Nothing can quite capture the joy filled afternoons getting to know the gang of kids we made “Goonda” with. We wandered the streets of Mysore, ate big meals, danced, sang, climbed trees and inevitably ended up at the swimming hole.
This is where street families do their laundry, bathe and most of all, play. Water spills out of the drain from the nearby water works. It is the cities excess water, piped from the river upstream. The overflow.
Predominantly a slow, steady stream, the water occasionally floods out of the pipe… and when it does, the little reservoir fills up and forms a pool, just deep enough for the kids to submerge waist deep… and the FUN begins!
Endless tricks, flips and yells all focused on ensuring we are completely focused on, and filming, THEM.
Even now, watching the footage, more of our little friends personalities emerge…
Vinkatesh (shorter boy with rope around his waist) warns whoever comes behind him not to push him… he needs time to preform his tricks.
Manikanta, also smaller and naked, reaches for the other boys hands. He betrays his newness to the streets in his need for support.
Mahadeva, (hot pink underwear) always the dancing, always the clown.
Nanjunda, (tall, slim with longer hair) basks in the attention, and yet pretends not to.
Surya, (strong with grey jeans) lets the other boys push past him. He is more cautions in his jumps.
I am poignantly aware that these are moments of innocence. Boys on the brink of young men.
A few events to take note of during the coming days…
Tonight CITIZENShift will be partnering with SCAW (Student Coalition Against War) for a special presentation of ‘Let Them Stay: Voices of US War Resisters’, which is also hosted on our website. This is in support of the nation-wide War Resisters Support Campaign . Also there is a possibility that this event may include baked goods! So, if you are in support of US War Resisters seeking asylum in Canada & you’re looking for a (potential) snack – come to the Dalhousie Student Union Building in Room 303 at 7pm tonight, January 29th. If you can’t make it, check out our War Resisters dossier here on CITIZENShift .
AND
Clive Doucet, a poet, playwright, author and city councillor, will be visiting Halifax and giving two public lectures this week. The first takes place tomorrow as part of the annual Killam Lecture Series. Hosted by Dalhousie’s Faculty of Artchitecture and Planning, the theme of the series is Resilient Communities: Envisioning and Acting for Sustainable Futures . This will take place Wednesday January 30th at the Kenneth Rowe Management building (6100 University Ave) at 7pm.
If you can’t make it on Wednesday, you have another chance to hear Mr. Doucet speak the following night (Thursday January 31st) on behalf of the Chebucto Neighborhood Association at St. James Anglican Church Call (by the Rotary) at 7pm. For those of you unfamiliar with Halifax municipal politics, in an effort to decrease traffic congestion at the Armdale Rotary, Halifax city council has proposed to widen Chebucto Road, despite great opposition from Haligonians. This contentious topic, among other urban planning issues, is sure to come up during this presentation.
WE’LOve community!
WE’LOve conserving energy!
WE’LOve pedalling towards health!
WE’LOve creative ways to help our planet!
Toronto based organization, WE’LO, is beginning their venture into the world of bicycled-based energy production through the WeloBike. Their initial project is to assist in powering the lights at the Salvation Army Gateway Homeless Shelter located at Jarvis & Adelaide.
Each WeloBike produces about 50W/h and for experienced cyclists energy production levels can head upwards of 100w/h. WE’LO hopes to eventually assist in powering light at non-profit, government, and corporate organizations.
Volunteers are required to make the WeloBike a successful venture, which is where we come into play. If you are in the Toronto area, mark your calenders for volunteer orientation on February 12th from 6:30-7:30pm at the Salvation Army Gateway. Ideally volunteers should be in groups of three (as there are three WeloBikes ready to roll) however, any help is appreciated. Weekly time slots are available on the WeloBike Facebook group discussion board.
For more information go to the WeloBike website or to reserve a time slot e-mail welobike@gmail.com with ‘Volunteer’ in the subject line.
If you are interested, this week JANUARY 31st to FEBRUARY 3rd, McGill University is hosting its fourth annual business conference on sustainability, specifically focusing on corporate responsibilty. This year’s theme “Looking Backward to Move Forward” is dedicated to spark and engage today’s future leaders in the role that corportations play in the enviornmental and social spheres, all in the hopes of invoking actual change towards a more sustainable and balanced future.
Interested in attending? Click here to learn more about the MBCS’s event.
To learn more about today’s powerful corporations and their impact on our world, check out Mark Achbar’s dossier - among complimentary, related topics on citizenshift’s website.
When the wind is howling and the temperature is 20 below, I am made aware of the powerful forces of the elements and how fierce Mother Nature really is. It is also on days like this when I am very grateful to be riding in a car, driving alongside the countless others in their respective movable shelters; countless cars, countless exhausts, countless contributions to one major environmental issue - Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
And then I came across a movement taking place in Alberta THIS Saturday!
