO Office (2nd floor WC Building)
d. People assigned to different areas on campus to put them up
e. Would student ambassadors like to set up a table there?
7. T-shirt design
a. Simon’s design is a globe is an open cage --> letting peace out into the world
b. Nikki
i. Sweatshirt with her logo (gun in a knot)
ii. T-shirt with Simon’s?
c. Price quote
i. 3 printing
ii. UNESCO design on left breast
iii. Right breast= Student Ambassadors for Human Rights
iv. Back= design
v. Range of prices
1. Sweatshirt
a. Hoodie (3)
b. Zip up (13)
2. Polo (0)
3. T-shirt (1)
vi. We chose Zip up around $35 to $40
vii. We chose Simon’s design peace coming out of the cage
8. Stephanie’s Event on December 12, 2008
a. Bad: speaker missed the event
b. Good: good discussion on toothpaste
i. Watched movie from organization’s website
ii. Handout
iii. Action planning
iv. School supply drive from now to the end of the school year
c. Speaker went to her class and talked:
i. Event supposed to talk about education in Haiti. Organization works to get textbooks and materials to children. Action planning: plan a workshop and you can actually go to Haiti and teach the students your workshop. A translator would help translate handouts and help you communicate with students.
1. Contact Stephanie if you are interested
9. Stephanie’s workshop at Mansfield Middle school is on November 14th
a. Only Rafa and Stephanie can go
b. Is anyone else interested? Jennifer!
10. Ripples of Hope
a. If you are confused email Rafa at ROHeditor@gmail.com
11. Open letter to Barack Obama
a. Will be sent to NY Times, Economist, etc.
b. Acknowledges President elect Obama and shows hope that he will spread his human rights activism throughout the world
12. Announcement
a. Sustainable development project for Haiti
b. Working with AHEAD
c. An event will happen in February on one night
d. Would UNESCO like to have a table?
e. It will cost a little to get into the event, but it will be a good fundraising opportunity
f. Email Stephanie if you are interested
13. Nikki- possible event
a. Stand Now
i. Go to standnow.org
ii. Event December 3rd
iii. Fast for the day
iv. Forgo one luxury item (such as a cup of coffee) and donate the money to Darfur
v. When women leave the refugee camp to get firewood for their families they are either raped or killed. Money will be given to them so they can either set up patrols or buy firewood. Three dollars would buy firewood for about a month
14. Kara
a. November 20th - International Children's Day - Senate briefing about the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Washington D.C.
15. Studentpeacealliance.org
a. Campaigning to form a Department of Peace
b. Send postcards showing your support for President Elect Obama
16. Break out into groups

Newsletter Link

Hello there,

Just wanted to let you guys know that there's an actual link to the newsletter on the right hand side under "Human Rights Links" so you don't have to go searching for it on the UNESCO Chair's website.

Cheers!

Minutes from November 6, 2008

Recorded by: Jason A.

Discuss fact sheet on world water factoid sheet, discuss Water related problems/ controversies

Is water a right?
Should we be able to privatize water?
In South Africa, must pay for water, In U.S. Must pay for water via taxes or in restaurant.
In South Africa, water problem has to do with race
Maybe just an economic issue?
If everyone used water like developed country, would it be gone too quickly?
Does pollution to a great degree amount to air pollution?
Sometimes corportations buy rights to coastal waters, depriving fishing villages of a living

Break for Introductions

Legislative Reform Convention: collection of money, review of attendees

Mansfield Middle School Project:

 Human Rights Leaders workshop, discussion of workshop, breakdown of session
 Romani Children Workshop last Friday breakdown of workshop, discussion
of “freeze game”
 teacher used workshop for three other classes
 Education workshop for next week

Discussion of School Supply Organization:
 plan to gather school supplies and send to organization in Haiti
 possibly have flier
 letter passed around for approval
 need boxes, help making fliers, help collecting boxes
 to be shipped to Cainbridge, MA

Wednesday the twelfth, Presentation in conference room about education in haiti, consisting of movie, speking by pres. Of orgainzation, action planning. From 6-7pm

