Troy High School Amnesty International

New Board. :D Minutes for October 6 Meeting

2009-10-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. :)
On October 6, we discussed about what Amnesty is all about: protecting human rights. Our main goal for this year is to work towards the protection of the rights of women and children. We are planning to do activites such as the chocolate fair trade campaign, several prisoners of conscience campaigns, freeze campaigns (freezing for a minute while walking to catch people's attention), STAND activities such as Darfur Fast, etc. :)
- Pragati

Global Day of Action 2009: Troy Davis

2009-05-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

So originally, we were supposed to do a Quad Sit-In for Troy Davis, but we realized that it was not very effective, since not very many people were passing by. So we changed our strategy a little bit and started collecting signatures by walking around with the placard. Yay! :)

Needless to say we've collected a lot of signatures, and we're still working to collect more. Hopefully we'll have 100+ signatures by the time we send them to the regional office.

Someone (coughBENcough) asked me whether this is an effective way to deal with something like this. I mean, let's face it. Troy Davis is just another individual, and why should the State of Georgia care? The reason why Troy Davis is still alive today is partly because activists like us are fighting for him. Really. And Amnesty International has cracked impossible cases in the past, so I would not be too surprised if Governor Perdue were to grant him clemency! (Actually, I would be pretty surprised, but that's not the point!) The point is... hang onto hope. Even if you feel powerless, you're not. Honestly, don't be part of the crowd that doesn't care or has already given up. Stand up for what you believe in. Change doesn't come overnight, contrary to Barack Obama's campaign slogan. :P

Anyway, much thanks to all the participants and to those who signed the petition!

For the rest of the pictures, click here.

Take care now, and keep on fighting. :)

-Stacy, Co-President 07-09

Winding down the year...

2009-05-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

So we're winding down the school year.
Sadly, my first post on this blog will sort of be our good bye post? D:

Anyway. --> We've hand-picked a lovely new board for you for next year! :]
They'll be taking over the running of this blog and our lovely little club.
Hopefully they'll be able to do more than we did this year.

New Board
Co-Presidents: Abraham and Pragati
Treasurer: Anisha
Secretary: Annie

I don't want to risk misspelling their last names...

Anyway, good luck on your remaining APs and finals.
It was a good year.

Best of luck next year! :D

-- Miriam

4 Darfur Concert

2009-03-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

After many late nights and days of hard work, 4 Darfur Concert became a reality.

The idea came to Miriam junior year: to raise awareness and funds for the victims of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur through great music. After contacting over 40 venues and 30 bands, fundraising and a year and a half later, the 4 Darfur Concert finally found a location: Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church.

At the concert, guest speaker Anne Saxe made the opening remarks, informing the audience about the atrocities being committed in Darfur and how we can get involved as individuals. 5 bands performed, with over 50 people attending the concert. With ticket, t-shirt and food sales, we raised over $1000.

However, we did face some challenges. While we did raise over $1000, we were expecting over 100 people. Despite the horrible economy, it was relatively easy to get donations; however, getting people to come to the event was a whole different story. But I digress; I celebrate our little victories and vow to push for greater change.

With humanitarian aid organizations expelled from Sudan and Omar al-Bashir standing tall defiantly in the face of justice, we, as human beings, must push forward for a better world, a world where mass killing will not go unnoticed. Maybe I'm an idealist, but I know I'm not alone. So many people helped make this concert to become a reality, from Jacques Kilchoer, a member of Amnesty International, to Daniel Gross, President of Los Alamitos High School Amnesty International.

-Stacy Suh

Much thanks to:

Miriam Khan - You're AMAZING! I wouldn't have even thought of holding this concert if it weren't for you.

Jacques Kilchoer - Thank you so much for helping us EVERY step of the way and getting the venue! We really appreciate your help, and we honestly couldn't have done it without you.

Daniel Gross - You're a wonderful musician and a great help before, during and after the concert! Thank you so much for your hard work!

Transcend, Lon Chaney, Basic and Blackout 101 - You all were amazing. I wish you the best, and rock on!

Anne Saxe - Thank you for speaking to the audience about what's going on in Darfur.

Dr. Ralls - Henna painting! Amazing work. Thank you so much!

And last but not least, our volunteers from Troy and Valencia High School, who gave up their Saturday to make this concert possible. Thank you. :)

4 Darfur Concert!

2009-03-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

Preparations are well under way for the 4 Darfur Concert. All we need is more audience members like you! -points-

Anyway, here are a few links to help you out.

For more information on the concert and ticket purchase, click HERE.

To make a carpool arrangement, click HERE.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at trhs.amnesty@gmail.com or leave us a comment on this blog. :)

Peace,

Stacy Suh

Co-President

Carpool Arrangements for 4 Darfur!

2009-02-21T23:42:00.000-08:00

Instructions:

Leave a message to this post filling out this form:
Name:
City:
E-mail: (If you don't want to disclose your e-mail, you can e-mail it to us at trhs.amnesty@gmail.com)
Jean Guo, the VP of THS AI, will be arranging carpools for you.
If you are willing to take a few more people to the concert in your car, let us know!

