On December 17th, we delivered our petition with more than 86,000 signatures to President-elect Barack Obama’s foreign policy transition team.
The petition asked Obama to make a clear statement, through his upcoming inaugural address and budget priorities, that he intends to fulfill his campaign commitments to fighting poverty and preventable disease worldwide. View the petition here.
Senior members of the Obama-Biden Transition’s foreign policy team gladly accepted this petition, and were impressed by the 86,113 members –- at the time of delivery –- whom we mobilized on behalf of the world’s poorest people.
Although the initial delivery is complete, you can still sign the petition here. As the number of signers grows — hopefully hitting our new goal of 100,000 before the inauguration on January 20th — your signature will keep on working in our fight to alleviate global poverty and prevent diseases, including HIV/AIDS and malaria. We will continue using this petition in our advocacy efforts, taking every opportunity to encourage the President-elect to get us on track to meeting his pledges.
After the inaugural address on January 20th, we’ll be looking at Obama’s first Presidential budget request, for Fiscal Year 2010, and working hard to make sure it provides sufficient support for the proven, effective and affordable programs that give hope and opportunities to millions of people now living in desperate need.
Starting today, you may begin seeing our new ad ‘Thank You’ airing on major networks. We wanted to take the opportunity to pause and reflect on a great year for ONE and ONE Vote ’08, none of which would’ve been possible without dedicated people like you. So enjoy the ad and from all of us here at ONE, thank you for your hard work and commitment in the fight against extreme poverty.
PS- Thank you to Switchfoot, who also participated in this year’s Music Builds Tour, for loaning us their music.
This year, ONE worked with the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign (USGLC) in their efforts to garner Congressional support for bipartisan letters asking President-elect Obama to make greater investments in diplomacy and development. Today the USGLC announced that a record 217 members of Congress signed on to the letters pledging their support for a robust U.S. International Affairs Budget. This includes 51 Senators and 166 Representatives (you can see the full list here).
As we keep you updated on day-to-day developments in the Obama team’s transition process, strong grassroots support will be needed to ensure Congress and the president-elect provide greater foreign aid. With the help of ONE members and activists across the United States, the USGLC has mounted a very successful campaign to seek broad bipartisan support from our elected officials in the fight against extreme poverty.
Check out this great opportunity from the State Department.
The US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has organized a very interesting online video contest in an effort to create an online community of people dedicated to bridging cultures and making a positive difference in the world. As a ONE member, you may find this as a great opportunity to teach about those suffering from extreme poverty or preventable disease AND get the chance to win a trip abroad.
People all over the world ages 14 and older are invited to submit videos, no longer than three minutes in length, containing any form of artistic expression including, but not limited to, dance, spoken word, poetry, and song. This contest is a call for engagement and action. Videos will be judged on originality, creativity, effectiveness, and production quality. Four winners (two in each of the age categories: 14-17 years and 18+ years; one non U.S., one U.S.) will receive the grand prize: an all-expense-paid, two-week cultural exchange program to the United States (for the non-U.S. winners) or from the United States to a country to be determined (for the U.S. winners). Members of the ExchangesConnect international social network community will vote on their favorite top 40 video entries, and these entries will then will be ranked by a prestigious panel of judges who are ECA program alumni.
In addition to receiving global recognition of their videos-on the ExchangesConnect network and through other promotional venues-the four grand prize winners will be eligible to participate in a fully-funded international exchange program of approximately two week’s duration. (Visa eligibility applies.) Contest opened December 1, 2008 and closes January 26, 2009. Winners will be announced March 16, 2009. Create and enter your videos now on the new international social network ExchangesConnect here for a chance to win an international experience of a lifetime.
