URGI Minutes 3/22/10

Theme this month: Democratic Republic of Congo

HIGHLIGHTS
* FLIERS are now in URGI mailbox in Ruth Merrill Center (across from Common Market, mailbox is on left wall and sign up places listed below)

* Douglass Advocacy Event: March 25th from 12-2pm
- sign the petition for the U of R to divest from companies that use conflict minerals. More information:
http://www2.americanprogress.org/t/1659/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=6265
- NEED PEOPLE TO TABLE from 1-2pm. Email urginow@gmail.com if you can.

* Elections NEXT meeting, March 29th- WC122 at 9pm

Upcoming Events:
* Saturday Volunteering:
o *Meet at ITS at 9:40* About 2 hours
* Emergency Volunteering: March 27th at 11 am at the field house
* Potluck and Bracelet Making: April 15th (Mon) at 8pm in WC 122
* Refugee Campus: April 22nd

Newsletter: everyone flier! pick up fliers from mailbox! ( for newsletter and elections)
Wilson Commons: Julia
Phase: Justin
Lattimore/Morey: Danielle
Dewey/B+L/Hoyt: Cassie
Goergen/Carlson: Kelli
Hutch/Hylan: Suresh
Rush Rhees/ITS/Gleason: Bridg! et
Towers: Elena
→ for elections March 29th
o Positions: Pres (2 co- or pres and vp), Secretary, Awareness and Advocacy (2), Social and Fundraising (2), Business manager, Webmaster, Banaa Chair
o see our constitution for further descriptions of each position on CCC

Refugee CAMPus
o Committee: Adrienne, Bridget, Suresh, Robert, Julia, Brinda
o Meeting with Stacey March 26th at 5:30 pm in her office

Douglass Advocacy event
- 12pm-1pm: Justin and Bridget
- 1pm-2pm: ???
o Wall of paper with message will be sent to either University of Rochester’s Investment office, board of trustees, or Presidents office – Bridget and Kelli
o Visuals
o Advocacy: Company Divestment, Socially Responsible Investing group on campus sending few members to help explain in more detail.


Awareness Discussion: Adrienne
- Most recently in March, DR Congo government requested UN remove their troops by June 2011, other experts say the government should continue work with the forces→MONUC. (group of people on specific mission, biggest UN peace keeping mission, group working to establish peace and the only force left in DRC)
-East is the worst right now, most violence: massacres, rape, looting and other attacks against civilians AND humanitarian agencie! s.
- the MONUC has 20,000+ personnel and 5000 civilian staff! (native to area) helping in policy, humanitarian affairs. 2007 UN secretary general proposed benchmarks to be met before the MONUC withdrew including stabilization in areas where conflict is worst, creating national armed forces to defend people and completion of demobilization of armed groups (none of these benchmarks have been met)
-Recently, call for a new civilian protection plan but military operations have come at a high humanitarian cost. Civilian loss greater than rebel damage. Estimated 1400 dead (in last 9 months) and over 7,500 women and girls sexually abused. These have been attacks by Congolese soldiers therefore people are urging the UN to find other ways to establish security and stop supporting the military operation.
- UN Security Council scheduled to vote to renew peacekeeping mission and keep UN in DRC even though humanitarian cost has been high recently.

Dinner for Kenyan Orphanage
-UR Families across Borders ( aim to transform lives of orphans around world by helping them be responsible citizens of tomorrow)
- this orphanage gave URFAB a list of material/resources they need. Trying to raise money for this. Hosting international dinner in MAY ROOM this Sunday March 28th from 7-9pm, catered by local restaurants, cost is $10 at common market or $12 at door. Performances by: Yellow Jackets, UR Bhangra, Celtic Dance Team, Ethiopian Dance team, Sihir, Korean Poongmul and FASA .

Tutoring Congolese refugees- good if they have some knowledge of French for next year- one student in high school one is age 7, parents need help with mail and other stuff. Contact Dabrams3@u.rochester.edu

Ongoing projects:

* Banaa.org – Bridget, Jo! e, and Luke

URGI Minutes 3/15/10

Theme this month: Democratic Republic of Congo

Upcoming Events:
• Water for Sudan: March 18th in Sloan from 7-8pm
• Zev Kedem (Holocaust survivor): March 18th in Strong Auditorium at 7:30 pm (tickets are $3)
• Saturday Volunteering: starts March 20th at 10 am – (if interested, contact Suresh)
o **Meet at ITS at 9:30am **About 2 hours
• Emergency Volunteering: March 20th at 11 am at the field house
• Elections: March 29th at WC 122 at 9pm- positions on CCC website and below.

