Fall Event

Activity:

      - show a video(s)

     - try to get a speaker (FTS person or former slave?)

     - do a slavery simulation (kind of like Displace Ball State), where we give up some of our rights or HAVE to do something

     - maybe we could even do something regular like a monthly fast / hunger-strike where we'd use the money we would've spent on food to buy food to send to those in need 

     - part of an email I got from Judith Hyde (volunteer director at FTS):  "Here's an idea I just got from a group in Alabama.  they did a loose change campaign over a weekend - went to all their friends and family members and asked for loose change... sort of a change for change idea.  that simple weekend event brought in over $3600."

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Title:

     - Fall Freedom

     - Autumn for Autonomy 

    - Free the Slaves, Give Your Change

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Advertising:

    - table tents cost $90 for one week

    - announcement boards

    - stand at the scramble light or somewhere else

    - pull someone around in a rolling cage as if he/she were a slave (a la Sarah B. and Whitney - this would definitely be unique!)

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LIFESAVERS

More than 27 million slaves are in various kinds of bondage worldwide.  Indentured service, human trafficking, child soldiery, debt bondage, and the sex trade are only some of the ways that people are forced to work against their wills under threat of violence.  Our goal is to help these people get out of their situations.  Free the Slaves is an organization based in the U.S. that has contacts with grass-roots anti-slavery groups around the world. Together with these groups, national governments, and international agencies, FTS has already helped to free many slaves, but much more work needs to be done.  Awareness needs to be increased; laws need to be passed and reinforced; product chains need to become slavery-free; and money needs to be raised.  It's a complicated issue that can be confronted from many angles.  On the internet as well as on Ball State's campus, some of these initiatives can be met.  Our chapter of FTS wants to help bring you the information and resources necessary for making a difference in the lives of enslaved people around the world.  

Free the Slaves website: freetheslaves.net

Campus activity this Friday dedicated to helping the cause of displaced peoples and child soldiers: displaceballstate.com

Campus letter-writing campaign this Saturday from 10am - 2pm in AR 217 sponsored by the Coalition of Student Advocates.  Letters concerning important issues will we written and sent to government leaders.  Speakers including State Senator Sue Errington will also be present.

T-shirts made entirely in Africa to support local farmers and businesses are available at the Atrium bookstore through  edun-live.com

madebysurvivors.com also sells products that support the livelihood of freed slaves.

visit youtube.com and search for child slavery, human trafficking, or sex trade.

We hope that some of these resources will help you become more aware of our world and take part in working to improve it.  If you'd like to contact us and be a part of FTS:BSU, send an email to freetheslavesbsu@gmail.com.

  

Life Saver Info Sheet

Thoughts...

27 Million slaves worldwide.

Want to help save a life?

freetheslavesbsu.blogspot.com

freetheslavesbsu@gmail.com

Other ideas?

Lifesaver Handout Sign-up

The idea of making fact sheets and attaching Lifesavers sounds like one that we should put into effect ASAP. So here's the deal: This blog is a sign-up, thus the title :) The big event will take place on April 7th and 8th at the scramble light. This way we can take advantage of the Mon. idea, but we can also offer Tues. for those with tight Mon. schedules. Ideally, it would be nice to have at least 2 people there at all times. Taking into account busy schedules, shifts will last one hour. We will be there from 12PM until 3PM as that seems to be the busiest time of the day. Please sign-up via comment for a shift whenever you're available. Also, if you can show up to your shift 10 min early to relieve someone who may have a class on the hour, it would be greatly appreciated. At the shift you choose, report to our set-up at the scramble light (we'll be on the same corner as North Quad). Also, if you are available to design the handout/ help with attaching lifesavers prior to this event, please shoot an email to freetheslavesbsu@gmail. Thanks guys!!

Possible Future Grant Money

This evening, I attended an EIL workshop, and the speaker was a representative of Indiana Campus Compact, a statewide organization that Ball State is a member of. They give out grant money every month to student organizations for any community projects. This may be a great way to fund any endeavors we make in the future that are aimed off campus.

Up to $1000 can be awarded per project, and an organization can request money multiple times, although priority is given for those who are applying for the first time. The representative I talked to also said that most organizations apply during the months of February, March, and September, so we would have more luck in other months, especially during the summer months. The deadline is the 15th of every month, and fifteen days later the organization will know whether they have received the money.

Their website is indianacampuscompact.org, and I also have two extra packets that give information about the grant and how to apply for it if anyone wants a copy.

The representative also gave me the names of two other organization that he said awards grant money: the Muncie Community Foundation and Youth in Philanthropic Endeavors. I'm going to look into them, and I'll post information about them if they look promising.

-Sarah D.

Newsweek Article - Slavery in Our Times

Newsweek had an article "Slavery in Our Times" published Monday this week. The following is a link to the article:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/120054

The article mentions slavery in London, but also tells of a traveling exhibit called "Journey," which tells stories of women who have been enslaved through human trafficking. This exhibit is scheduled to come to the U.S. soon, and we as a group should try to go to it.

This article shows that other people, and organizations, are focused on the same problem; if the message is already out there, we should be able to help bring the word to more people and show them how real slavery still is.

From: Cara

Letter Writing Campaign

BSU Advocates is the name of the group that's sponsoring the letter writing campaign.  Essentially, on April 12 from 10am to 2pm in AR 217, students are going to be writing letters about issues that impassion them to government leaders.  The students running BSU Advocates want representatives from various campus organizations to inform the students who attend about the issues and help them write letters.  I'm going to be busy from 12 until late on that Saturday.  Would anyone be available or interested in helping out with this project?  If so, shoot me an email.  BSU Advocates is going to provide some training before the big day, so don't worry about that.  It'll be a good time.