Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Blog Action Day - Conflict Free City Initiative

Today (10.16.13) is Blog Action Day, and so we take a moment to blog about our Conflict Free City Initiative Letter of Support Campaign


First, a bit about Blog Action Day.  The purpose of this day is to unite bloggers around the world to post blogs on the same topic, on the same day.  This year bloggers are posting about human rights. In fact, over 2000 blogs from 126 countries are participating. 

As we explained in our June 18, 2013 blog post, we are currently asking our coalition members and supporters to send letters of support with regard to our Portland Conflict Free City Initiative (CFCI).  For the past several months coalition member organization Never Again Coalition's postcard brigade has been sending postcards to each of the City of Portland's Commissioners, and Mayor, urging support of CFCI. 
October postcard to Portland Commissioner Steve Novick

CFCI, if passed, will signal to electronics companies that not only do consumers, but also cities, think it's important for a company to identify if minerals contained within their supply chains are sourced from the Great Lakes region of Africa, including eastern Congo. To understand the importance of this initiative, read more in this recent National Geographic article.

As a coalition, we believe that it is important to protect human rights, and so that is why we have made it our mission to identify and organize opportunities to help stop human atrocities using a solutions-based process.  We believe that CFCI provides this opportunity and will directly benefit the women, children and men of eastern Congo in the process. 

Send your CFCI letter of support to Commissioner Novick:

Commissioner Steve Novick
1221 SW 4th Ave. Room 210
Portland, OR 97204

Best,
Amanda Ulrich
OCH Co-Founder
CFCI Campaign Director

Sunday, September 29, 2013

September 2013 Oregon Coalition for Humanity Meeting Notes

Meeting notes this month are a bit different as we have had a few new members join both in person and via Skype, so this meeting was much more of a discussion as to our vision for the future.
First a reminder our next meeting is October 29th, 6:00pm at coalition co-founder Alysha Atma's home (downtown Portland). If you cannot attend in person, you can SKYPE in alysha.atma! If you plan to attend, please message us via Facebook or email us for an address.

The last several months have seen us working on the same projects, CFCI Portland and trying to move H.Res131 from Committee to the floor - unfortunately there are not any new updates this month. So in saying this here is the continued plan for these two projects, details and consistent information can be found on our Facebook page, Oregon Coalition for Humanity. If you are not on Facebook, please do not hesitate to call or email with questions.

 CONFLICT FREE CITY INITIATIVE

CFCI Portland will continue to work with the procurement office and push Portland through the various channels - your support is as always necessary. Please continue to send your letters of support and if you have time, come to the Commissioner meetings. Amanda Ulrich will keep us all updated!


POLICY

H.Res131 will not move forward until January, we want to be respectful of your time as well as the feedback we have received from our colleagues within the Congressional offices. At that time we will begin discussing our options and actions - your help and support will be key. Alysha Atma will keep you all updated!

MEMBER OUTREACH

Robert Hadley will begin outreaching to you personally via phone and email, it is you that makes the coalition successful so we want your input.
  • How are we doing communicating?
  • How are you utilizing the information coming across?
  • How can we better support your projects?
  • How can we better network together and collaborate?
  • As our projects go through a lull in activity, what are some ideas as to other projects that could use our energy?

The future of OCH is in constant flux, however it is our mission and vision that continue to guide us, we would like to hear your thoughts and ideas on that shape.
Join the conversation on our Facebook page, we need your input!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

July/August 2013 Oregon Coalition for Humanity Meeting Minutes

Good day Oregon Coalition for Humanity supporters!

You all are amazing people, your persistence and support are incredible and make this work so effective and empowering! We combined July and August notes because we all understand how busy summer can be and we worked on the below points throughout. We have highlighted our work, however please see our Facebook page or blog for more details as well as consistent updates (thank you Amanda).  Below you will also find two programs that can always use your support financially as well as two upcoming events. If you would like your events or campaign pushed forward always let us know, we are here to support one another!
Join us @ our September 17th meeting!



