Direitos Civis

Precisamos imaginar um grupo de 50 cooperativados que tem interesse em adquirir uma área de terra para construir seu prédio de apartamentos. Elas tem renda média de 2 salários mínimos. Capacidade de poupar por mês em torno de R$ 150,00. Portanto podem poupar juntos R$ 7,5 mil reais por mês. Supondo que a área de seu interesse custe Meio Milhão de Reais, eles precisarão de quase 6 anos para poupar o recurso necessário. Diante deste cenário os cooperativados se desmotivarão e não participarão da cooperativa (embora não tenham outra alternativa de acessar sua casa).
Com a atuação no Microcrédito Habitacional Solidário os cooperativados podem pegar um crédito de 10 mil reais cada um (juntando assim Meio Milhão de Reais) e pagar em 60 prestações de R$ 166,66. O que já lhes garante a posse do lote. Assim, o microcrédito constrói um canal de acesso imediato ao lote urbano, evitando que o mercado imobiliário impeça que famílias de baixa renda não consigam adquirir seu terreno na cidade.
É uma solução que substitui com eficiência a poupança conjunta e recoloca no mercado as famílias excluídas através de uma operação de microfinança que já foi experimentada no passado mas que não teve capacidade de ser replicada num cenário onde o microcrédito não tinha as devidas bases legais que hoje possui no Brasil. Esta operação pode ser realizada através de OSCIP de microcrédito, regulada pelo Ministério da Justiça do Brasil, ou SCM - Sociedade de Crédito ao Microempreendedor, regulada pelo Banco Central Brasileiro.

O retorno dos/as educadores/as foi muito positivo, e aconteceram vários momentos simbólicos de como o curso foi mudando a percepção deles/as sobre as questões de gênero, raça e sexualidade. Houve um dia, por exemplo, em que uma professora contou que frequentemente separava os brinquedos entre meninos e meninas e um dos alunos frequentemente era excluído desse momento por querer brincar com as bonecas e brinquedos "de menina". Ao fazer o curso, a professora passou a misturar os brinquedos sem separar por gênero, o que ajudou na inclusão desse menino e melhorou o convívio entre as crianças. Esse é um exemplo simples de como um curso de formação como esse pode alterar os processos educativos de modo a superar os preconceitos que tanto excluem e marginalizam pessoas por seu gênero, raça, orientação sexual e identidade de gênero. O curso Vidas Plurais formou 500 professores, teve aulas presenciais e atividades virtuais, e contou com o apoio do Sindicato dos Professores e da Universidade de Brasília. No entanto, acreditamos que essa ideia pode fazer a diferença, se espalhar pelo Brasil e se tornar um exemplo de sucesso para o mundo!

The UNLEARNing Project's™ intense marketing campaign is designed to attract users across the world who regularly use and engage with various social media tools in their daily lives. This will be achieved through: a) a strong presence on diverse social media outlets, b) advertisements in local newspapers and radio stations, c) presenting the project on local public access television stations, d) attending key local and nationwide events, e) networking with colleges and universities, f) publication materials, like postcards, flyers, business cards, pamphlets, etc., g) sponsorship and partnership with relevant political representatives and h) “link swapping” with other key local, national and international organizations, (i.e. LGBT, women’s rights and anti-racist organizations.)

To measure the effectiveness and success of this social justice interactive media tool, an experienced research and development team will extract data using a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data gathering methods to assess the following: The quantitative data analysis will extract: a) the total number of visits or hits to the site daily, b) the size and number of followers through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media pages; the number of site users/followers that “like” the project’s Facebook page will also be highlighted, c) the frequency of interaction between site visitors, while the qualitative data analysis will measure the resulting “action” that follows (i.e. participation in social action groups, launching a community or advocacy.)

Experience teaches us that a strong movement of people living with HIV or AIDS that affords mutual support and a voice at local and national levels is particularly effective in tackling stigma. (UNAIDS) The idea of involving people living with HIV was formally adopted as a principle at the Paris AIDS Summit in 1994, where 42 countries declared the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV and AIDS to be critical to ethical and effective national responses to the epidemic. The workshops in this training will help young leaders establish their roles as leaders and provide them with the tools needed to be effective leaders, within their school, community or the larger HIV, AIDS movement. We acknowledge that Positive Leaders experiences and perspectives are key to addressing the needs of our communities and are valuable tools to challenge public misconceptions about living with HIV today.