The panel of judges includes:
Toni Blackman – Musician, Performer and Writer (U.S. Cultural Envoy and The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad alumna);
Fran Drescher – Actress; Founder, Cancer Schmancer Movement (American Public Diplomacy Envoy);
Milton Glaser – Graphic Artist (Fulbright Program alumnus);
Raafat Khalid – President, Cultural Civic Education Organization, Egypt (International Visitor Leadership Program alumnus);
Bob Shaye – Founder and Former Co-Chairman, New Line Cinema; Principal UNIQUE FEATURES (Fulbright Program alumnus); and
Bob Simon – CBS News Correspondent (Fulbright Program alumnus).
My name is Steven Thai and I am the COA for Minnesota and Iowa. I attend Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and am majoring in Political Science with a double minor in Communications and Sociology (hopefully). After graduation I plan to either attend law school or work for a lobbying organization in DC dealing with human rights or the MDG’s.
I am originally from a northern suburb of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) in Minnesota. I am the son of a Vietnamese immigrant who has worked very hard to be in the position he is in today. He has taught me that change in this world is possible and to stand up for those who do not have essential needs such as clean water or food to eat. My mother is from northern Minnesota and has taught me to accept everyone, no matter what walk of life they are from. I also have a younger brother who is currently a junior in high school.
I enjoy political activism, reading, running, lifting, music, and watching movies. I also love spending times with friends and my significant other. My favorite movies are All Over the Guy, Hotel Rwanda, The Devil Came on Horse Back, God Grew Tired of Us, and Finding Nemo. My favorite books are Audacity of Hope, Not on My Watch, Mountains Beyond Mountains, and Here’s What We’ll Say.
Remember “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
This year’s Campus Challenge has truly been anybody’s game. We’ve had schools that never even submitted an action last year step up and win weekly challenges and photo contests. We’ve seen some incredible jumps on the leaderboard, with schools accumulating — legitimately, don’t worry we made sure! — tens of thousands of points at a time. And we have an astounding 53 schools in this year’s Power 100 that didn’t make the cut last year. Please give a rousing round of applause to this year’s fresh faces:
Arizona State University, Tempe
Auburn University
Bentley College
Boston College
Brigham Young University
Brown University
Clark University
Colgate University
Cornell College, Iowa
Cornell University
DePauw University
Emerson College
Ferrum College
Florida State University
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Georgia Institute of Technology
Illinois State University
Iowa State University
Kennesaw State University
Marquette University
Maui Community College
Miami University of Ohio
Morehead State University
Mount Ida College
New York University
Northeastern University
Northern Virginia Community College
Oklahoma State University
Saint John’s University, Jamaica New York
Southern Methodist University
University of Arizona
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Diego
University of Central Florida
University of Connecticut
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Mississippi
University of New Hampshire, Durham
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of South Florida
University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Utah State University
Villanova University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Washington State University, Vancouver
And last but certainly not least, Wright State University, the school that has pretty much dominated our leaderboad since day one. Hard to believe they’re new to this game, but it just goes to show you: all it takes is a few dedicated people to build a Top 100 OCC team.
Congratulations to all our newbies! You are going to have an AWESOME time at the Summit in February.
Hey friends, I’m Billy Tsang, the COA for Virginia and D.C. I’m a Psychology major and Critical Sexualities minor, going Pre-Med. I’m the VP of my school’s ONE Chapter, the Director of Public Relations for our LGBT organization called “BiGLARU,” and a Northeast Oxfam CHANGE Leader. My favorite activities include: crowdsurfing, serenading, eating sushi, playing Rockband, and contemplating whether or not I should still read Twilight now that I saw the movie.
There are a bunch of things I want to do often with not enough time to do them. So if you’re a campus leader or just someone who likes to be really active, be sure to keep track of your priorities and you’ll have a great time. I highly prioritize the need to take action for our generation, especially those who attend colleges and universities to be aware of the tragedies that exist in the world we share. After all, who do you think will be responsible for our World in years to come?
As a student from Rutgers University in New Jersey, I’m one student among almost 27,000 other undergraduates. It’s arduous just getting to class with the mounds of people in your way! But you see, while it can be easy to feel small, if you find a group of students who care as much about raising public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and efforts to fight such problems in the world’s poorest countries, you can turn 27,000 heads. Whether you’re in a place with a little or a lot of people, be assured you’re not alone. By reading this, you are already a part of a movement like none other.
