NEXT meeting and IMPORTANT INFO/EVENTS

U-ACT (United Against Contemporary Trafficking)
Next meeting: Monday, May 17, 2010 at 7 p.m. at Friedens United Church of Christ (8300 S. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN, 46217)

Supper will be served and then we will continue to work on the following initiatives:

1) Summer/Fall 2010 Fundraising Event
Task: brainstorm and organize an outdoor fundraising event to benefit Pearl Alliance
Points to Discuss: bands/singers/dancers to perform (could be local), possible outdoor venues (downtown Indy preferable), marketing ideas, sponsor/donor ideas, fair trade vendors at the event

2) Freedom Scarves
Task: knit scarves to raise funds for NFS
marketing/sales ideas
*Info about Freedom Scarves:
1. Freedom Scarf tags: http://www.flickr.com/photos/intocollidingentropy/sets/72157622429608580/ 2. brands of yarn: Red Heart Light and Lofty (for adults), Red Heart Baby Clouds (for kids), can be purchased at JoAnn Fabric's or online at herrschners.com 3. novelty yarns (to be mixed in w/base yarns above, if you wish): http://www.herrschners.com/product.aspx?pid=95446, http://www.herrschners.com/product.aspx?pid=95409, http://www.herrschners.com/product.aspx?sku=711506P&qid= 4. looms: http://cottagemagpie.com/imgc/easy-loom-knitted-scarf-1.jpg, can be purchased at JoAnn Fabric's or Wal-Mart for $5-$9. 5. The typical child sized scarf is 2 1/2 inches wide and 4 to 5 feet long, depending on the age of the child. They sell for $10.00. Teen and adult scarves can be made either 4 ($10) or 5 inches ($12) wide (or even 2 1/2, for those who like thin scarves) and are 5 1/2 to 6 feet long (depending on the skein of yarn). 6. instructional knitting videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pPIT9Us7ZE&feature=related, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgLYwCgF63E&NR=1

3) Ground Initiative
Task: create business-size info cards to leave in doctors' office bathrooms, etc. that inform victims of their rights and options for help
Points to Discuss: possible distribution locations, available community resources for victims, hotline info, other info to include on card

4) Julian Center Domestic Trafficking Volunteer Training
Task: review existing volunteer training programs and then assemble our own to serve domestic trafficking victims housed at the Julian Center (or elsewhere, in the future)
Points to Discuss: helpfulness of completing OVCTTAC Sexual Assault Advocate/Counselor Training (more info found at ovcttac.gov/saact/index.cfm)
*Please review the following org's existing training programs:
1. misssey.org
2. sharedhope.org
3. love146.org
4. free-international.org

5) Advocacy
Task: research current legislation that relates to human trafficking
Points to Discuss:
1) What are our best sources for information about current legislation?
2) Which state and federal representatives should be contacted?
3) Will there be opportunities to talk with representatives running for offices this spring?
*Child Protection Compact Act
*International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)Letters to the editor

6) Film Screenings/book groups
Task: raise awareness about human trafficking and efforts to abolish it by providing film screenings/book groups
Points to Discuss:
1) Compile lists of places to show films or discuss books
2) Design system to keep track of places that have been contacted and responses given
3) Continue to add to list of films and books
4) What social media tools might be available to assist with making connections and promoting our availability to do film screening and lead book groups


7) Contact database
Task: develop method of keeping track of contact information for names of leaders/organizations that we have partnered with, groups we’ve been in touch with about speaking engagements, groups with projects that we have helped with, ect….

8) If you are interested in becoming a Stop Child Trafficking Now Ambassador, please contact Laura Pope.


Upcoming Events:

Congo Symposium – May 21-22nd – Please contact Sarah Haas for more information.

Cage Fight Event – Information Below

Not for Sale: Indiana has recently partnered with Fight Night MMA (a wholly owned subsidiary of Mike the Pike Productions, a publicly traded entertainment company) to host a cage fight in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 5 (http://www.fightnightmma.com/). Fight Traffic will feature amateur and professional mixed martial artists. The event will raise awareness about modern-day slavery and raise money for the rescue and restoration of human trafficking victims! (Talk about literally fighting slavery!)

I'll be speaking about human trafficking and the Not for Sale Campaign and NFS film clips will also be shown in between matches. We are also honored to have Marti MacGibbon join us to share her experiences as a survivor of a human trafficking ring between the United States and Japan (http://www.martimacgibbon.com/).

I'd like to encourage you to visit the Fight Traffic! page on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Wayne-IN/Fight-Night-MMA/114358778576627#!/event.php?eid=107105492660470&ref=ts). Become a fan and invite your friends to this event. Tickets are on sale now and it's going to be an incredible opportunity to take a stand against a $32 billion a year industry that is destroying the lives of some 27 million men, women, boys, and girls.