Our 7 day training, project and campaign will give the ambassadors the tools and support needed to affect how they see themselves, and the media campaign will affect how the country sees them—ultimately reducing stigma and helping to change the course of the HIV epidemic in Canada.

Peter broke into London Drugs. Fueled by alcohol and urged on by other young people, he smashed glass cases and stole digital cameras while youthful employees, barricaded inside a glass-walled office, watched in horror as their workplace was trashed. They feared for their own safety. Peter, 19, had never done anything like this before.

Restorative justice processes require the voluntary participation of the offender and those affected. (1) Practitioners meet separately with both parties to prepare them for a face-to-face conference in which both parties will explain what they did and how they were affected. This process usually requires a number of sessions. (2) Participants are prepared to explain what they did; offering insight into their behaviour in terms of preexisting attitudes, values, sensibilities, socialization, lived experience, etc. Victims are helped to express their feelings; the impact that someone's actions had upon them and how their lives were affected. Both parties are helped to think about meaningful reparations and resolutions. (3) The parties, with 'supporting Others' are brought together in a conference to communicate in a manner designed to facilitate understanding, leading to restitution, apologies and ongoing commitments to address factors contributing to the offense. (4) The offender makes restitution and commits him or herself to addressing his or her behaviour. Restitution can involve payments, community service, speaking publicly to other youth, adults, etc. Restitution can involve actions and commitments that last for years.

All the support required comes from the partners involved in the project. With the membership base of the BC Teacher's Federation, there is a guarantee that once the content is approved by the BC Teacher's Federation executive, having been vetted by the focus groups, the material will be used in BC schools. Making sure that the materials are also web based will meet a greater national need since these educational resources are not available. Engaging youth in the preparation of the materials as well as the mode of presentation, with a focus on local BC and Canadian case studies, will ensure greater buy-in from the constituency.

A good example is the Forum: in the 2nd Forum children told there were no places to play in their neighborhoods. From this, a group of five organizations managed to get funds from the Arcor Foundation and a commitment of the local state to properly equip two squares. The entire community participated in the process.
- Meetings and Consultations in schools and community centers: allow children and educators to discuss daily conflicts and create solutions together. In schools where the workshops took place, there was an improvement in the community environment and the proposed changes were generated by children, such as including table games at breaks.
- Arts and sports activities: allow groups of children to organize around group activities, and collectively build a children’s group. In the process they can be accompanied by adults, but children should always play a leading role. Groups that began participating in workshops are today co-managed with adults. The boys’ soccer workshop, for example, has redeveloped a wasteland to make a soccer field that today is part of a soccer league.
- Youth communications teams: children and youth inform their community about the projects’ activities, learning communications techniques in the process.
-Youth Group: promoting the rights in their community, creating relations with younger children.
-Cultural events: offer children and adults shared access to leisure activities.
-Monitoring of children in distress: it involves children and families together to solve difficult situations and return to school.

Currently, much of the materials used in Tanzanian schools does not explicitly reveal to students how they can be agents for positive change in their country. Through daily instruction CFC will reveal to students that a better world is possible and can be created with their own hands. The CFC curricula is simple; it consists of a teachers manual for each grade level that comes complete with articles and worksheets that can be copied for student use. Initially these manuals will be distributed to World Teach Volunteers who will work in different schools across Tanzania. These teachers will be free to share the materials with fellow Tanzanian teachers who want to use them. Once the pilot program establishes student literacy growth through ongoing assessment results, I plan to partner with Uwezo Tanzania and the Tanzanian Ministry of Education to implement this curriculum in secondary schools nationwide. Pilot implementation of the CFC curriculum will begin this August. Although this program will be initially implemented through World Teach in Tanzania, it is my ultimate goal to partner with other education non-profits across Africa to create country specific curricula that focuses on empathy and self empowerment through social change. The ultimate goal of breaking the cycle of violence in Africa will be met by instilling empathy and problem solving skills in students through these tailor made nation wide curricula.