To all the Albertans, now is the opportunity for all individuals like you to take a stand against climate change and make your contribution towards a better future! To the Alberta citizens seeking to shift our planet’s climate, the time is here to fight against and significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions that are seriously disrupting our globe’s state. To take a step toward achieving this goal, Step It Up Alberta has planned a rally for this Saturday, JANUARY 26th, 2008 to pressure Alberta’s leaders, calling for decisive action against climate change. Come one, come all and join the team at EAU CLAIRE MARKET from 1-3 p.m. for the event, where a panel of politicians and guest speakers will be there alongside you to discuss the issue! After all, change can and will take place if support is organized, effective and focused; if government, communities, and citizens alike coordinate toward a common goal, one rally at a time. Think Globally, Act Locally!
Looking’ for more info about climate change?
Check out how music is carrying the climate change message in Change the Beat!
Aspiring filmmakers, here is your chance. Montreal-based Video Party is anxious to know how you would change the world, in video form. Share your story, share someone else’s, or talk about an organization or individual who is helping to make the world a better place through positive change.
You can use a video you’ve made in the past, or create a new one for the occasion. A selection of these films will be screened at an Art Matters party this spring, and possibly will appear as a feature on the Apathy is Boring website.
Submissions are due February 7th.
For more information visit: the Video Party website
If you are in the Halifax area, here’s a last minute reminder to come to the 2nd Annual Ecology Action Centre Winter Lecture to hear Thomas Homer-Dixon give a talk on his book The Upside of Down. The author will give a talk and then there should be an interesting discussion period afterwards.
“In The Upside of Down, political scientist and award-winning author Thomas Homer-Dixon argues that converging stresses could cause a catastrophic breakdown of national and global order — a social earthquake that could hurt billions of people. But he shows that this outcome isn’t inevitable; there’s much we can do to prevent it. And after setting out a general theory of the growth, breakdown, and renewal of societies, he shows that less severe types of breakdown could open up extraordinary opportunities for creative, bold reform of our societies.”
The event takes place tonight January 22nd 2008 at 7pm in the MacInnes Room at Dalhousie’s Student Union Building, 6136 University Avenue.
In order to ensure that U.S. war resisters currently in Canada will be protected by the Canadian government, have the ability to gain status in Canada, and have deportation proceedings against them end, the War Resisters Support Campaign has called for a day of action.
This will commence in the form of a rally on Saturday, January 26th at Bloor Street United Church (300 Bloor St. West, Spadina or St. George subway) at 1 p.m. Similiar events will also be taking place in London, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Saskatoon, and Nelson.
Although there has been growing support among politician to ensure the safety of U.S. war resisters in Canada, it is essential to continue to let the government know how important this issue remains to many Canadians. The War Resisters Support Campaign is urging citizens to write letters to local newspapers, politicians including local MPs and Stephen Harper, as well as sign the petition available on the website of the War Resisters.
To learn more about war resisters through uploaded films, photographs, audio clips, articles, and exterior links, check out our dossier as well as the War Resisters Support Campaign website.
OPEN CINEMA presents: BREAKING RANKS
A moving feature documentary about the plight of four U.S. soldiers seeking sanctuary in Canada as part of their resistance to the war in Iraq.
Also CITIZENShift will be there, (well, I will be) and I will show a clip from our own Dossier about War Resisters.
It will be an excerpt from Alex Lisman’s film LET THEM STAY.
The best thing about OPEN CINEMA is the discussion after the film and you will get to meet the filmmaker Michelle Mason!
SCREENING DETAILS:
WHEN: Wednesday January 30th -7pm
WHERE: David Lamm Auditorium, McLaurin, University of Victoria
HOW MUCH: $5-10 Suggested donation
Montrealer in her mid-twenties.
Freelance journalist and photographer,
with an interest in human rights and sustainable living.
Has a cheerful disposition.
Tynesha is CITIZENShift's summer intern from Concordia University's Communication department (Mtl., QC). Brimming with interests, she states "I enjoy school, I sing in a choir and I am also involved in community radio and volunteer work with youth. In the future, I look forward to developing a company that merges my three great passions in sound, community engagement, and music."
David Widgington was the event coordinator for the Citizen Media Rendez-vous 2010 (http://citizen-media.ca). He is a mobile journalist (MoJo) who is well-versed in community radio, video and print and web-based media practices. He has a particular interest these days with diaspora communities returning to Southern Sudan since the end of the war. He is script-writing a documentary project on the subject. (http://southsudaninfo.net).
