We are excited to have met personally with our formidable friends of THE RED BRIGADE LUCKNOW (Usha Vishwakarma and Team) and to step forward with our alliance:
1) YL now steps fully into promoting the RBL as we have a vast abundance of fantastic videos and photos of their work and have learned so much more of what they do, that has not been visible in their facebook streams. Their work is so precious and multifaceted, … self-defense, advocacy, policy changes, saving victims, trauma healing, holding criminals accountable, cooperation with police and education on grand innovative scale. With their small team of survivors and strong male friends – HE FOR SHE at its best! – they provide for FREE what ten organizations would provide at high bidget costs.
We are completely fired up and convinced of their work and pushing them full scale as a field partner to schools worldaround, using the full range of activities, photos, regional partners and opportunities for interaction by schools, donors, volunteers, skype meetings, u name it!
2) The RBL includes YL Videos & Posters of YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS in their work to inspire 20,000 workshop participants in 2015 for taking action on various causes, incl. the liberation of bonded child labourers > that’s why we are posing with Craig Kielburger (in blue, We Day), the kid that stood up for liberating child labourers and happened to make changemaking part of learning culture in 10,000 schools and scoring 8 hour livestreams on MTV.
THIS IS EXTREMELY PRECIOUS FOR BOTH OUR CAUSES AND CAMPAIGNS!
Usha and team truly awaken the sleeping fiercely determined inner hero/ine standing for true values, protection and stewardship of personal love, safety and caring for the vulnerable. In combination with our powerful videos and youth-led solutions for causes of everybody’s concern in the realms of nature, education, economy etc, we can empower young people for long-lasting full spectrum changes, and their influenced young audiences to BUILD strongly on the newly found self-value and determination.
It is also important for the RBL since they move around a lot, to many places and many groups, and YL provides the BACK UP for their inspired audiences to sustain the inspiration and WORK and GET CONSULTATION from experts in many fields, as well as gently weave changemaking into every units and subjects across the curriculum.
THE PHOTOS: YL POSTER WALL at IYONS World Summit
After IYONS World Summit, we had a full day workshop presentation on YOUTH LEADERSHIP FOR A SUSTAINABLE PLANET at Loyola College, Chennai, a wonderful institution with a strong commitment to ECO-SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, KINDNESS AND COLLABORATION with messages embedded into every sphere of life on campus, incl the official street signs. Hats off! This is exciting!
The long day – held on the first day after the passing of India’s grand icon DR. ABDUL KALAM – known as the Missile Man and People’s President – included inspirational videos of Dr. Kalam, YL Videos, presentations, Q&A and conversations with students, a Live on Skype session with Holley Somerville Knott – 11 year old singing activist sensation from Australia (her anthem CSG NO WAY was a major part of the successful BENTLEY BLOCKADE, stopping fracking in their beloved county).
Holley delivered a powerful speech about youth and citizen activism, love, proper responsible good governance and an amazing performance of POWER TO THE PEOPLE, which got the audience fired up for the next stage:
THE RED BRIGADE WORKSHOP IN SELF-DEFENSE AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT.
Usha and team involved the students in action, and it was amazing to see how the girls’ shyness turned into wild strong combat, and the major male audience cheered in genuine, enthusiastic support as the girls battered away on the mock attackers.
Holley cheered via video, and announced that she dedicated her POWER TO THE PEOPLE song to the courageous girls and women making the world a safer, more welcoming and more beautiful place for all of us. We envision Holley and The Red Brigade to meet on skype at girls workshops to have a common performance of POWER TO THE PEOPLE – maybe with some Hindi lyrics included? Stay tuned!
The day kept students glued to their seats way beyond conventional class hours, and by 18h00, the day had sparked 15 youth teams for 15 causes, to evolve along a special class on the Healing Earth Curriculum, developed for hundreds of Jesuit high schools around the globe (exciting video impressions upcoming!).
What a day!
Thank you to the excellent, committed professors who co-organized this special day for 300 students and ourselves, and the wonderful hospitality of hosting us on campus for the night.
Eric got a gift from the Red Brigade, and you see he’s all smiles about his new uniform, determined for new deeds in the future!
Website: http://redbrigade-lucknow.fr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redbrigade.lucknow?fref=ts