There are three major steps to make this project successful: A first step is to train students and their teachers over a four-day training in Critical Thinking skills (knowledge on systemic thinking, conflict resolution, looking at discriminatory attitudes and practices), non-violent communication skills (including active listening and giving constructive feedback), research and presentation skills to prepare them for the competition. Teachers are explicitly included to enable them to support their students and allow for a transfer of these skills into the school. Secondly a public speaking competition is being held where students can practice their newly gained talents in a fun and open way. This gives them a platform to express their opinion being heard by invited guests, such as school principals, district officials, students, local politicians and members of other NGO’s. It also encourages them to continue. Topics of these competitions are for example: “Standing up against mobbing in schools”, “Bridging the divide between poor and rich” or “Identity in Rwanda – Who is/can be Rwandan?”. Thirdly, students and schools are supported while incorporating trainings and competitions into their school’s life. During this process, students evaluate their own learning curve to enable and encourage them to improve even further.

Camp Everytown is a four-day, three night residential retreat through which high school students, faculty, and other community members learn to value one another across difference. Through group processes and exercises, Camp builds awareness of prejudice, appreciation for diversity, empathy, and new leadership skills.

Example
"Everybody stand up," the facilitator says. "Stand in a line and respond as I suggest. If you have ever skipped a meal at home because there wasn't enough money, take a step back." The students look around, and one by one, they take that first step." If you have ever thought of suicide, take a step back." Three students hesitantly step and then look at each other. One young man starts to cry." I thought I was the only one," he whispers. The facilitator continues: "If your parents ever told you that you were beautiful or smart, take a step forward. If they told you that you would never be anybody, take a step back." After several more questions the facilitator says, "Now look where everyone is...The ones in the back are survivors; they are here against all odds. It's up to all of us to bring them forward with us."

The project is planning to open Modeling gallery in more then 100 Lithuania schools (in the common spaces of schools). Every month the new art exhibition will be run in Modeling gallery (-ies). The conception will be developed by professional art critics (in cooperation with proffesional cultural institutions). The artists /critics/ representatives will be invited to the schools to discuss the pieces, the issues of the interest, the different approaches to the pieces, etc. With every exhibition new methodological material is introduced to the teachers; the introduction material [with questions leading to deeper analysis of the work] is printed and distributed to the visitors [school students/local community]. The school student is promoted to share their approach in local meetings as well as on internet [after the internet instrument will be developed].
In 3-5 years perspective the project is planning to open gallery space for international art and to introduce the exhibitions from different regions [Europe, Far East, America, etc.] by raising the actual questions and promoting local community to deep in the issues of the world.

The individual dialog with art piece , moderated methodologicaly, will significally contribute to the emocional and social development

GNOFHAC partners with dozens of educators, schools, youth-serving organizations and advocacy groups to bring the Equal Opportunity Game and its related children's book "The Fair Housing Five & the Haunted House" to youth in New Orleans and as far away as Michigan, Alabama, and Washington, DC. The game is designed to build empathy and cultivate critical thinking about social issues by putting students in the shoes of a person who has experienced the impact of housing discrimination.

In the game, students are assigned characters and must work in teams to find the housing that best meets their characters’ needs. Some of the characters “experience” housing discrimination, and students see the impact discrimination has on access to education, healthcare, jobs, and other resources via “situation cards” that they draw periodically. Students complete journal entries throughout the game to reflect on their experiences. The Equal Opportunity Game builds an appreciation of diversity, and a vocabulary around justice and equity in participating youth. As our next generation of leaders, it is important that youth learn about the impact of discrimination and the importance of equal opportunity at a young age so that they may bring these insights to their communities and work throughout their lives.

GNOFHAC hopes to expand the reach of the project by partnering with schools throughout Louisiana to conduct workshops, as well as by producing copies of the game materials and facilitator guide to distribute to schools and fair housing organizations around the country.

We are still in pilot phase.