The meeting to celebrate ten years of Earth Charter - on 29 June at the Peace Palace in The Hague - will be streamed worldwide at www.earthcharter.nl.
Online participants may also contribute to the dialogue with responses and questions that will be visible to all attendees in the room.
Also at the meeting on 29 June, live chats with prominent participants are scheduled:
11:15 AM Dutch time (UTC/GMT + 2 hours) with Herman Mulder, Dutch Worldconnector, former General Director of ABN AMRO Bank and initiator of the Equator Principles
1:00 PM with Karen Armstrong from England (Charter for Compassion)
4:00 PM with Song Li from China (Earth Charter Council / World Bank)
Mike will be presenting at "Conversations with Activists" as part of the social justice undergraduate program at U Vic.
The event will be held in the David Strong Building, Room C116 at 8pm Feb 23rd. The theme for this session is
youth engagement, social activism, and the use of the arts as a means of engagement and action.
All In: Youth Engagement Strategies and Celebrating Diversity: In this 30 minute interactive presentation Mike will demonstrate some of his favourite 'auditorium' activities and share stories about his work from remote villages in the Arctic Circle to urban centres in New York :: Healthy Youth Today, Healthy World Tomorrow When: February 11 Harbor Towers Hotel, Victoria BC ::
Grade 11 and 12 Indigenous students and their families from the Southern Vancouver Island region are invited to the Victoria Native Friendship Centre to explore a variety of pathways and possibilities after secondary school graduation.
The keynote presenter is David Bouchard, one of Canada's most published and respected Métis writers. (http://www.davidbouchard.com/)
Students and families will have the opportunity to explore together who they are: their strengths, goals and dreams. Themes of youth empowerment, engagement and connection to community will be facilitated by noted youth faciliator Mike Sheenan, founder and director of BeatBoard Interactive Youth Programs(http://www.beatboard.org). Local elders as well as UVic and Camosun student mentors will also take part. Buffet lunch provided.
This program is a collaborative effort sponsored by: Camosun College, Greater Victoria School District, Saanich Aboriginal Education Council, University of Victoria and the Victoria Native Friendship Centre.
For more information or to register for the event, please contact Chelsea Herman at: cherman@uvic.ca
This event will be follow by:
UVIC, the Office of Indigenous Affairs and BeatBoard are offering a 'Connecting with Peers and Community' workshop 4-6pm Friday 27th in the Cerimonial Hall at the First Peoples House at UVIC. Come by it will be fun!
BeatBoard is up to it's elbows in wicked summer programs.
We've been training facilitators in Whithorse, more dj workshops in the Arctic, making rap videos around inclusion and identity with large groups of people with special needs, keynotes at international leadership conferences, attending and presenting at academic conferences with educators from across BC, connecting with media visionaries at Media That Matters, planning global online sustainability leaderships programs with The Earth Charter, completed our 4th successful practicum placement through UVIC, hosting local Battle of the Bands, participating on selection committees for local youth grants, making rap vids with UVIC and urban aboriginal communities, facilitating community dialogues for government initiatives, creating TV spots for local youth artists, working with school districts on school wide intervention programs, creating and delivering programming for a First Nations
Summit youth gathering....and a lot more!
Check back close to September for media related these programs and more. Thanks and shout outs to all the great organizations, agencies and individuals we've had the opportunity to work with.
Beatboard has had an amazing time with the Inuvik yoots, adults and elders in the Arctic Circle. Check out what they did.
Here's a clip from a CBC Radio interview taken with Beatboard team members Rup and Mike during a multimedia literacy program that took place in Inuvik in September 2008.
Between February and March 2008, Beatboard will work with the McCreary Youth Foundation and VIHA (Vancouver Island Health Authority) to engage aboriginal youth in three island communities - Ladysmith, Port Alberni and Victoria - in the development and delivery of a weekend community leadership and multimedia training.
Mike is working with the Eart Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI) in presenting:
e-GLO
Earth Charter Global Learning Opportunity
Coming January 2008
In January 2008, we plan to launch e-GLO (Earth Charter Global Learning Opportunity), a 4 month, online, digital story telling and community leadership training inspired by the Earth Charter.
