U-ACT is a grassroots volunteer organization that partners with existing local and international anti-trafficking NGOs to fight human trafficking. U-ACT is based in Indianapolis, Indiana.

CONNECT WITH U-ACT!

www.u-act.org
Email: info@u-act.org
~ Facebook.com/IndyUACT ~ Twitter @IndyUACT


Visit the U-ACT website
for current meeting information and projects!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

The "New Look" of U-ACT

We are so excited to be growing and expanding as an organization, and with that growth has come...our new website!

We will no longer be updating the blog with current projects or volunteer opportunities, so please visit www.u-act.org to stay up-to-date with all things U-ACT!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Sarah Joy in Ghana

Want to keep up with Sarah Joy, the NFS: Indiana rep who's been so amazingly good to us at U-ACT for the past 2 years, while she's volunteering in Ghana for the next year? Check out her blog at http://sarahjoym.wordpress.com!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

New Legislative Opportunities to Fight Trafficking!

1. Petition to end forced labor in Vietnam:

All over Vietnam, some 40,000 men, women, and children are being held against their will and forced to work for up to four years in centers run by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor. The victims are held without a hearing or a trial in a court of law after testing positive for illegal drugs. Some people, in desperate need of medical treatment for drug addiction, have even entered the centers voluntarily to find too late that medical treatment is not offered, but that they are not free to leave and now have to work shelling cashews or sewing garments for private companies. Before rewarding Vietnam with the benefits of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership [Free Trade] Agreement, we call on the USTR to join with the United Nations to denounce the Vietnamese Government’s sponsorship of forced labor, and to demand that Vietnam permanently close the forced labor centers.
---> Sign a petition today to call for an end to state-sponsored forced labor in Vietnam: http://action.laborrights.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2769


2. TVPRA in the House!

Just last week, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) was introduced in the House of Representatives. This bi-partisan bill renews and strengthens the legislation that established U.S. programs to fight slavery at home and abroad. Many of you joined us in asking the Senate to pass the TVPRA. Now we have an opportunity to urge the House to do the same - and we need your help.
Current legislation governing U.S. anti-trafficking programs expires in a few short weeks. Let’s remind Congress that they have an opportunity to impact the lives of children, women and men living in slavery today.
---> Please take one minute NOW to urge your Representative to co-sponsor the TVPRA:
https://secure3.convio.net/ijm/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=135&JServSessionIdr004=v1zye7y603.app305a

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Freedom Drive

Join us this Friday, July 29 for Freedom Drive, a film screening with a twist!

Where: Friedens UCC
When: 7-9pm
Cost: FREE!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

June/July Updates

Hello U-ACT! We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and enjoying the hot summer sun!

Below are important updates and this month's meeting agenda. Read on! :)

Many many thank yous to the following people/organizations for their hard work in organizing, hosting, volunteering with, or providing training for various human trafficking awareness events during the past few months:

-Abby, Kaylin, Emily, Brian, and Sharon for your early-morning commitment to spreading awareness at the Mini Marathon!
-Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic for a wonderful awareness forum this past Saturday!
-Sharon and Carol for educating the community at a recent Indiana Criminal Justice Association meeting!
-Julia for her continued work on the fair trade shopping guide, as well as her design expertise!

Upcoming Opportunities :
NOW --> check U-ACT's June blog update or facebook.com/IndyUACT to sign the online petition presented by IJM
July 29, 2011, 7-9pm --> Freedom Drive film screening at Friedens UCC (volunteers needed! please email if available!)
Sept 7, 2011 --> Sex+Money film screening, location TBA
Fall 2011 --> Love146 fundraiser
*We are looking for someone to step up and organize a fundraiser for Love146. If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact Kaylin Linnemann at k.linnemann7@gmail.com

July Agenda:
1.Guest speaker Jen Mukes from the non-profit byTavi will be presenting! Don't miss an opportunity to learn about this great local organization! Learn more at byTavi.com, shop online at www.etsy.com/shop/byTavi?amp&, or follow them on Twitter @byTavi
2.Updates from Julia about the fair trade shopping guide!
3.New legislative opportunities, including upcoming visits to Senator Lugar's office


Sarah and Laura
co-founders, U-ACT
www.u-act.org
Twitter @IndyUACT
Facebook "IndyUACT"

Vision of Hope

One of our very own U-ACTers, Kaylin Linnemann, is participating in the July 23, 2011 Race For Hope 5K Walk/8K Run to benefit Vision of Hope, a faith-based residential treatment program for girls age 14-28 struggling with unplanned pregnancy, alcohol or drug abuse, eating disorders, or self-harm. To support Kaylin and Vision of Hope, donate online. If you prefer to give via check or cash, mail in your donation to:

Vision of Hope
5652 Mercy Way
Lafayette, IN 47905

To specifically sponsor Kaylin for this run/walk, be sure to write “Race For Hope/Kaylin Linnemann" in the memo line, or on a note accompanying cash!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

2011 TIP Report

The 2011 TIP Report was released this week. Check it out :)

Sunday, June 19, 2011

CNN's Freedom Project

Check out IJM's newest campaign alongside CNN...the Freedom Project!