Not for Sale is so excited about this opportunity that Mike the Pike Productions (http://mikethepikeprods.com/) has offered us.

Concert to benefit Stop Child Trafficking Now – August 21st – 7 to 10:30 p.m. at Midtown Grill in Broad Ripple

A few more notes from Sarah Joy (Not for Sale’s IN Director) – We’ll have the attached letters that are referenced at the meeting. We’ll also have letters that have been written to support current legislation regarding funding for efforts to end human trafficking.

"To begin with, Not for Sale has developed Abolitionist Faith Conferences. They're a fantastic way to equip your church to get involved and you can read the attached PDF for more info. You can also visit http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/action/faith/underground-church-network/ for information about the Underground Church Network and the many ways Christians are getting involved in Biblical justice!

I'd also like to invite you to visit http://ecmafrica.org/36236.ihtml Lorella Rouster (who is cc'ed to this e-mail), along with her husband John, lives here in Indiana but regularly travels to Africa to take part in the rescue and restoration of modern-day slaves. They would both love to come share at your church! I've had the privilege of talking to Lorella on the phone and she has some amazing experiences and stories to tell!

I hope you'll take the time to read Ben's letter (attached). It describes the heartbeat of Free2Play far better than I ever could. Would you like to take him up on his challenge? Let me know and I'll be sure to put you in touch with him. Would you like to bring what he is doing to your local soccer field/baseball diamond/swim meet/tennis court? Then visit http://www.teamfree2play.org/ to find out how you can help the victims of modern-day slavery be Free2Play!"

Upcoming EVENTS

1. Congo Symposium
-Theme: Natural Resource Wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Their Impact on Women and Children
-When/Where: Fri/Sat, May 21-22, 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel (downtown Indy)
-Register by May 19 - $45 for entire weekend, includes dinner on Friday and lunch Saturday
-See link below for list of speakers/topics
http://globalministries.org/calendar/congo-symposium.html


2. Fight Traffic! Mixed Martial Arts Fight Night
-When/Where: 6pm on June 5, 2010 at Ft. Wayne Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne, IN
-tickets start at $15
-benefiting NFS
-See link below for further info:
(http://www.fightnightmma.com/).

Upcoming Meeting

The next U-ACT meeting is on Monday, April 19 at 7 pm. This month's meeting will be at a different location- Common Ground Christian Church (4550 N. Illinois St).

If you have any questions or comments, please contact uact.indy@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Resource List- We need YOUR help!

U-ACT is trying to expand our resource list and needs help from our members! We need the following information from anyone who has read/watched any human trafficking material, including dvds, books, magazine articles, etc:

-overall summary
-length
-target audience
-any other pertinent info

Please send any information you have to us at uact.indy@yahoo.com

Thanks so much for your help!

Free2Walk Event: April 24th, 2010

U-ACT will be sponsoring their first ever Free2Walk 3-mile run/walk on Saturday, April 24th from 9 am -11:30 am. All proceeds from this run/walk will benefit the Indiana chapter of the Not For Sale campaign. Please view the following links for more information about the event and registration.

Registration Form HERE

Informational Poster HERE

Four small informational fliers HERE

Please email uact.indy@yahoo.com with any questions or comments. Thanks!

Important Info

SATURDAY, APRIL 10TH- Break the Chains event in Marion, IN. Proceeds benefit White LILAC Ministries and World Hope International. For information, please GO to EVENT WEBSITE.

ONGOING: Sign a petition asking President Obama to work toward eradicating slavery and trafficking in Haiti through the work of International Justice Mission (IJM): SIGN HERE!


*Please check side bar for a new link about the Playground film project, a film that focuses on startling trends in trafficking of American children.

Meeting and new info

The Next U-ACT Meeting will be this Monday, March 15 at 7pm at Friedens UCC.

Please read and look into these four events/projects *click on links on right side of blog*:

1. Freedom Network Conference in Washington, D.C., held March 17-18, 2010. Check for updates about the outcome or other Freedom Network events at Freedom Network website (see link in right column).

2. Not For Sale Campaign Freedom Scarves
Interested in knitting for freedom? Email Sarah Joy Morbitzer, the NFS Indiana Rep, at sarahjoym@notforsalecampaign.org for more info about yarn brands and scarf measurements!! Check out the following links for instructional videos on how to get started: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pPIT9Us7ZE&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgLYwCgF63E&NR=1

3. Not For Sale Investigator Academy in San Francisco, CA, held July 13-24, 2010. Learn more or register at Not For Sale Investigator Academy website (see link in right column).

4. "Cries of Anguish, Stories of Hope" video produced by Overcoming Violence (see first link at right).

If you have any questions or comments, please email uact.indy@yahoo.com

Thank you!