Solidarity
The first step in solidarity is simply an encounter--and being willing to learn from the stories and lives of others. Often, we will find, that a whole new world opens up to us when we experience life from the grassroots level. And that makes us want to do something, to stay in solidarity.
There are many ways to support the work and the people of Ekta Parishad, even from far away in Canada. As the preparation for Jansatyagraha 2012 begins, the needs are many: financial support to feed the marchers, research and writing to make the issues of the poor more known, and advocacy with the Indian Government (letters and emails etc.) There is also the possibility to travel to India and participate with the people of Ekta one of the many nonviolence training camps that will be happening between now and Oct 2011.
There are many ways to support the work and the people of Ekta Parishad, even from far away in Canada. As the preparation for Jansatyagraha 2012 begins, the needs are many: financial support to feed the marchers, research and writing to make the issues of the poor more known, and advocacy with the Indian Government (letters and emails etc.) There is also the possibility to travel to India and participate with the people of Ekta one of the many nonviolence training camps that will be happening between now and Oct 2011.
Declaration of Solidarity with Jansatyagraha 2012 March
Please read and sign this declaration of solidarity with the Jansatyagraha March 2012 and return it to us. This allows Ekta Parishad to list you and your organization as a supporter in their work.
| declaration_of_solidarity.pdf |
Training Programs and Placements in India: Said India
Said is an NGO that provides training programs for North American young people with Ekta Parishad in India. The placements can be either 12 day, 28 day or 3 months or longer.
Bishop Smith Art Project Supporting Jansatyagraha
Here are some pictures of students designing posters of support for Jansatyagraha at Bishop Smith High School in Pembroke.
Footsteps for Change. A Project for Canadian Children
Global Art Project
Introduction to Footsteps for Change 2012: Global Art Project
In the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, in October 2012, one hundred thousand dispossessed people from rural areas all over India will walk in a peaceful protest to demand justice. Robbed of land, but not their dignity, these tribal people and small farmers will draw attention to the failings of the legal and political systems. Among these marchers are children and youth who hope to bring change to their world in a peaceful and positive way. Ekta Parishad (Unity Forum) is an inspiring grassroots, social movement supporting this action by all ages.
Mission Statement and Curriculum Connections of Footsteps for Change 2012
1. GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP This global art project seeks to bring the children and youth in Canadian schools together with those village children participating in India through art and Web 2.0 tools during the March.
2. HISTORY OF NON-VIOLENT ACTION Ekta Parishad applies a non-violent approach to the problem of the widening gap between the rich and poor in India today. The rich tradition of non-violent action in a participatory democracy will be included in the lesson structures. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi’s historical presence can find a place in the hopes of tomorrow for our youth.
3. CANADIAN CONTEXT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Conversations concerning the understanding of the gaps that need attention in the Canadian social fabric in our own Aboriginal communities are part of this project . 60 % of the March 2012 participants in India are Adivasi or aboriginal peoples.
4. ECOLOGY The awareness of disparities in the distribution of wealth in Canada and the world leads to understanding the need for sustainability.
Art Project
1. Students will be introduced to the background of the March through lessons, the Ekta Parishad video or a presentation .
2. The students will plan and decorate their banner with stenciled footprints and/or drawings. Stencils are included for participants to cut out. Classroom materials such as tempera, acrylic paint or markers can be used.
3. A social justice action is completed, banners are returned to be taken to India for the Fall of 2012. Documentation (photos, reflections etc.) will be posted on a blog.
The Footsteps for Change Classroom kits include
Documentation of the art project will be posted on a blog and might include photos of students printing footprints on their class banner. The art works ( stamped banners) and their messages of support by Canadian students will be brought to India and will be flown during the March which begins in the Fall of 2012. Podcast and interviews with the youth in India will bring the project to life in a completed circle - students will see their flags waving for change.
Classroom presentations are available at no cost in the Ottawa/Ottawa Valley area in the spring of 2012. Arrangements to be made upon availability in other areas. These 60 minute presentations could be a lead-in or follow-up to the project. Please consider supporting this experience for your students. The cost of the Footsteps for Change kit is by donation. A suggested amount per class is $25.00 to cover the costs of postage, khadi and the video.