IJM Legislation

IJM has posted another round of legislation, so if you're interested in asking your legislators to vote for more anti-trafficking funding, click here!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

May Meeting Recap

Please take a few minutes to answer the Community Outreach Survey questions below this post. Send your answers/opinions to us at info@u-act.org! Thank you!

Upcoming Events:
1. Purchased 5K Run/Walk @ Eagle Creek Park → June 11, 2011 @ 8am
Registration opens at 8am that morning, and the run/walk begins at 9am. Download and print the attached file if you would like to help hand out fliers during the next few weeks to inform the community of the event!
2. RideFor146 Bike Ride → Sept 12-17, 2011
This year the ride will begin in Indianapolis, travel through Cincinnati, Ohio and end in Toledo, Ohio. If you are interested in participating as a bike rider, please contact Kaylin Linnemann at k.linnemann7@gmail.com.
**If anyone has connections with churches in Madison, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, at Hanover College, or in any other cities along that route, please also contact Kaylin.
3. NFS Global Forum in Silicon Valley → October 21-22, 2011
Register now at www.notforsalecampaign.org for the lowest rate possible!

Volunteer Opportunities:
1. **Superbowl 2012**
Many of you have expressed interest in volunteering to raise awareness prior to or during Superbowl 2012 in Indianapolis. Please read below for available volunteer positions and contact info:
1. Professional volunteer media designer
2. Volunteer contact person for churches interested in helping with Superbowl 2012 Campaign
3. Volunteer contact person for colleges/college groups interested in helping with Superbowl 2012 Campaign
**Email Valerie Schmitt at vschmitt@exodusrefugee.org for more info on these opportunities!

2. Not For Sale is still searching for a State Director for the fall. If you are interested in this volunteer position, follow this link:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/not-for-sale-indiana/become-the-next-not-for-sale-indiana-state-director/180640645318801

3. Become a “nomad” this fall for LiNK, or Liberty in North Korea! Travel across the U.S. and host film screenings for LiNK! Learn more at www.linkglobal.org.

4. Help U-ACT organize an annual events calendar by sending us emails about annual events around the city that we could participate in!

5. Contact Carol Hall at cahall726@gmail.com if you are interested in helping compile a list of trucking companies and/or truck driver training schools in the state of Indiana. We are working towards a partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), an organization that strives to educate truck drivers and other travelers about human trafficking and who to contact if and when they encounter human trafficking. Learn more about TAT at www.truckersagainsttrafficking.com.

6. We're looking for someone to step up and lead the brainstorming, organization, and hosting steps of planning a summer benefit event for Love146. This benefit could take many forms—be creative! If you would like to spearhead this benefit event, or if you have a great idea for this benefit, please contact Kaylin Linnemann at k.linnemann7@gmail.com.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Community Outreach Survey

WE WANT YOUR OPINIONS!

In an effort to provide you with opportunities you are interested in pursuing, please help us by completing the following survey and sending us your opinions via email at info@u-act.org. Thank you for your time and ideas!

Community Outreach Survey
1. What types of community outreach activities would interest you?
2. Do you have conflicts/hesitations/concerns about participating in community outreach? If yes, can you elaborate?
3. If we choose to organize a door-to-door outreach event, what items would be helpful to bring with us?
4. Do you have any suggestions for outreach guidelines? i.e. safety, courtesy, distribution of accurate information?

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Upcoming "Purchased" Events

Purchased, a faith-based anti-trafficking organization here in Indy, is hosting a three part series of movie and discussion nights to educate the community about human trafficking. The films and discussions will focus on demand, rescue, and restoration, and guest speakers will accompany each film. To learn more about Purchased, visit www.purchasedevents.org.

Part 1: Friday, May 27 from 7-9pm @ Common Ground
Part 2: Friday, June 24 from 7-9pm @ Common Ground
Part 3: Friday, July 29 from 7-9pm @ Common Ground

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Moving Forward!

As many of you may know, U-ACT is nearing it's 2 year anniversary, and we could not be more excited. We also could not be more thankful to and appreciative of our many, many talented volunteers who continually offer their time, energy, creativity, and resources to fight human trafficking. Thank you thank you thank you!!

In light of U-ACT's growth over the past few years, we are happy to announce that U-ACT now owns the domain www.u-act.org! As of now, this domain will redirect to this blog site, but it also leaves room for us to expand in the future. Along with this domain, we have acquired a new email account, so please direct all future email inquiries to info@u-act.org.