We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting:
September 17, 2013
6:00 - 7:00 pm
Thomas, Swanson, Coon & Newton conference room (2nd & Yamhill - downtown Portland)
If you cannot be there in person you can SKYPE in (alysha.atma) - see you then!!





UPDATES: 

1) Conflict Free City Initiative (CFCI) Updates: Amanda Ulrich, CFCI Campaign Director

     A) Portland - getting closer
Coalition members met with Portland's Commissioner Dan Saltzman to discuss our Conflict Free City Initiative. We are happy to report that Commissioner Saltzman will support our CFCI Resolution IF the resolution meets with the approval of Portland's Procurement Dept. We are also working with the Procurement Dept. to ensure that this happens. Please continue to let our Commissioners know that CFCI is important to you.

We are excited to announce that ONCE our Portland CFCI Resolution is in its FINAL form that the Multnomah Human Rights Commission will send their endorsement to Portland's City Council & Mayor! Our next step is to finalize our resolution after we conclude our discussions with Portland's Procurement Department.

As we move along this process it's important to keep our constituent support for our CFCI Resolution visible and so please make sure to send in your letters of support.  Read more here.

     B) Beaverton - we are still awaiting a meeting with the city commissioners via the Mayor, we are getting closer!!

2)  Policy Updates: Alysha Atma, Policy Director
     A) House Resolution 131 - pending presentation before the House Floor (Video re: HR 131 is here).
We are working with both Rep. Blumenauer's and Bonamici's offices to present and find a few options to help push this forward onto the floor -we will keep you updated, your support is as always the most important ACTION!!

     B) We were busy this summer making the rep circuit, we are truly lucky here in Oregon to have fantastic representatives. We spent time thanking them for their consistent outreach and actions for DRC as well as updating them on current events and were we will continue to need their push and voices. They thanked all of you for your voices and the strong resolve you show for peace and justice - we are very proud of our amazing team of people. 

June Meeting with Rep. Schrader (OR), July Meeting with Rep. Blumenauer (OR) as well as July Meeting with Rep. Bonamici (OR)

3) On the Ground Updates: #NorthKivu

4) Pamper for a Purpose Recap (it was awesome!)
#Pamper4Purpose was a great success because of all of you!! Thank you so very much for donating, volunteering, getting pampered and showing up = #awareness!! We are so proud of the amazing outreach = over 800 people came to the park - that is YOU!! Our final tally should be over $3000 toward #empowering families in #DRC and #Sudan. We are so proud of you all and can't wait to get started again for YEAR 4!! See you all there!!

5) Website -Coming soon!

SUPPORT:

Here a couple of ways you can support Women in eastern Congo to achieve economic independence:
1) Donate to the Atma Foundation's Hand in Hand program.
2) Donate to Women for Women International's Congo program.

Together we can ensure economically independent women around the world!

EVENTS:
Robert Hadley, Outreach Director

1) Join us this coming
September 15th for the third annual Congo Kids 5K! Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are invited to participate in the event. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in each group. All participants will be eligible for random prize drawings on race day.

  • Date: Sunday, September 15, 2013
  • Time: 3 pm
  • Location: Dorris Ranch, Springfield, OR (2 miles east of Interstate 5, intersection of South 2nd & Dorris St)
  • Entry Fees Before September 15: Adults - $20, Students 12 & over - $15, Students 11 & under - $10
  • Race Day Registration: Adults - $25, Students 12 & over - $20, Students 11 & under - $15
  • Optional t-shirts available: Adult shirt $10, Youth shirt $10
  • Registration: Please click here to register online for the Congo Kids 5K run/walk.You may also register in person at Eugene Running Company, 116 Oakway Center, or on race day from 1-2:30pm in the Dorris Ranch Barn.
2) Portland Sisters/Misters - if you have a pair of shoes, can walk or run, and want to support Run for Congo Women, Join OCH Co-founder Amanda Ulrich's Cause + Event Team on 11.16.13. For more inspiration, read more here.

