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!

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.