As always, if you have questions, comments, or ideas, please contact us! We value your input!

Sarah and Laura
co-founders, U-ACT

March Meeting Recap

Freedom Weekend was a great weekend of community awareness and fundraising! A huge thank you to Susan Oliver and everyone who participated, organized, planned, or donated items for this weekend.

On May 7, 2011, U-ACT will be raising awareness in various locations around downtown Indianapolis to educate and raise funds for TraffickJam 2011, a benefit to support Hard Places Community in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Please respond to this email if you are willing to help at TraffickJam on May 7! 

Love146 maintains a safe shelter in the Philippines for trafficked girls. Last fall, a small group of brave bike riders made the trek from Indy to NYC to raise awareness and funds for Love146. This year, the ride will be more localized…the bikers will be riding from Indianapolis, IN to Toledo, OH. In preparation for this year’s bike ride, the Love146 team will be hosting three events. If anyone is interested in participating in or planning these events, please contact Kaylin Linnemann at k.linnemann7@gmail.com.

The first Superbowl planning meeting has been scheduled for this month, so please watch for new and exciting opportunities in the near future! We will need your time and talents to make next year’s Indianapolis Superbowl a safe and slavery-free event!

We would like to extend a big thank you to LiNK (Liberty in North Korea) representative Wyatt Walker for attending and speaking at this month’s meeting. Wyatt showed a film called “Hiding,” which provides a brief background on LiNK’s work with North Korean refugees. Currently, the living and social conditions in North Korea are so deplorable that North Koreans are desperate to leave. This is not an easy feat. When leaving North Korea, citizens have two options: try to reach safety in South Korea by crossing the very dangerous DMZ, where snipers, guards, electric fences, and hidden land mines lay in wait, or travel through icy waters to China, where North Koreans are ignored, forced into hiding, or trafficked. 70-90% of all women and girls escaping North Korea thru China are sold into the Chinese sex industry, some for as little as $15. LiNK works on the ground in China and throughout Southeast Asia to help guide North Korean refugees escape lives of oppression and begin new lives in Southeast Asia, the U.S., or South Korea. To learn more about or donate to LiNK, visit www.linkglobal.org. If you would like to volunteer with LiNK within the U.S., contact Kira Wheeler at kira@linkglobal.org.

Monday, February 28, 2011

January U-ACT Meeting Re-Cap

Happy January! We hope everyone is staying warm and safe this winter! **If road conditions force us to cancel the February meeting, we will email you 24 hours prior…so watch your inbox on Sunday February 20th.

January Meeting Update:
- Julia Spangler is hard at work compiling her ethical shopping guide and is still in need of volunteers to help research store merchandise. If you are interested in working with Julia, please contact her at spanglerjl@gmail.com. This is an amazing opportunity to help change the way consumers view shopping…don’t miss out!
- Valerie Schmitt of Exodus Refugee has the new INATP website up and running! Add www.inatp.org your favorites list and check it often for updates and upcoming events.
- We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to our newest friends who braved the cold and drove all the way from Muncie to attend our meeting!

- Thank you to Amanda Bocik for regaling us with tales from the
RideForLove146 bike ride last fall!

**The Love146 bike ride from Indy to NYC will become an annual ride, and new cyclists are welcome to join the team this fall. Want to participate? Start training this spring or summer and contact Amanda at ajbocik@gmail.com let her know you’re in!

- We will be emailing soon with a list of needs for Freedom Sunday (March 13th).
- New legislative opportunities coming your way very soon…watch your inbox!

**Action Area Leaders**
We are still looking for people to take charge of specific action areas and report to the group during monthly U-ACT meetings. We are tremendously thankful to Sharon and Abby for spearheading Julian Center/Exodus outreach trainings, to Carol for taking charge of a fall 2011 event, and to Emily for staying on top of current HT news from around the world.

If you are interested and able to commit, or would simply like more information about leading an action area, the following areas are still in need of
leadership:
1. Legislation
2. Not For Sale Campaign
3. Speaking Engagements
**Upcoming Events**
3.12.11 Freedom Weekend Art Event 3.13.11 2nd Annual NFS Free2Walk event, 2pm @ Friedens UCC -Contact Sarah Haas at pastorsarah@friedensucc.org to help organize.
3.13.11 Freedom Sunday: day to spread awareness about slavery and trafficking.
-Contact Susan Oliver at susangeeoliver@gmail.com help organize.
5.7.11 TraffickJam 2011: national walk event to spread awareness of HT across the U.S. and financially benefit Hard Places Community in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
-Contact Laura Pope at laura.pope@yahoo.com uact.indy@yahoo.com help organize.

An article from Emily - http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=696

Looking forward to seeing you soon!