:: Find our community on Facebook ::
e-GLO will be offered to 20-30 participants aged 17-30 who are motivated community development project planners and socially conscious artists from around the world. Participants will meet online via webcam and mic in e-GLO's own virtual conference environment. The online sessions will happen every other weekend for a period of two hours. Each session will feature networking opportunities, interviews, presentations and workshops with expert guests, cultural performances, participant presentations celebrating local projects and e-GLO collaborative projects as well as a live interactive multi-media event open to the global public.
Mike represents the Earth Charter at the Commission on Sustainable Development in NYC
Mike Sheehan had the great privilege to attend the Fifteenth Annual Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15) at the United Nations Headquarters in NYC. Mike and Joel Vengo form the Democratic Republic of Congo were representing the Earth Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI). For more information about this event and Mike’s participation visit Mike’s ECYI blog here.Please feel free to say hi or leave a commect.
Nadia, Sara, Rup, and Mike represented The Power of Hope in an innovative program that worked with Yukon youth and a media firm in creating a social marketing campaign around delaying alcohol use in teens.
See pictures and read feedback from the project coordinator here.
Mike Sheehan opened for Alan Clements at this year’s Change Conference. This is Mike's fourth year in a row presenting his 50 minute stage show titled ‘Creating our Culture’. Click here for exciting reviews of Mike’s participation.
On Friday April 13, 2007, 107 grade 5, 6 and 7 students from 10 schools in Greater Victoria met at S.J. Willis School for the 2007 Building Bridges Conference. The day started with Mike Sheehan from Beatboard warming up the group with fun activities to motivate them and create a safe space for fun and learning to begin!
Nadia Reports: Berkana invites you on a Learning Journey to Mexico
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At Berkana, we believe the rest of the world has something essential and important to teach us about leadership. Join us in October 2007 on an extraordinary journey to two of Mexico's most unique regions, Oaxaca and Chiapas. Known for the vibrancy of their indigenous cultures, these southern states will inform our exploration of the tensions between ancient wisdom and the modern world.
This will be a great example of emerging INTERACTIVE web based communications related to social justice and environmental sustainability. I'm looking forward to sharing the potential of this technology with you through Beatboard and my recent partnership with Heart In Action. Tuning in on Saturday will allow you to see what is possible and may spur you to dream up new applications for this technology. Please feel free to interact live or simply watch and listen to the panel of professional speakers and musicians. You're Invited!
When: Saturday, June 9, 7 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Pacific, 18:00 GMT-5) Where: Your home computer What: A live online discussion for World Environment / World Ocean Day 2007
Nadia Chaney emceed the Tacoma World Affairs Summit April 18-21 2007, in Tacoma WA. The following is an interview by Tammy Lea Meyer describing that magical and inspiring event.
*Beatboard's Friends At Power Of Hope Are Presenting:
March break 19th - 25th
• Rhyme Writing • Beat-boxing & Beat Making • Break and Hip Hop Dance •
DJ skills & Studio Production • Graffiti & Visual Art • Media Literacy •
DREAM THIS:
Hip hop artists, youth mentors, and 14-18 year olds spending 5 days at beautiful Camp Alexandra: building community, learning about the history of Hip Hop as a youth-driven creative tool for social change, connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and gaining skills in all the Hip Hop elements……
oh and, recording a full-length album on-site!
Participants of past Hip Hop Hope programs in Seattle, Bellingham and Eugene have left Hip Hop Hope inspired to make amazing changes in their lives, perform at concerts and festivals, and have their tracks aired on the radio. Finally -- Hip Hop Hope lands in the Lower Mainland!
You don’t have to be a hip hop artist to join us. Come discover your own creative passion.
REGISTER SOON BECAUSE SPACES WILL FILL UP FAST!!!!
Mike Sheehan is currently offering an on going program to transitioning sex trade workers at P.E.E.R.S. the Prostitute Empowerment Education and Resource Society in Victoria
Peers is dedicated to the empowerment, education and support of prostitutes. We respect those involved in prostitution and we work to improve their safety and working conditions. We assist individuals who desire to leave the sex industry and strive to increase public understanding.
