outreach

The War in Darfur began five years ago in western Sudan, and today, there is still no end in sight. Hundreds of thousands of people have died from violence and disease, with millions more being displaced from their homes. McCain and Obama have both pledged to pursue peace in Darfur once elected as President.

While on the subject, the two U.S. presidential candidates praised “young people” for their dedication toward curbing the Darfur Genocide. Here is what they have to say:

John McCain
“I am gratified by organizations all over America, young people all over America who have acted to go to our government and other governments to act to stop this genocide. I want to thank all of those people and organizations who have dedicated so much of their time, their effort, their energy, and their funds on behalf of people that they’ve never known and never will know that is suffering the most horrific situation today. I believe that over time, with this kind of support and this kind of effort, that we will end the genocide in Darfur.”

Barack Obama
“When you see a genocide, whether it is in Rwanda, or Bosnia, or in Darfur, that’s a stain on all of us, that’s a stain on our souls … It is very encouraging to see activism based not on self-interest, but on a moral imperative, and it is especially heartening to see young people engage and expressing their idealism through this movement. We can’t say never again and allow it to happen again, and as President of the United States I don’t intend to abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaughter.”

I applaud the many young people who have valiantly committed themselves to the Darfur cause, and the next President of the United States is certainly gratified by some of America's most selfless students. Teenagers and young adults have an influential presence on the Web, across high school and college campuses, and even on Capitol Hill. What role will you play in ending the Darfur Genocide?

Photo courtesy of USA Today.

Students from Hunter College recently took a trip to Staten Island to educate Ferry-riders on the perils of global warming.

...and they were dressed as polar bears...

so, I like this project for two reasons.

A) these students are approaching a serious topic with their tongue planted firmly in cheek.

In the wake of sobering films like An Inconvenient Truth and 11th Hour, it is beginning to feel as though we are getting a little wrapped up in the "doom and hellfire" rhetoric of the global warming dialogue. Which is not to say that the severity of the situation needs to be downplayed...not at all. But a little humor never hurts. So when something like this rolls around, a youtube flick that is both thoughtful AND funny, I feel like we are on the right track.

B) dude, sweet vid

Seriously, I'm totally impressed with the effort put into post-production here. As far as I'm concerned, all student activity should be documented as thoroughly and cleverly... It is built-in PR, and it rocks.