Soup Kitchen:
 leave at 3
 need to arrange ride

Ripples of Hope: Any questions, ask Raphael
 articles in by 29th of november
 open letter to Obama including hopes for presidency
 reading of draft letter
 suggestion to include community organizing refference

Tomorrow in Putnam CUP diversity and acceptance meeting from 9-12

FYE group possibly talking to CA's

Reproductive rights panel:
 does UNESCO SAHR want to help?
 Summary of panel activities
 reproductive rights meaning not abortion, but HIV/Aids, Lesbian rights, access to Condoms/contraceptives

Further discussion of possible CA related projects

Questions about further steps on projects
 Mansfield Middle school group only needs 10 minutes of planning for the time being

 FYE group discusses what to do next
 Even if few people show up to CA workshops, perhaps still a good idea
 will there be enough interest?
 Might be more efficient projects/ larger numbers of people
 are there any other ideas?
 Possibly reach out to all CA's in one building, rather than individual CA's
 Maybe Shipee to pull in honors kids
 Talk to Hall Directors
 FYE group should possibly meet more outside of UNESCO meetings to practice presentation
 focus on coming together as a unit
other SAHR's welcome to participate

Need some way to unite all SAHR's to feel more enthusiasm, and generate more dialogue
 Something fun? Less stressful at end of semester
 Is there enough time to prepare an event?
 Coffee house might be easy
 Link CA project and coffee house
 Live Music?

Alex: Grad student doing work on Human Rights Education, wants to meet with Mansfield Middle School Group

Conference agenda passed out
Dr. O coming next week to discussion
Email Kara with questions


Break Into Groups.

Minutes for Thursday, 30 October, 2008

Recorded by: Sharielle Applewhite

1. Discussed the UNESCO Conference last week and the feedback from what we thought of the conference.

2. Military Expenditures vs. Human Rights Expenditures information sheet was passed
out.

3. Updated the Ambassador contact sheet.

4. Discussed the UNICEF Legislative Reform Conference at the U.N. on November 18-19, 2008. The cost will be $75.00 and is due on November 13, 2008, and a check payment is preferable for administrative purposes. We will be leaving from the from the front of the Student Union by the bus stop. We will be leaving at 6:45pm on Tuesday night and won't return until late Wednesday night. We also confirmed who will be coming on the trip (Allison, Nikki, Julie, Teki, Stephanie, Sharielle, Pronoma, Jason, Rafael, Shefali, Simon, Erinn, Kara).

5. Rafael talked about the Ripples of Hope newsletter and asked for those who have helped outside of the U.S. to share the experience in the upcoming newletter. Therefore if there is anyone who wants to share contact Rafael.

6. The next soup kitchen is on Friday, 07 November 2008, and up to four volunteers can go if they don't have their own transportation. Ambassadors who went to the soup kitchen last time shared their experience and they were all positive and insightful.

7. Plans and ideas for new UNESCO t-shirts were discussed. There were ideas shared about color, sizes, type of clothing (hoodies, sweatshirts and etc). The cost was briefly discussed with a rough estimate being $13.00. The group on a whole discussed ideas, but so far no plans have been finalized.

8. The Mansfield Middle School project was shared with the group. Overall the workshops have been going well. The students at the middle school are very aware of issues. The teacher was very pleased with the workshops and suggested that there should be a little bit more interactive activities for the children. The plans for the next workshop were shared briefly.

9. Stephanie shared her action plan about collecting school supplies for children in Haiti. She shared a mission to collect backpacks for the children as well as school supplies and referenced Millenium Development Goal 2: Achieve primary education. Ideas were thrown out about ways to help accomplish this goal (exp: UConn students could donate school supplies and backpacks). Several Student Ambassadors offered to help with this project.

10. Kara suggested that we incorporate longer human rights education discussions in our meetings, perhaps once a month. Consensus from the group.

11. Birthdays that occurred during September, October and November were briefly celebrated with ice cream cake.

12. Ambassadors separated into their groups, either the FYE group or the Mansfield Middle School Culture of Peace group.