For more information please contact
[email protected]
I am happy to answer any questions regarding this project.
Sincerely
Kathrin Winkler Teacher RCCDSB
Kathrin Winkler teaches Visual Arts, Photography and Expressing Aboriginal Cultures. Her first teaching experience was as a volunteer in a village school in Tamil Nadu, India where she attended one year of highschool. After 25 years of teaching experience in both elementary, secondary, and FSL connections to India remain. “Global citizenship is a vibrant opportunity for students of today to visualize and experience other realities. “
EKTA PARISHAD BACKGROUND
Ekta Parishad is a Gandhian group that has worked through local youth empowerment, village training and activism. In 2007, Ekta organized a month-long march of 25,000 landless and marginalized called Janadesh. It is organizing a march called the The 'Jan Satyagraha' (People clinging onto Truth) in the fall of 2012, with 100,000 marchers. It will be another month long march starting on Gandhi's birthday, October 2nd. More information about Ekta Parishad is available at the Ekta Canada site. There will be a people’s march in Canada linking to the march in India in the fall of 2012. Development of this project is underway through Lynn Adamson. Lynn is a nonviolence trainer in Toronto with PeaceWorks, an initiative of the Quaker meeting co-sponsored by Voice of Women for Peace, Greenspiration, and Nonviolent Peaceforce Canada.
http://ektacanada.weebly.com/index.html
SAMPLE RESOURCES AND LESSON LINCS : FOOTSTEPS FOR CHANGE
The Footsteps for Change banners used in this art activity are made from khadi cloth, cloth hand-woven from locally grown hand-spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi These Oxfam lessons explore the concept of Fair Trade, the textiles industry and India. Adaptable for all ages and geared towards Juniour/Intermediate. Includes a quiz about India and a class survey about the origins of students’ own clothes.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/clothes_line/?9
Humans are only one species of about 30 million resource-consuming species on the planet. Footsteps for change is a march for fair and sustainable living .
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sep-pmvs/sci-icp/education/lessonplans/ecofootprint/ecofootprint_e.htm
A variety of lesson plans teaching about Mahatma Gandhi, including concepts of non-violence, the Salt Marches and a biographical timeline.
http://www.teachindiaproject.org/Lesson%20Plans/Lesson%20Plan%20Mahatma%20Gandhi.htm
Peace tools for educators includes various lessons and resources.
http://salsa.net/peace/teach/teachers.html
Indigenous children and activism
http://www.un.org/works/Lesson_Plans/WGO/WGO_LP_IC.pdf
Martin Luther King Jr. lesson plan ideas.
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/holidays/mlk/
Canadian heros: e.g. Tommy Douglas
http://www.r-go.ca/pages/TDouglas.htm
Introduction to Footsteps for Change 2012: Global Art Project
In the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, in October 2012, one hundred thousand dispossessed people from rural areas all over India will walk in a peaceful protest to demand justice. Robbed of land, but not their dignity, these tribal people and small farmers will draw attention to the failings of the legal and political systems. Among these marchers are children and youth who hope to bring change to their world in a peaceful and positive way. Ekta Parishad (Unity Forum) is an inspiring grassroots, social movement supporting this action by all ages.
Mission Statement and Curriculum Connections of Footsteps for Change 2012
1. GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP This global art project seeks to bring the children and youth in Canadian schools together with those village children participating in India through art and Web 2.0 tools during the March.
2. HISTORY OF NON-VIOLENT ACTION Ekta Parishad applies a non-violent approach to the problem of the widening gap between the rich and poor in India today. The rich tradition of non-violent action in a participatory democracy will be included in the lesson structures. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi’s historical presence can find a place in the hopes of tomorrow for our youth.
3. CANADIAN CONTEXT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Conversations concerning the understanding of the gaps that need attention in the Canadian social fabric in our own Aboriginal communities are part of this project . 60 % of the March 2012 participants in India are Adivasi or aboriginal peoples.
4. ECOLOGY The awareness of disparities in the distribution of wealth in Canada and the world leads to understanding the need for sustainability.
Art Project
1. Students will be introduced to the background of the March through lessons, the Ekta Parishad video or a presentation .