What can you do to make our world shine?
Feel free to ask me any questions or just strike up a chat!
20,000 points go to George Washington University for winning the World AIDS Day event challenge — for the second time in a row! That’s right, GW took the World AIDS Day prize last year as well. That’s some amazing commitment to getting word out about one of the deadliest preventable diseases in the world.
GW’s OCC Chapter joined the Student Global AIDS Coalition on their campus to help organize a whole week of events to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS in DC. The events began on Monday, December 1st with a display in University Yard, a large grassy area of GWU. They had balloons lining the pathway through University Yard, with certain sections of balloons cordoned off to represent those who have died of AIDS in the past few months in the Washington, DC area.
Also on Monday, the Student Global AIDS Coalition tabled in Kogan Plaza, a place many students use as a shortcut to get to their classes. During this tabling session, a few ONE GW members were in charge of speaking to those who approached the table, while others handed out free ribbons, coffee, condoms, pastries, and information. The free stuff got a lot of attention from people passing by on their way to classes or work.
On Tuesday, they held a panel discussion entitled “Fact vs. Fiction: The Truth About HIV/AIDS.” At this event, ONE GW promoted FACE AIDS, an official ONE partner organization run by students dedicated to fighting the spread of AIDS in Africa. Private donors match the money raised from sale of lovely hand-beaded pins for $5 each, and the money goes to Partners in Health (PIH), a nonprofit providing AIDS treatment and comprehensive healthcare to patients in Rwanda. Coming full circle, FACE AIDS employs patients of PIH in Rwanda to make the pins, providing them with an income they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get.
On Wednesday, the coalition sponsored a free HIV testing event, available to everyone on campus, that turned out quite a few people and helped remove the stigma of testing.
One of the major events of the week, the Coffeehouse, was held on Wednesday night. This event, primarly sponsored by ONE GW’s partner GW Students for Fair Trade, brought the topics of HIV/AIDS, poverty, and fair trade together through live music, free fair trade coffee and free food. The event captured attention and convinced people to sit down and listen to speakers on all of the aforementioned issues. ONE GW had a table at the Coffeehouse, placed strategically in front of the entrance, where ONE information, bands, and the FACE AIDS pins were available to the general public. During this event, ONE GW was able to band over 40 people, and educate them on what ONE GW does and how it relates to HIV/AIDS.
On Thursday, ONE GW participated in an AIDS Prevention Workshop, again selling FACE AIDS pins. As a result of ONE GW’s tabling efforts, over 30 pins were sold, and a good amount of money shall be donated to the FACE AIDS Campaign. And of course they get that awesome 20,000 points and prize pack for winning the Super Challenge, plus 2,500 extra points for doing a partner project with FACE AIDS.
Greetings from your North/South Dakota COA! My name is Steph, and I’m a sophomore at Colorado State University. I’m currently majoring in psychology, but with no plans for the future, that could easily change. I’m really excited to get to know everyone at the Power 100 Summit, and my main is skill is jumping through bureaucratic hoops on campus to become a recognized group, so if your campus group is just getting started and you have questions, definitely hit me up! Keep up the good fight!
The Baylor Bears reached for the sky this week to take the 1,000-point Photo of the Week prize. Baylor is a hot contender this year, currently sitting in second place on our leaderboard. They picked up a weekly challenge win early on with a great entry in our T-shirt design contest, and have been going strong ever since.
This photo is cool because it’s got color, crowd, excitement and of course that great ONE band above it all. We’re excited to see more from the Bears!
The OCC Blog is a daily log of the ONE Campus Challenge, a friendly competition to determine which university's student body has the most effective global poverty-fighting campaign. The site is operated by ONE staff, Campus Outreach Ambassadors (COAs), and Campus Leaders.
The content of each post represents the views of that post's author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
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