Updated Darfur speaker website

It's been a long time coming, but I finally got around to refreshing my other blog - which is focused on creating speaking opportunities. Many people are looking for a resource for an event, but have trouble finding new and interesting ways of raising awareness. So - my goal is to help as much as I can.

Check it out at DarfurSpeaker.blogspot.com and please spread the word about this site. You never know who might be listening to you on Facebook or Twitter that needs help with an event.

Thanks!

Scott

Tents of Hope

Last weekend was the big finale of the Tents of Hope campaign. Across the country, citizens who care about Darfur bought large canvas tents and painted them. Some sold squares as fundraisers; others gave the painting opportunity away for free. Last weekend, the tents from all over came to Washington D.C. where they were all set up on the National Mall. This moving display of such colorful, meaningful tents was quite impressive. Afterwards the tents are being sent to Darfur to serve as meager, yet cheerful, dwellings for refugees.

I liked Tents of Hope because it engaged so many people and offered so many opportunities to touch lives. First, the people painting the tent had fun being creative as they become more aware and more connected to the crisis. Second, the display in Washington must have been a powerful show of unity and passion (although I did not get to be there due to a family wedding, I've seen pictures and heard reports). Third, the tents will touch the lives of refugees living without much hope in Darfur. It will not only be a symbolic gesture (the paintings) but also a practical one (providing a living space). I like awareness events that are more than just holding hands and singing kum-ba-yah.

Kudos to Tents of Hope and their entire team. I hope and pray that the people inspired by this campaign will in turn take up the fight and press on. For more info and photos of amazing tents: www.tentsofhope.org.

In the photo: I am painting my squares on a tent at a Tents of Hope event in Raleigh, N.C.

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Small steps

I had the pleasure of teaming with the UNC-G chapter of STAND for their DarfurFast evening on Dec. 5. The event consisted of two presenters (myself included) and two musical acts. It was held at a cool community space known as The Hive in Greensboro, NC. Although small, the evening was meaningful and the entertainment very good.

The Hive was hard to find and in a not-so-good part of town. However, the light from within the room shone into the street and welcomed us in. Standing outside briefly, I noticed people would stop on the sidewalk and be drawn into the happenings indoor – people who are now aware of the tragedy in Darfur only because they were strolling by.

Although the crowd was small in number, they were engaged and asking good questions. To me, this is more important than having hundreds of disinterested people simply being nice to you as you speak! DarfurFast in general was a huge success, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars across the country to fund protection campaigns in Chad and Sudan.

Kudos to the organizers for persevering and for doing something, even a small something, to help bring the Darfur crisis one more step closer to ending.

Whirlwind Week

When I posted my CNN/YouTube debate question two weeks ago, I had no idea what it would spark. The video question caught the attention of the YouTube.com Political Editor and before I could hardly blink, I was asked to be interviewed live on CNN.

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of going on national primetime TV and sharing my passion for saving my friends in Darfur. The experience was both surreal (sitting in a cold room speaking to the voice in my ear) and exciting (spreading an important message, even if for just a few seconds).

The response from that interview has been impressive. Many people were genuinely moved and encouraged by the interview and reached out to me to let me know. I have had a nurse tell me she has found her life’s calling after seeing me, a missionary kid share deep secrets, a newspaper contact me about writing a feature piece and a theatre director in London call for an interview. I also did an interview with the local 24-hour news channel, News 14 Carolina. This aired on Friday and over the weekend as part of their Presidential Debate coverage.

Granted, it is nice to receive the many encouraging emails and phone calls – but what means more to me is the fact that Darfur was placed on the national and local agenda for at least one week and prompted genuine, strong reactions from people as they discovered the truth.

20 WAYS I CAN HELP

A resource guide for North Carolinians seeking to fight injustice in Darfur.

Excellent General Resources:
Save Darfur Coalition: www.savedarfur.org
Genocide Intervention Network: www.genocideintervention.net
US Holocaust Memorial Museum: www.ushmm.org/conscience

LEARN
1. Although there is a serious lack of media coverage, some can be found if you look hard enough. Seek out media reports on the area:
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/Africa
CNN: www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa
African media: www.AllAfrica.com

2. Get current news directly from agencies working in Darfur:
Reuter’s humanitarian agency news: www.alertnet.org
World Vision: www.worldvision.org
Amnesty International: http://news.amnesty.org/regions/AFR

3. Browse online journals (blogs):
www.DyingintheDust.com (my personal site)
www.passionofthepresent.com
www.coalitionfordarfur.blogspot.com
Search Google Blogs for posts on Darfur

4. Sign up for alerts from any of the three “general resources” above.

ATTEND
Seek out events about Darfur in our community
5. Check out events calendar on www.savedarfur.com

6. Join groups on social networking sites such as Facebook.com, Meetup.com and MySpace.com and subscribe to email distribution lists. http://sudanpeace.meetup.com/84/?gj=sj3

EDUCATE/VOLUNTEER
Don’t keep it to yourself – share!
7. Share what you are learning with your family, closest friends and Bible Study members.
-Darfur on Google Earth for “techies”
-MTVU for teens

8. Plan a fundraising event
5K Run, Dimes for Darfur, classic fundraisers, etc.
www.genocideintervention.net/fundraising

9. Plan an awareness event
-Darfur Stories – a theatre piece www.darfurstories.org
-Film showings (Hotel Rwanda), Dinners for Darfur, Dream for Darfur gatherings
-Publish it: www.savedarfur.org
-Check out the event planning guides from the “general” resources

LOBBY
10. 1-800-GENOCIDE (easy to use system tells you the latest talking points and automatically connects you with your elected official)

11. Encourage your senators to support the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act (DADA) which passed the House of Representatives 418-1 on July 31, 2007.
Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC): 202-224-6342, dole.senate.gov
Senator Richard Burr (R-NC): 202-224-3154, burr.senate.gov

12. Stay current on how all elected officials are doing: www.DarfurScores.org
U.S. Rep David Price (D-NC4): (202) 225-1784
U.S. Rep Brad Miller (D-NC13): (202) 225-3032

Highlight
13. Generate press coverage of your events and the crisis
-Issue press releases, media advisories prior to event
14. Make sure the crisis is covered in the news when important events occur
-Write a guest editorial for a newspaper
-Write a Letter to the Editor in response to an article
15. Publish posts online about the crisis or in magazines

Contribute
16. Provide funding for the humanitarian missions
Great list of groups on BBC: How to help. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3793577.stm
17. Provide funding for security/protection missions
Genocide Intervention Network provides funding for “non-lethal” security aid
18. Provide support for missionaries working in the area
WEC International (USA) www.wec-usa.org

Divest
19. Make sure you are not unintentionally funding genocide. www.sudandivestment.org

Pray
20. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Make lifting up Darfur a regular part of your prayer life.

SMALL STEPS LEAD TO BIG CHANGE