2. The students will plan and decorate their banner with stenciled footprints and/or drawings. Stencils are included for participants to cut out. Classroom materials such as tempera, acrylic paint or markers can be used.
3. A social justice action is completed, banners are returned to be taken to India for the Fall of 2012. Documentation (photos, reflections etc.) will be posted on a blog.
The Footsteps for Change Classroom kits include
- a lesson plan and information sheets with curriculum connections.
- a khadi ( hand spun) cloth banner made in India, footprint stencils and instructions ( 1 meter by 50 cm )
- a video presentation about Ekta Parishad
- participatory action connected to a Canadian social justice context or Global Issue. Sample action could include signing the Stolen Sisters Amnesty peititionhttp://www.amnesty.ca/stolensisters/ .
Documentation of the art project will be posted on a blog and might include photos of students printing footprints on their class banner. The art works ( stamped banners) and their messages of support by Canadian students will be brought to India and will be flown during the March which begins in the Fall of 2012. Podcast and interviews with the youth in India will bring the project to life in a completed circle - students will see their flags waving for change.
Classroom presentations are available at no cost in the Ottawa/Ottawa Valley area in the spring of 2012. Arrangements to be made upon availability in other areas. These 60 minute presentations could be a lead-in or follow-up to the project. Please consider supporting this experience for your students. The cost of the Footsteps for Change kit is by donation. A suggested amount per class is $25.00 to cover the costs of postage, khadi and the video.
For more information please contact
[email protected]
I am happy to answer any questions regarding this project.
Sincerely
Kathrin Winkler Teacher RCCDSB
Kathrin Winkler teaches Visual Arts, Photography and Expressing Aboriginal Cultures. Her first teaching experience was as a volunteer in a village school in Tamil Nadu, India where she attended one year of highschool. After 25 years of teaching experience in both elementary, secondary, and FSL connections to India remain. “Global citizenship is a vibrant opportunity for students of today to visualize and experience other realities. “
EKTA PARISHAD BACKGROUND
Ekta Parishad is a Gandhian group that has worked through local youth empowerment, village training and activism. In 2007, Ekta organized a month-long march of 25,000 landless and marginalized called Janadesh. It is organizing a march called the The 'Jan Satyagraha' (People clinging onto Truth) in the fall of 2012, with 100,000 marchers. It will be another month long march starting on Gandhi's birthday, October 2nd. More information about Ekta Parishad is available at the Ekta Canada site. There will be a people’s march in Canada linking to the march in India in the fall of 2012. Development of this project is underway through Lynn Adamson. Lynn is a nonviolence trainer in Toronto with PeaceWorks, an initiative of the Quaker meeting co-sponsored by Voice of Women for Peace, Greenspiration, and Nonviolent Peaceforce Canada.
http://ektacanada.weebly.com/index.html
SAMPLE RESOURCES AND LESSON LINCS : FOOTSTEPS FOR CHANGE
The Footsteps for Change banners used in this art activity are made from khadi cloth, cloth hand-woven from locally grown hand-spun cotton. Mahatma Gandhi These Oxfam lessons explore the concept of Fair Trade, the textiles industry and India. Adaptable for all ages and geared towards Juniour/Intermediate. Includes a quiz about India and a class survey about the origins of students’ own clothes.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/clothes_line/?9
Humans are only one species of about 30 million resource-consuming species on the planet. Footsteps for change is a march for fair and sustainable living .
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sep-pmvs/sci-icp/education/lessonplans/ecofootprint/ecofootprint_e.htm
A variety of lesson plans teaching about Mahatma Gandhi, including concepts of non-violence, the Salt Marches and a biographical timeline.
http://www.teachindiaproject.org/Lesson%20Plans/Lesson%20Plan%20Mahatma%20Gandhi.htm
Peace tools for educators includes various lessons and resources.
http://salsa.net/peace/teach/teachers.html
Indigenous children and activism
http://www.un.org/works/Lesson_Plans/WGO/WGO_LP_IC.pdf
Martin Luther King Jr. lesson plan ideas.
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/holidays/mlk/
Canadian heros: e.g. Tommy Douglas
http://www.r-go.ca/pages/TDouglas.htm
