World Humantiarian Day Celebrates 'People Helping People'

Right at this moment, in many different parts of the world, there are millions of people facing humanitarian crises. And similarly for every crisis, there are countless men and women risking their lives to provide aid and bring hope to those who are suffering. Today is World Humanitarian Day and this year the United Nations are celebrating the work of these amazing people through their 'People Helping People' campaign in an attempt to inspire the spirit of aid work in everyone.

Here are a couple of the stories behind the signs:

The thing is you don't have to be a photographer or a trauma surgeon to be a humanitarian, everybody has something they can contribute. Today I'm making my own contribution by spreading the word about Humanitarian Day and also donating to the UNICEF East Africa Drought, Famine and Conflict Appeal which will help to provide food and support to some of the 12.4 million people across Somalia Ethiopia and Kenya who are currently in crisis. 

What can you do? For more information on World Humanitarian Day and how you can take action visit: World Humanitarian Day 2011.

Sydney Speaks: Mobilising Communities for Social Change

City of Sydney Talk Panel, August 2011

 "Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those already doing it." - Anna Rose

There's nothing more engaging than getting a dynamic group of people together, putting them on a stage in a beautiful venue (say the City Recital Hall for example) and encouraging them to wax lyrical on personal empowerment, community and major social issues. The City of Sydney Talk earlier this week, 'Mobilising communities and citizens: dynamic action in a world of social change' ticked all the aforementioned boxes and then added a beautiful lyrical performance by Mr Percival to boot. If you've ever had any reservations that social activism can lead to real and meaningful change then you haven't met Brett Solomon, Executive Director of Access Now; Anna Rose, Co-founder and Chair of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC); Darryl Nichols, Executive Director of Garage Sale Trail; Simon Sheikh, National Director of Get Up!; Amanda Tattersall, Coalition Director of Sydney Alliance; or John Dee, Founder and Managing Director of Do Something.

Not surprisingly, social media was one of the major reoccurring themes in the panel's discussions of community advocacy and change. Brett Solomon spoke of the use of new technology in the third world to bring about prosperity and dignity through vibrant, democratic digital activism and stressed the importance of advocating for uncensored internet as a basic human right. He noted the challenges arising in the face of this information liberation and stressed that the tensions between technology, the law and human rights which have recently been on display (eg. Egypt, London) cannot be solved by shutting down the system (as proposed by David Cameron) but rather by addressing the issues which have caused the uprising in the first place.

"What best counters bad speech is not its silencing, but more good speech" - Brett Solomon   

There seemed to be a general consensus among the speakers that while social media is altering the way we advocate for social change, it is still merely a tool, enabling the people and issues which have in many cases pre-existed it to connect, communicate and collaborate in meaningful ways. Anna Rose noted that the internet is undoubtedly an important element in supporting change from the bottom up but stressed the importance of advocacy groups integrating both online and offline involvement to creatively engage the 'whole individual' and thereby create a stronger and more committed foundation in the push for change. She attributed the success of the AYCC and similar advocacy groups to the employment of a ladder of engagement in which members become, and more importantly stay involved, as a result of three key factors:

1. They can see the group is having a concrete impact.
2. They are socially engaged.
3. There is continued learning, personal growth and development.

One of the most popular tweets from the night was the quote by Anna Rose: "We must do the impossible to avoid the unimaginable". For me the most inspiring thing about these words was that she (and every other person on stage) was a personification of them. As founder of the AYCC Anna's work has contributed to having a concrete impact on climate change policy; Brett Solomon founded the International Youth Parliament through Oxfam to tackle poverty, conflict and globalisation and is currently a campaigner for digital freedom; and Darryl Nichols has contributed to the reuse and recycling of 72,585 items (or 55,000kg of potential landfill) through the Garage Sale Trail. And that's only skimming the surface, I could easily create a detailed blog post on each and every one of the panel members and their  achievements and contributions to society but instead I'm going to give you the link to the video recording from the night so you can find your own inspiration among the brilliance: City Talks 2011.

City Talks are free events presented by the City of Sydney and Sydney Morning Herald. Visit What's On Sydney and subscribe to their email list to find out more about upcoming events.

Share your kindness stories for Sydney public art project!

Only three more days to get Sydney's random acts of kindness stories in to UK artist, Michael Landy for his upcoming public art project. If you've witnessed, experienced or taken part in spreading kindness anywhere in Sydney you can contribute your story at Kaldor Public Arts Projects. They don't have to be epic tales of messianic proportions, a few simple sentences of a connection through kindness, compassion or generosity is more than enough. The project will be exhibited throughout the CBD during Sydney's public art festival, Art and About. Submissions close this Saturday the 20th of August. If you don't have a story to share then get out there and make one happen!

