Reverse the Trend:Save Our People, Save Our Planet

Dear Supporters,

We would like to thank you for your support. After the GlobalGiving Campaign, the project exploded. We received a 10,000 USD grant from the Prospect Hill Foundation. The grant and your generous support has enabled us to purchase adobe spark software and fund Lovely Umayam to prepare the pilot episode of the docuseries in collaboration with youth from the Pacific.  It has also been used to support Danielle Samler and Christian Ciobanu's involvement in the curriculum development. In addition, we are also supporting our summer interns.  It will also be used to pay graphic designers to create a landing platform for the global youth advocacy network.

This grant has also energized the team to conduct outreach and form partnerships with different organizations. We formed partnerships with Peace Boat US, Marshall Islands Student Association at the University of the South Pacific, and Youth Nuclear Peace Summit. Additionally, a young Marshallese activist named Selina N. Leem has agreed to serve as a spokesperson for the project.  

We are also continuously meeting with other groups, including Zero Hour NYC and other climate organizations, to help us with developing the program. Moreover, we have been in touch with an amazing youth network called Amplify. The coordinators of Amplify are helping us with the online curriculum. 

To help promote the project, we have been hosting a series of webinars. Our first webinar focused on championing creativity and advocacy towards a nuclear-free world in the time of crisis. Speakers included: Kayla Reifel of the Alaska Youth Congress for the Global Elimination of Nuclear Weapons; Rooj Ali of the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit; Honoka Taniguchi of the Nagasaki Youth Delegation; Emilie McGlone and Rico Robertson of Peace Boat; Alei Rizvi of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation; Molly McGinty of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; and Lovely Umayam of Bombshelltoe.

The second webinar was on protecting our planet in the nuclear age: examining the relationship between the climate change and the consequences of nuclear testing. The speakers included:H.E.Dr. Satyendra Prasad of Fiji; Dr. Tara Drozdenko of the Outrider Foundation; Selina N. Leem, Lovely Umayam of Bombshelltoe, and Danielle Samler of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy.

In addition to these public events, we have been hosting a series of closed webinars for Pacific youth and partners/prospective partners. These webinars enabled us to explain in more details about the project, including expectations, requirements, and how partners can help with advancing the project.

We are also building our relationship with the Nagasaki Youth Delegation. In this regard, we hosted a virtual dialogue on American and Japanese youth perspectives on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A recording will be shown on 9 August 2020 at 6:30pm on http://hiroshimanagasaki75.org. As a result of our collaboration with the Nagasaki Youth Delegation, several of its members are assisting us with the project.

As we move forward with the project, we are planning a zine creative workshop for youth and a special webinar for the international day against nuclear tests on 29 August. We are also launching a social media campaign to promote the project.

Stay tuned for more updates about our amazing project. Together, we are building momentum toward empowering youth to address climate change and nuclear weapons, the twin existential threats facing our humanity.

Best,

Christian N. Ciobanu

Links:

• Protecting Our Planet in the Nuclear Age
• Championing Creativity and Advocacy Towards a Nuclear-Free World