Global Weekly Update July 16, 2012
Inspired by Last Saturday’s Conference Call Featuring Stephen Lewis? Take Action!
Stephen Lewis, co-founder and co-director of AIDS-Free World and former UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, fired us up with his passionate call to action to end AIDS, to keep up our advocacy approach, and to keep fighting the good fight. You will be impressed by his comments and his energy, take a listen to the call and share it with interested friends! You won’t regret taking the time to hear Stephen’s inspiration and challenge.
Want to channel that energy? Use our July 2012 Action Sheet to writer letters to your representatives and senators about ending AIDS. Hearing from constituents on keeping our commitments to ending AIDS will keep them committed to this incredibly important global goal. Hand-carry the letters to the RESULTS International Conference if you are going. If not, send them to your representatives and senators via their local offices.
The International Conference Begins Saturday!
There’s still time to make those final preparations for a great experience. Be sure to go to our Important Information page for the latest information and IC materials you can peruse ahead of time.
Other things you can do:
1. Use our IC preparation checklist to make sure you are on track with your trip preparation.
2. Use this customizable letter to invite your members of Congress to our spectacular conference reception!
3. Finalize the scheduling of your Lobby Day meetings, letting us know the details online. Find guidance on setting up your meetings on our website.
4. Plan your Lobby Day meetings and report on them after they are finished with this handy form.
5. Need a roommate? Want to ask advice from previous attendees? Anxious to chat with other folks who are coming to DC? Check out our International Conference discusson thread on the My RESULTS forum.
6. Fire up your Twitter account and use our official conference hashtag #RESULTSConf (search for it on Twitter). Follow RESULTS’ own Twitter account (@RESULTS_Tweets) as well as the hashtag feed to keep track of and contribute to the buzz before, during, and after the conference. Grab your laptop or smartphone and join in the conversation!
7. Check out all the places RESULTS will be presenting and exhibiting at the International AIDS Conference, going on at the same time as our conference.
8. There is still time to sponsor your fellow RESULTSers in the RESULTS 5K fun run/walk on Saturday evening at the IC. Our team page at the RESULTS Race to End Poverty website has the details. Please let Cindy Levin know if you are joining us so we can pick up your race packet for you. Thank you to all our runners and walkers who are representing RESULTS at the Twilighter 5K race: Allison Gallaher, Scott Leckman, Kay Neseem, Michelle Friedman, Beth Wilson, Vic Treland, Blair Hinderliter, Crickett Nicovich, Jen Maurer and Cindy Changyit Levin. If you are joining us for the RESULTS Conference, please cheer them on after the Kickoff Session on Saturday evening.
9. And are you simply going to be at the International Conference in spirit, not in person? Never fear! There are key actions you can take to help amplify the advocacy taking place in Washington, DC. Check out our blog for top tips on what you can do from home to be part of the action, and use our July Action Sheet to write a letter about ending the scourge of TB/HIV . . . a letter that can be hand-carried to Capitol Hill!
Stand with the Women of Grameen Bank
In June, the amazing RESULTS grassroots worked on a targeted campaign to secure signatures of all 17 women senators on a letter out of Senator Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) office sent to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and expressing their support for Grameen Bank and it women borrowers. It urged the Prime Minister to protect the autonomy of Grameen’s operations. RESULTS volunteers in the home states of these senators led the effort to secure the signatures of all 17 women on the letter.
Now it’s your turn to stand in solidarity with these women.
RESULTS is supporting a petition launched by the Microcredit Summit Campaign telling Prime Minister Hasina that the continued actions of her government against the independence of Grameen Bank are unacceptable. After a waging a politically-motivated campaign of intimidation that resulted in the resignation of Muhammad Yunus as managing director of Grameen, the government has now appointed a commission to look into the operations of Grameen Bank and make recommendations as to its future leadership. This commission is widely seen as a way for the government to take control of the Grameen Bank from its women borrower-owners. Find out more about the petition on the Microcredit Summit Campaign’s blog and learn more about the situation in Bangladesh on the RESULTS blog.
Take action now! Sign the petition in support of the women of Grameen Bank.
Powerful Talk About TB
On Sunday, July 22, tune in to an inspiring talk show on TB that will be broadcast online and then be available later for watching online. It will be a great opportunity to hear first-hand the experiences of women and young people who have survived tuberculosis, overcome stigma and led their own community efforts to tackle both diseases. Sponsored by RESULTS, The Stop TB Partnership, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and others.
When: Sunday 22 July at 12 PM ET
Watch: Live stream video available at http://www.stoptb.org/talkshow/
For more information, check out this public service announcement about the show.
“Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.”
– Harry Emerson Fosdick
July 21–24: RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC
July 27: RESULTS Introductory Call. 1 pm ET. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call.
August 1: RESULTS Introductory Call. 9 pm ET. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call.
August 4: House recess projected to begin (through September 9). Why not schedule a meeting with your representative back in your home district?
August 6: Senate recess projected to begin (through September 7). Why not schedule a meeting with your senator back in your home state?
August 6 and 20: New Activist Orientation. Dial in to (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 at 9 pm ET to get more details on how RESULTS works and how to bring your powerful advocacy work to life. For more information, contact us.
August 11: National grassroots conference call for global campaigns. 2 pm ET. Dial (888) 409-6709 a few minutes before the call. (Check out our conference call archive, too!)
August 27: RESULTS Free Agents call. 8 pm ET. Dial (218) 486-1611, passcode 7378587 (RESULTS) to join. Are you a RESULTS activist with our global poverty campaigns, living in a town with no RESULTS group? You are alone no more! Contact Lisa Marchal for more information on this monthly support call.
Click here for a printable online version of the Weekly Update.