Global Weekly Update October 10, 2011

Get Signers on the NEW Global Partnership for Education Sign-on Letter!

Act now before the letter closes on October 21.

Call and ask your representative to sign the new sign-on letter just put out by Rep. Jan Schakowsky. The letter is addressed to Secretary of State Clinton and calls for a $375 million investment in the Global Partnership for Education at the November 7-8 replenishment conference. Because of the short window of time we have been given, we need to educate and convince our representatives NOW that they should sign on.

We have a goal of getting 75 signatures because that will catch the administration’s attention. We can do it!

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your representative’s office. Ask to speak to the aide in charge of foreign affairs. See the letter from Rep. Schakowsky, and look over some points you can make when asking for a signature:

• We could cut the number of out-of-school kids in half by 2015 if we make the right investments now.
• The Global Partnership for Education is a good investment. It has a proven track record of getting kids in school and has a plan to get millions more kids in school by 2015.
• The money called for in the letter is not new money. It would come from the existing money that the U.S. invests in global education – it will just be spent better.
• Education is the best thing we can do to combat poverty and disease, increase food production, increase earnings, and create stable societies.
• There has been a lot of media generated around the U.S. on this. I can send it to you.

And as you make your sign-on request, don’t forget to see if your representative is a coponsor of the the Education For All Act. The Education for All Act calls for investments in the Global Partnership for Education along with other reforms. We currently have 46 cosponsors. We’d like to get this number to 100 by mid-October to demonstrate to the administration that there is support for action.

Another direct action you and your friends can take is to sign on to the White House petition on this subject.

Education for All: October 15 Conference Call Guest Will Help Us Reach Our Media Goals

This Saturday, October 15 at 2 pm ET is our global national conferenece call. Our guest, Jay Evensen, is the editorial page editor of Salt Lake City’s Deseret News and the recipient of the RESULTS 2011 Cameron Duncan Media Award. This powerful writer will help shed light on what editors are lookinng for and how we can deepen our relationships with local media. Jay recently wrote an editorial on Education for All.

Speaking of Education for All media . . . as of Friday the 7th, so far we’ve generated around 33 pieces of media on education! We continue to charge toward our goal of 70 letters to the editor, 12 op-eds, and 12 editorials to demonstrate public support for Education for All. Send the media we’ve generated along with your requests for cosponsorship of the EFA Act or for a signature on the Schakowsky letter. Then generate some of your own media. Use the compilation to encourage your editors to write an editorial, or to publish a piece you write. Generating and leveraging media works!

RESULTS is Looking for More Than a Few Good People

We are on the lookout for people who might want to meet us! RESULTS advocates and staff are hard at working checking out places all across the country where RESULTS groups could take root.

Most immediately, new group starts are happening in Nashville on October 12 and St. Louis on October 24.

We are also trying to get groups going in the following areas and need your help: Portland, ME; Boise, ID; Baton Rouge, LA; New Orleans, LA, and in the states of Montana, Wyoming, and Mississippi.

People are more likely to get involved when they get a personal invitation, and it’s much easier for us to say that you told us to contact them. You’ve got the passion; now, offer the invitation! Contact Ken Patterson or Lisa Marchal if you have leads we could follow. Likewise, invite your friend, co-worker, or family member to register for the next RESULTS Introductory Call on October 12 at 9:00 pm ET. This 30-minute meet-and-greet with offer a taste of what RESULTS is all about. Anyone who is curious is invited! It’s a great first step.

Do You Think We’ll See the End of AIDS?

Sounds kind of crazy, but it’s not because of the progress being made on AIDS treatment and medicines, and recent research demonstrating that we can break the cycle of HIV by starting treatment early. It is an amazing prospect. Check out our short fact sheet on The Beginning of the End of AIDS.

But the end of AIDS won’t happen unless we all focus and invest the resources needed. We want to take the message of the possibility to end AIDS into World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011, and into the RESULTS International Conference, July 21–24, 2012, to ensure that decison makers maintain focus and commitment. You can start by getting the message out to your community this World AIDS Day. We even have financial resources to help you out.

• Plan an outreach event to build HIV/AIDS awareness in your community with local AIDS groups. Use this World AIDS Day resource page and fact sheet to help you plan.
• Consider engaging one of the 59 members of Congress on the AIDS Caucus in your event, or one of the guest speaker we can send to your town. (Contact Lisa Marchal for a list or check out the biographies of the speaker group on our World AIDS Day resource page.)
• Apply for a World AIDS Day Mini-grant. REF offers grassroots groups the opportunity to apply for funding through a grant application process. These grants are awarded for community advocacy activities such as large outreach events, film screenings, and media plans that promote TB and TB-HIV advocacy. The grants range up to $5000 and must be administered by a current RESULTS partner. Applications are available now and will be reviewed immediately. To receive funding by December 1, you should apply early. The deadline for applications is October 31.
• Have World AIDS Day be your kick-off to the RESULTS International Conference July 21–24, 2012. Next year the RESULTS IC will coincide with the International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, and this presents some amazing opportunities for activism. Read RESULTS/REF Executive Director Joanne Carter’s remarks on why this moment matters. Work with your local AIDS activists and invite everyone to DC in 2012!

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

— Nelson Mandela

October 12: RESULTS Introductory Call. Register today!

October 12: RESULTS Nashville Group Start Workshop. Contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

October 13: Second session of two-session RESULTS New Activist Orientation, 9pm ET. (712) 432-3100, passcode 7612622

October 15: Global Conference Call. 2:00 pm ET. (888) 409-6709

October 24: RESULTS Introductory Call. Register today!

October 24: RESULTS St. Louis Group Start Workshop. Contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

November 2 and November 16: Two-session RESULTS New Activist Orientation, 9 pm ET. (712) 432-3100, passcode 7612622

November 12: Global Conference Call. 2:00 pm ET. (888) 409-6709

July 21-24, 2012: RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC

RESULTS has moved! Our new address, effective October 4 is:
RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund, 1730 Rhode Island Ave, NW, 4th Floor, Washington DC 20036

No change to phone numbers; new fax number to be updated soon. Thanks for your patience as we complete our transition.