AGENDA

• Next Douglass Advocacy event- Thursday 03/25
o Wall of paper- Bridget and Ke! lli
o Reserve projector and get visuals- Brinda!

• String Bracelets – Elena and Adrienne
o Demonstration- braiding! All bracelets will be the same colors- two shades of green and black.
o Money? – Luke!
o Flex? – Bridget- April 26th-30th reservation.

• Fundraising ideas – Dmitriy

• Refugee CAMPus – Joe and Kelli
o Committee: Adrienne, Elena, Bridget, Suresh, Robert, Julia, Brinda – head?
• Meeting next Monday after regular time to discuss what we need to speak with Stacey about.
o Meeting with Stacey March 26th at 5:30 pm in her office
o Ideas from last time:
• Have it in the afternoon (3-9pm?) in Hirst on Thursday (4/22)
• Reservation is made ☺
• No go on the tents
• Invite Greeks to j! oin (have representatives)
• Have fun activities! Woot!

• World Water Day co-sponsorship
o Luke!

• Freshman Orientation Volunteering?
o Email Joe/Kelli if interested in coming, benefits: move-in early!

• Reminder: Elections March 29th
o Get the word out! – Elena on facebook/CCC
o Fliers – Danielle! By Monday 1/4 sheet.
o Positions: Pres (2 co- or pres and vp), Secretary, Awareness and Advocacy (2), Social and Fundraising (2), Business manager, Webmaster, Banaa Chair

• Newsletter
o Luke-money!
o DR Congo on this month’s
o Upcoming events
o Will flier on Monday

• Awareness Discussion on DR Congo: Bridget
o Violence against women: widespread rape, limbs cut off, sold into sexual slavery, forced to eat flesh of dead relatives (also doing auto-cannibalism now, making them eat their own hands-perhaps as another form of degradation)
o Court system isn’t good- there is much corruption and women cant afford to pay legal fees (huge issue), many times its people in the militia and police who are committing these crimes and women are therefore less likely to charge them. (often occurs during clashes with political rivals) – one of the solutions is education, gives women self-respect as well as respect from others.
o Why is rape used as a weapon? Perhaps to instill fear, rid of invading groups, for the brutality itself (for power) in a system with no infrastructure/organization
o 7 soldiers arrested for raping 2! 00 women, but then set free after that.
o If Democratic Republic of Congo had a unified government, it would be one of the wealthiest nations due to natural resources.

Side notes:
→Kiva.com- does micro-loans given out to farms/individuals. Possible donations for the future?
→Workshop on 26th for policital activism 3:30 Friday all day Saturday
- On the UR website- dean of students part- RwolrdRvote.com
- Email Joe for more information

Ongoing projects:
• Banaa.org – Bridget and Joe and Luke

URGI Minutes 3/1/10

March Theme: Democratic Republic of Congo

HIGHLIGHTS:
-Congo’s Tin Soldiers in Gleason: March 4th from 7:45-10pm
- Look for additional clips if you’d like and share them after the movie!
-Saturday Volunteering: starts March 6th at 10 am- 12pmish? meet at ITS at 9:30am (if interested, contact Suresh) as well as Saturday AFTER break
-Emergency Volunteering: March 20th at 11 am at the field house- games, arts and crafts (if you have crafts at home, shoeboxes, paint, etc bring it!)

Next Douglass Advocacy event
- guerilla theater- Midnight Ramblers will bring it up to see if members are interested and get back to us. perhaps the Thursday after the first week back from break.
-Alternative plan? Paper petitions. Visuals (movie clips, projectors), wall-wide pet! ition ( huge piece of papers, write petition on top and everyone signs underneath) –for week after break.

Bracelets – Elena, prices:
-50-100 bracelets @ .90cents each.
-we could just make our own- for group income
flex reservation for April- common connection. Bridget!

Refugee CAMPus – Joe and Kelli
Volunteers? Adrienne Elena Bridget Suresh Rob Julia Brinda and Kelli. Email Joe/Kelli if interested!
o Meetings after normal meetings
-Open to anyone who wants to do it- perhaps the people doing the fasting for Refugee for a week being hosts?
• *An all day event, 4-9/10pm.
• *Hirst Lounge-With option of going outside.
• No tents.
• Thursday ,April 22nd- reserve Hirst- Kelli!
•&nbs! p; Screen a movie, music, fun things
• Dinner/night event, April 19th-23rd
• Scavenger hunt outside
• Approach all groups, can you give 3-5 volunteers→ these are people attending the event

World Water Day co-sponsorship
- WWD event- speaker from Water for Sudan, by Pan African Students Association-John Turner speaking about what the organization does in Southern Sudan ( which is improve water quality) March 18th in Sloane auditorium 7-8pm. We advertise for event and help post/print a few flyers.
- Money for flyers- Luke! 100 flyers.
- co-sponsoring Zev Kedem with CAB and Hillel at same time.