As always let us know if you have any questions, updates or just want to chat!



Monday, September 2, 2013

Uniting Voices

As advocates, it is important that we periodically check to see that our efforts line-up with the needs of those for whom we so tirelessly advocate on behalf of.  


Click here to read the memo in its entirety
Last week one of our member organizations (Atma Foundation) circulated a memo which was recently sent to President Obama by the North Kivu Civil Society (a democratically elected political group whose leader is the equivalent to a U.S. Mayor) urging for continued U.S. diplomatic intervention in eastern Congo, and outlining the reasons why.

It warms our hearts to know that there are Congolese citizens willing to help implement peace in eastern Congo, and so as advocates we must continue to call for U.S. diplomatic support in the region. We must continue to unite our voices. 

In fact, just today the United Nations Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region arrived in Congo, and this past June Russ Feingold was named U.S. Special Envoy to Africa's Great Lakes Region (Feingold will tour the region this week with Robinson). Both signs that our advocacy efforts are paying off.

With recent fighting this past week in Goma, these diplomatic efforts are critical, and we must keep eastern Congo on the agenda.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

I Support Conflict Free City Initiative!




Over the past several months we have been collecting photos in support of our Conflict Free City Initiative (CFCI). Here is our ongoing compilation of just over 60 photos! 

This week we will be sending our CFCI Memo to Portland's Mayor, and in the meantime will continue to collect "I support CFCI" photos.  If you haven't yet submitted yours, you can do so via our facebook page.

As a refresher, CFCI calls upon cities (and universities) to pass resolutions which "express the city's preference, as a large consumer and holder of major purchasing contracts from companies, for conflict-free products. It will encourage the electronics industry and others to do more to source minerals from eastern Congo that benefits communities rather than fuel the cycle of rape and war."
(http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/content/conflict-free-cities



If you'd like to show your support for CFCI, refer to our earlier blog post to find information about how you can help!

Best,
Amanda Ulrich
OCH Co-Founder
CFCI Campaign Director




Sunday, June 30, 2013

6.18.13 Coalition Meeting Notes

Here are the notes from this month's meeting - let us know if you have any questions or comments, we would love to connect with you.

First, our next meeting is *JULY 23* at Swanson, Thomas, Coon and Newton conference room (2nd Floor) 6:00pm.  See you there if not in person, on SKYPE (alysha.atma). 

Beautiful news on so many fronts, none of this is possible without ALL of you!! The work that each of you puts into advocacy, awareness and direct support program truly make this world a better, kinder place to be and we are so honored to work with each one of you. Thank you is just not big enough!! 


Policy Updates - Alysha (Policy Director) 

A) House Resolution 131, passed full committee last night!!! This is great, next step is a push to the House floor for vote. Please continue to push those that did not co-sponsor this bill to vote in favor when the time comes. Attached is the fact sheet if they need a reminder. (Oregon reps not on the bill - Walden, Defazio & Schrader). Remarks by Rep. Karen Bass at the passage in Full Committee- H.Res. 131

B) Senate Resolution 144, passed the Senate - we are now waiting on the House companion bill (H.Res. 131 - above). 

C) US Special Envoy, Russ Feingold WAS APPOINTED!! This is wonderful, we have an incredibly solid team for DRC - it is up to us to watch, input and hold accountable. I believe this however is a changing tide for DRC, you should all be very proud.  Click here to read more about the Special Envoy

View from near Rep. Schrader's Oregon City Office
D) Friday morning (6.28) we met with Rep. Schrader (OR) office, this was a great meeting. We educated him on H.Res131 and asked for his support when this comes to vote. We have a new District Aid in this district - Ben! He asked incredible questions and gave us some great insight into the workings of this office - always important information. We look forward to continued dialogue and partnership.