Beatboard's founder Mike Sheehan demos new applications in Web Broadcast technology Thursday night at 9:30pm on your computer. Catch Mike freestyle rap and talk about bridging the digital divide as he is featured(live) via the Internet at Hennessey Dining Lounge in Vancouver.
Mike Sheehan offers opening activites and workshops for youth and coaches at this year's Spirit of Excellence Symposium
The Spirit of Excellence Symposium empowers young Aboriginal athletes to be confident and competent leaders with strong decision-making and mentoring skills.
Though a series of workshops, keynote speakers and sport activities, participants explore topics such as leadership, decision-making, problem solving, drug and alcohol addiction and healthy lifestyle choices (e.g. tobacco reduction, diabetes prevention, active living and nutrition).
The Spirit of Excellence Symposium builds personal and professional excellence in sport for Aboriginal youth and coaches.
Mike Sheehan works with AIDS Vancouver and YouthCo as Co-Host for a World AIDS Day Event targeted at Vancouver youth
Together, youth and students from across the Lower Mainland, will unite in the fight through an evening of creativity, music and awareness.
Hitting the stage at the Croatian Cultural Centre will be a range of styles, images and sounds. From slam poetry to hip hop, gumboot dancing, dj’s and speakers. Most exciting will be the unveiling of the collaborative Digital Quilt created by you and youth around the world. We are pleased to present this evening with our partners YouthCo, Youthink and CapAIDS.
Mike Sheehan along with eleven others were honoured in a ceremony at Surrounded by Cedar's AGM for their work in the community.
It was an honour to have Mike facilitate two programs for Surrounded by Cedar this year. In March, we held a week-long program entitled "Diversity Through Hip Hop" which focused on aboriginal identity. Then in August, Mike presented "Expressions", another week-long program focusing on celebrating and engaging the positive power of First Nation and Metis youth. Both programs culminated in a final performance by the youth for the community.
We witnessed young people who could barely enter the building; they were so consumed with shyness. Four days later, these same youth shared their heartfelt and personal poetry with the audience and performed rap pieces talking about the importance of being aboriginal. Then they jumped up and danced some breakdance moves and leaned on each other talking about issues like trust and dependability. It was a humbling and inspiring moment. We feel that Mike's programs will be held in their hearts and minds for a long time.
...You see, as far as i can tell, Jo-Burg is very metropolitan. I know
that they are facing deep social issues that we do not encounter to
the same degree in Vancouver, but at the same time, it is
infrastructurally very similar. I mean, the conference is in Melville, which reminds me a lot of Commercial Drive!...
Nadia Chaney has returned from South Africa. Nadia was attending the Pioneers of Change
Learning Journey, a conference on Art and Social Change. pioneersofchange.org
Pioneers of Change is a global learning network supporting practitioners in their mid-20s to mid-30s. Founded in 1999, by a group of people from 16 countries and now includes participants from around the world. When you join Pioneers of Change you explicitly commit to the following principles: Be yourself, Do what Matters, Start now, Engage with others, Never stop asking questions.
Aboriginal Youth make peace offering in response to racist graffiti.
...There is a great need for Indigenous voice all around the world. This group of youth's creative, compassionate and articulate response to a very culturally ignorant act gives me hope for a future where people value difference. This mural is the positive power of Aboriginal youth today in action...
This mural project is receiving national attention through Mike's involvement with the United Nations Association in Canada. He is currently working as a regional coordinator for the 'Youth of Today City of Tomorrow' project, an initiative designed to engage youth in human settlement issues. Mike will be delivering a program to assemblies of high schools students in Victoria on 'human settlement issues' in November.
"Tellin' It Like It Is"- is an engaging 20 minute film with a Hip Hop sound track on what aboriginal youth are doing to create healthy communities. This project was an initiative of the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Mike Sheehan's facilitation and music directing are featured in the film. Mike hosted an audience question
and answer session with a panel of youth involved with the project at the film launch in September.
The film is receiving national attention through health and education institutions.
Check out this music video trailer
Thanks to everyone involved! For copies of the DVD including the excellent discussion guide for classrooms contact Mike Sheehan.
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