Here's my contribution:

Last week while on a bus into the city I witnessed a very elderly lady who was struggling to walk board at Central Station. As you would hope, a young school boy toward the front of the bus quickly jumped up to offer his seat. However, not only did he assist in guiding her to his seat as the bus driver sped off but a few stops later, seeing her press the button he assertively stepped forward and offered his hand again. He helped her all the way down onto the footpath of Martin Place before re-boarding the bus and settling back in his seat. I watched the lady who had looked so tired and flat only a few stops before wander into the city with a beaming smile painted across her face and I wanted to applaud.

Click here to submit your story

Why being kind is a kindness to yourself

My beautiful mum shared this information with me and I thought it was too good not to pass on:

"Research has shown that a simple act of kindness directed toward another improves the functioning of the immune system and stimulates the production of serotonin in both the recipient of the kindness and the person extending the kindness. Kindness extended, received, or observed beneficially impacts the physical health and feelings of everyone involved." - Dr Wayne Dyer

And just in case that's not motivation enough, a friend (with a Masters Degree in Psychology) then added that during her studies she read of an experiment that showed that the levels of seratonin in the person giving was actually higher than the one receiving. Giddy up! 

A little help... to protect our marine life

Wait! Before you go jumping to conclusions, I'm not going to ask you to go digging in your wallets for spare change to feed the dolphins or to physically get off your backsides and help me lift beached humpback whales. What I'm asking will probably take the same amount of effort as clicking away from this page and ignoring my request for a little assistance.

The Wilderness Society is currently petitioning the Federal Government to increase marine sanctuaries off the coast of Western and South Australia in an effort to protect threatened blue whales, dolphins and Australian sea lions. The petition is also strongly opposing the government's current proposal to drill for oil off the coast of Kangaroo Island and Margaret River which could potentially have devastating effects on our marine environment (Gulf of Mexico disaster ring any bells?).

So here's what I'm asking, just a couple of clicks and few taps of the keyboard! Please follow the link below to find out more AND sign the petition to help protect a little more of our beautiful blue surrounds and its inhabitants.

Click here to sign the Wilderness Society petition to protect our marine life!

NB The Wilderness Society do also accept donations if you're feeling generous. No pressure!

The Last Meal: is justice being served?

If you were on death row, what would you choose as your last meal? It seems a morbid question I know but I find it strangely compelling; this simple daily ritual, placed under horrific circumstances takes on a whole new level of meaning and it's something I probably never would have considered had I not stumbled across the Last Meals Project. In the USA prisoners awaiting execution are granted a last meal, these details are made public record. Photographer Jonathon Kambouris has taken this information, combined with photos of the convicted killers and created the slightly controversial and extremely provocative Last Meals Project (eventually to be turned into a book). In the intro on the website, Kambouris explains:

"Justice may not always be served because the innocent can be proved guilty and the guilty can be proved innocent. Choosing the last meal is a significant ritual because the accuracy and validity of this choice is the only answer one can ultimately accept. This series visually documents the face and last meal of a convicted killer and is without question, honest and true."

Last Meals Project, Jonathon Kambouris (www.lastmealsproject.com)

After reading the intro, a slightly morbid curiosity got the better of me and I began clicking through the pages of the site. As I viewed each of the now deceased prisoners and contemplated the connotations of their last choice on this earth, the project began to take on a much greater meaning. By personifying these individuals through their final meal choice, Kambouris moved me to consider the bigger issue. With each eerie photograph I was not only plagued by questions of "guilty or innocent?" but more broadly "is taking another person's life ever justified?". I know there are some seriously ill people out there who have committed unspeakable crimes but does/would taking their lives undo what they have done?

It has been 44 years since capital punishment was carried out for the final time in Australia, however the legislation still exists and is being exercised in many countries (eg. America, China, Singapore, Japan). As a result there are currently three Australian citizens who have been sentenced and are now on death row in China and Indonesia. Last year 23 countries carried out executions under capital punishment legislation and in Iran and Somalia this also included juveniles offenders. With many countries withholding the number of executions carried out it is impossible to attain clear figures on the lives that have been taken under this law but estimates for 2010 are in the thousands.

I am probably not in a position to speak on such an issue because I have never personally experienced someone close to me becoming the victim of a senseless crime and perhaps I would feel very differently if I had, but I can't help but think of a quote by Ghandi:

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" - Mahatma Ghandi