E) We are making the rounds again with our offices, Rep. Blumenauer is on the schedule for July 24 and soon to come will be Rep. Bonamici and Senators Merkely and Wyden. If you would like to meet with us, please let us know.

Conflict Free City Initiative Updates - Amanda (CFCI Director) 

A) Portland- As you might already be aware from the recent Enough Blog Post, we are making progress with regard to our Conflict Free City Initiative (CFCI) PDX Resolution. As we work toward the goal of putting a draft resolution before Portland's City Council, it is now time to show Portland's commissioners and mayor constituent support for the initiative, and so here is where you and any organizations you belong to come in. We need for you and/or your organization(s) to send a letter of support to the elected officials listed below at the designated times. If appropriate, you can also ask your employer, if in Portland, to send a letter of support. (A copy of the Letter of Support can be found within this link)

B) Beaverton, we are still awaiting instructions from the Mayors office as to our next step. We will be presenting CFCI to the City Commissioners - we are always looking for supporters, please let us know if you want to attend this session! Also, thank you to Kathy Cordell for leading our efforts in Beaverton. 

C) We still aim to present our CFCI Resolution to cities beyond Portland and Beaverton.  As soon as we pass CFCI in Beaverton and Portland we will move forward to Hillsboro, Wilsonville and Salem!

Website - Coming Soon

We are designing a website! As we have become a bit more official we are working on ways to increase our visibility online.  We have our main OCH split functions into three parts while staying true to our mission and vision: 

Alysha Atma is now our Policy Director, She will be working closely with our partners to find opportunities to continue to engage our legislative official.

Amanda Ulrich is now our CFCI Director, she is working on engaging our local communities on the issue of Conflict Minerals, pushing for advocacy voices through our diverse network of members as well as making sure we do not let up the pressure on our cities to hold true to the ideals that we all believe them to hold!!

Robert Hadley is now our Outreach Director, he is busy working on getting your voices louder and united on the numerous initiatives we are working on! 

Always, always let us know if you have any questions, feedback, advice, initiatives and/or events! You all mean the world to us, this work would be for not if we didn't have your support, knowledge and encouragement!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Conflict Free City Initiative Letter of Support Campaign

To those who live and/or work in Portland, OR, I reach out to you for your help to propel forward a very important initiative.

As you might already be aware from the recent Enough Blog Post, we are making progress with regard to our Conflict Free City Initiative (CFCI) PDX Resolution. As we work toward the goal of putting a draft resolution before Portland's City Council, it is now time to show Portland's commissioners and mayor constituent support for the initiative, and so here is where you and any organizations you belong to come in. We need for you and/or your organization(s) to send a letter of support to the elected officials listed below at the designated times. If appropriate, you can also ask your employer, if in Portland, to send a letter of support.

Email Questions to: amandapdxrunforcongo@gmail.com

Although many of you have signed our coalition memo in support of our CFCI PDX Resolution, we need now, as individuals, and as individual organizations and businesses, to show our collective support. You can find a sample letter sent by the Atma Foundation here: http://bit.ly/17B7eAc. You can simply copy and paste into your own letter the language used in Atma Foundation's letter. You are also of course free to add or omit anything to/from the example letter as you see fit, and feel fee to send a draft to me, our CFCI Campaign Director, for input. Please also email me at: amandapdxrunforcongo@gmail.com, once you have sent your letter, and if possible, please also send me a copy of your letter. If you receive a response to your letter, please also notify me so that I can better coordinate our CFCI PDX campaign. 

The Never Again Coalition's postcard brigade will be sending out postcards following the same time table set forth below, and so now is the time to unify our voices and have impact! 


Text of Postcard for Commissioner Fritz



Please feel free to forward this to your networks, and of course, if you have any questions do not hesitate to let us know.

Best,
Amanda Ulrich
OCH Co-Founder
CFCI Campaign Director