Elections: March 29th – start thinking about the position you would like
-Positions: Pres (2 co- or pres a! nd vp), Secretary, Awareness and Advocacy (2), Social and Fundraising (2), Business manager, Webmaster, Banaa Chair

Awareness Discussion – Brinda
Brief History of Democratic Republic of Congo
-independence from Belgium in 1960
in 1965 army chief Joseph Mobutu seized power, his reign was full of corruption, - demanded his portrait be hung in public buildings and his face on money
-renamed country Zaire in 1971
- used the threat of communism from neighboring Angola to receive aid from US and other countries and instead of putting this money towards infrastructure and economy, he pocketed much of it for himself.
-debated that US aid also could have been for their own commercial interest in the country’s vast mineral resources
- Post cold-war the US lost interest, so in 1997 when Rwandans and Ugandans invaded the country to attack the Hutu militia that had leaked in, they overthr! ew Mobutu’s government with the aid of anti-Mobutu politicians.
-Laurent Kabila in power at this point, renamed country the Democratic Republic of Congo, though there was some hope for Kabila’s rule, he began acting like a dictator and didn’t have a plan for the country either. He created unrest amongst his former allies (Rwanda and Uganda) by demanding they leave the country and by receiving support for new countries-Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
-This marked the start of a war between multiple foreign armies and rebel groups within the country. Kabila assassinated in 2001 and his son Joseph came into power- Joseph instituted peace talks but conflict reignited. Finally talks between Ugandan rebels and Kabila came to a peace accord with agreement they would share power. In 2006 Congo had first multi party elections-Kabila won.
Stats: 5.4 million dead (mostly due to starvation/disease, many are children, much sexual violence)
**commercial interest in Congo’s resources* seems to be why most foreign countries are still involved and conflict continues.

Ongoing projects:

· Banaa.org – Bridget and Joe and Luke

URGI Minutes 2/22/10

Theme this month: Haiti

HIGHLIGHTS:
* Movie in Gleason: March 4th from 7:45pm-10pm

Neon Party
-300ish people in attendance, donations total: $175! Straight to UNHCR

Refugee tutoring – Suresh
o Saturday March 6th at School without walls, high school students- NEED to be committed, email Kelli/Joe if interested!

Douglass Advocacy event
- guerilla theater, table, petition for DR Congo with established group ( Midnight Ramblers? TOOP?)
-date TBD

Bracelets
- Elena and Adrienne! (friendship, livestrong-ish bracelets)

Refugee CAMPus
- Met with Emergency, URGI could do the live-in portion-, challenging groups on campus to live in tents like a refugee (winner gets prize)- we’ll be on the organizational side of the event. Each day, different contests (most signatures for petition, most donations, etc.)
Other ideas?
- Hirst Lounge- ONE night event
- Each group represents one country
- During the day, more of an awareness event, perhaps on the quad?
- If you have an idea, email Kelli/Joe!

Refugee crafts
- March 20th!
-Once a month in the gym, group of refugees kids and parents (if kids are younger) ---11am-2pm. First hour and a half playing in the gym/crafts then lunch then tours of the campus to the students
-Emergency looking into asking Meridians if they would be interested

Awareness Discussion – Kelli
- Haitian government trying to get people out of camps and back home, their reasons pertain to sanitation issues as well as people are getting too comfortable where they are (to establish order again and rebuild.)
- problem is people have nowhere to go
- most children are very sick and ½ of Haitis population is under 15 years old, huge issue.
- originally camps were good, well stocked but now people are being forced out by police in a brutal way-people are crying out to reporters and at that point police calmed down.
- stats: 200,000 dead, 1.2 million homeless
- living out of makeshift tents (rainy season is approaching)
- in order to get people to leave camps, police are sending away relief trucks
- government press is using private land to build better tent camps
→ if interested in donating to Doctors without Borders to Haiti, go to JAMNESTY- this Saturday at SAM, featuring 4 bands. 10pm-12pm (accepting donations at door), there will be info on Haiti, line where you can text money. Petitions all around the house! (10 different ones→ human rights, not necessarily on Haiti)

Ongoing projects:

* Banaa.org – Bridget and Joe and Luke
* Jumpstart: Feb. 17th-19th
* Falling Whistles: April 10th