February 22, 2012

Take Action!

We create and connect students to opportunities to take action, from the campus to the national level. In addition to promoting opportunities to take action through AIDemocracy and partner campaigns, we also support student campaigns.

Check out AIDemocracy’s 2011-12 campaign teams:

Here’s a helpful listof great event ideas our members have used in the past.

Opportunities to take action are listed in the posts below. In recent months our members have mobilized to speak out about:

Check out our opportunities to take action ...

Learn more, take action this World AIDS Day!

UNAIDS reported that in 2010 there were 2.7 million new HIV/AIDS infections, bringing the total number of people infected with HIV/AIDS to 34 million. There’s some good news. In 2011 an estimated 700,000 AIDS related deaths will be averted, thanks to existing efforts to fight the disease. It is predicted that continued and increased US funding for HIV/AIDS programs can prevent at least 12.2 million new HIV infections and 7.4 million AIDS related deaths between 2011 and 2020. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently declared that we have the … [Read more...]

Double Standard in Approaches to Food Aid

During the Accra Agenda for Action in 2008, 100 governments committed to making aid more transparent, results oriented, and accountable to those receiving aid. Advocates of the subsequently defined SMART Aid principles  have produced or highlighted some SMART Aid projects. For instance, DFID, the UK’s Department for International Development, in tandem with the Malawian government, supports a subsidy that provides fertilizer to increase corn production. This has decreased Malawi’s reliance on emergency food aid, increasing their food security. … [Read more...]

Gearing up for COP17 climate conference in Durban!

Across the world, whether in Durban, South Africa or Biloxi, Mississippi USA, communities of color and communities living in poverty are disproportionately impacted by sea level rise, extreme weather events, and decreases in food production that result from climate change. Did you know the United States is the world’s largest polluter and emitter of greenhouse gases? Yet we have still not signed onto an intergovernmental agreement to address climate change, such as the Kyoto Protocol. Governments, experts, activists, and leaders are gearing up for … [Read more...]

Tell Congress young Americans support US foreign assistance!

Help us tell Congress that young Americans support US foreign assistance! A group of us sat down last night and discussed why we believe US foreign assistance is important. * It funds schools and teachers. * It helps communities produce enough food to eat. * It builds and staffs health clinics. * It provides access to clean water. * It helps people build the skills to start businesses and innovate. * It funds programs that empower women. It does all these things and much more. Check out a short video we put together to share our experiences … [Read more...]

Crisis in the Horn of Africa: How do we take action?

Famine, war, and drought are threatening millions of lives in the horn of Africa. This is a crisis unlike any other, killing, starving, or displacing over 13.3 million people—more than the populations of New York City and Los Angeles combined.  These people are amidst nonstop violence meanwhile witnessing the worst drought in 60 years and the worst famine in 20 years. These conditions are devastating farmlands, uprooting families, and killing tens of thousands of people in four countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Dijibouti, and Somalia. The United States is … [Read more...]

Get Your House Rep. to Support Cutting Spending on Nuclear Weapons TODAY!

Here are some stats that may surprise you: Every year the US spends more than $30 billion maintaining the country’s arsenal of nuclear weapons. Today, the nuclear arsenal still exceeds 5,000 warheads. According to estimates, the US is expected to spend over $700 billion (you read that right, $700 billion!) over the next ten years to maintain weapons that were built during the Cold War, a war that's been over for more than 20 years. Representative Ed Markey (MA-7) has written a “Dear Colleague” letter to his fellow representatives asking … [Read more...]

(Em)power: Leadership Today

How do you define leadership? What does it mean to be a leader? One who is in charge of organizing a group of people. One who has power over others. One who inspires others to take action. These three sentences represent the traditional ideologies of what a leader looks like. I question why they all begin with “One” and dare you to think about leadership differently and act on it. Think of leadership from a bottom- up perspective rather than the old top- down approach. Think of leadership as people who are collectively empowered rather than … [Read more...]

No One Likes a One-Horse Race: Join us in asking the IMF to reform its leadership!

Take Action! Help us call for a more transparent and fair selection process for the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)! In early May the Managing Director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, resigned after being arrested for attempted rape, creating an instant scandal and a slew of media coverage. In fact, Kahn’s abrupt resignation has brought an unprecedented level of attention to the IMF, highlighting both the influence of this institution as well as the serious need for a transparent, merit-based and fair Managing Director … [Read more...]

Urgent: House bill to cut funding for UNFPA appears on next week’s agenda

This past Wednesday, Congresswomen Ellmers (R-NC) announced that the "winner" of the first round of the YouCut project is the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). YouCut was set up by Eric Cantor (R-VA) the majority leader of the House of Representatives with the mission of "changing the culture of spending into a culture of savings." The YouCut website features suggested programs to be cut from the national budget. Visitors can vote on which program they think should be cut and the program with the most votes each week will be brought before the House. Here … [Read more...]

What does the 10th anniversary of 9/11 mean to you?

Recent headlines on the death of Osama Bin Laden have led some to believe that the tragedy of 9/11 is behind us. We don’t believe this for an instant, and are counting that you don’t believe it either. So today, we are asking you to join the new Be2021 campaign to address the many challenges that we continue to face as a generation, a nation and a planet. In the wake of 9/11, Americans for Informed Democracy launched a national conversation among young people about the US role in the world. We’ve engaged over 100,000 students on hundreds of … [Read more...]