Listed are people who need carpools. :)

Chino Hills
-Anil Taibjee

Diamond Bar
-Karina Yu

Fullerton
-Stacy Suh: Can take up to 3 additional people (Arriving to venue at 12:30 and leaving the venue at approximately 9 or 10 PM)

Rowland Heights
-Ben Zheng

Yorba Linda
-Kristen Chow

4 DARFUR CONCERT!

2009-02-21T23:37:00.000-08:00

Date: Saturday, March 14, 2009

Time: 3-7 PM

Location: Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church

1259 Victoria Street,
Costa Mesa, CA

Featuring:

Basic (http://www.myspace.com/basicmusicband)
Transcend
Blackout 101 (http://www.myspace.com/theblackout101)!

Price: $7 pre-sale, $10 at the door

YES!

-Stacy Suh

4 Darfur!

2009-01-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

4 Darfur is a benefit concert for the victims of Darfur humanitarian crisis, featuring 4 bands.

Tickets: $7 pre-sale, $10 at the door! Ticket sale begins on February 23 at a location near you! ;)

Tickets can also be purchased here online: http://www.aiusaoc.org/common/darfur_concert.html

STANDFast results!

2009-01-26T18:57:00.001-08:00

Together, we collected close to $400!

(Wow, this was a VERY LATE update. I apologize!)

STANDFast!

2008-12-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

STANDFast is here!

If you don't know what STANDFast is... well, I'll tell you what it is!

You give up a luxury item (Starbucks drink or going out for lunch) for a day or more, and whatever money you save, you donate however much money you saved from that! Your donation, minimum of $5, will be put to use to provide victims of Darfur killings and Burma with food and firewood. For more information, visit this website: http://standnow.org/campaigns/standfast

So here's what you do.

1. Participate in STANDFast! :) Minimum of $5 donation.

2. Get your friends to join--you don't have to be a member of the club to participate! Attached is a pledge card. You can give the pledge card to your friend and fill out all the necessary information. (It takes less than a minute.) Give out the ribbons we made during club meetings. (Pick them up from Sra. Menna's room, 325.)

3. Ask your teacher if you can put up the flyer in his/her classroom. (See attached!)

4. If you have blue painter's tape, feel free to put up the flyers around the campus. :D

Donations will be collected on December 9 and December 16 at lunch, in Sra. Menna's room, Room 325.

Ice cream social will be held after school on December 9 in Sra. Menna's room, Room 325 for all participants of STANDFast! Think of it this way. All the ice cream/food you can eat for $5 AND you get to help others and raise awareness. Who said activism doesn't have to be fun?

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Godspeed, and let's do this thing. :)

P.S. If you want a copy of the pledge card or the flyer, just e-mail me at trhs.amnesty@gmail.com!

-Stacy

Minute: October 21, 2008

2008-10-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

Military Commissions Act of 2006 (Original PDF File)

Passed on October 17, 2006
Disregards Article 3 of the Geneva Convention because Geneva Convention is applicable only to non-combatants and prisoners of war
No habeas corpus (up to the judge to waive habeas corpus)
Illegal seizure of evidence allowed as long as the evidence is deemed relevant
Confession through coercion permissible
Heresay evidence permitted
Specifically defines torture in order to create loop holes. Under the MCA, lacerations, bruises and methods of minor nature can be done legally. By explicitly stating what torture is, the MCA leaves room for abuse not listed under the provisions.

At the next meeting, the copy of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 will be passed around. I highlighted specific passages that completely disregard human rights. (I will type up the specific passages if such request is made.)

Next Tuesday, we will be writing a letter to our local congressman about the MCA.

Have any questions? Concerns? Comments? E-mail us at trhs.amnesty@gmail.com!

---

Stacy Suh
Co-President
Troy High School Amnesty International

Minute: October 14, 2008

2008-10-15T21:10:00.001-07:00

Amnesty International's Western Regional Conference (November 7-9) will be held in Pasadena Hilton. For more details, please click HERE. The cost is $30 but will be discounted, depending on the number of people registered. Early bird registration (cheapest price!) will be due this Friday, October 17, so let me know ASAP if you can attend!
Ongoing: Petition for the new President of the US, Petition for the OC Employment Retirement Systems (To get a copy, please e-mail us at trhs.amnesty@gmail.com)
Background and overview on Darfur, presented by Jean Guo, the club VP. This website (Genocide Intervention Network) describes in great detail the atrocities being committed in Darfur.
Membership fee ($12, including t-shirt) and form are due next week. Please get them in ASAP.

Feel free to ask me any questions! E-mail us at trhs.amnesty@gmail.com. Thanks. :)
---
Stacy Suh
Co-President
Troy High School Amnesty International

Minute: October 7, 2008

2008-10-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Let Love In by Goo Goo Dolls:

And a short video about petitions:

Petitions from the Orange County for Darfur were passed out for members to collect signatures. One petition form was for the newly elected president. Both the Republican and the Democratic party have stated that the atrocities in Darfur must be stopped. We, as citizens, will hold them accountable for their words, come inauguration day.

The other petition form was for the divestment campaign (To learn more, click HERE!).

We object to investments that help fund genocide and request that OrangeCounty Employees Retirement System would follow the lead taken by the State of Californiaand immediately divest your current holdings in companies that substantially contribute togenocide. We also request that you adopt and implement an ethical investment policy thatprevents investing in companies that contribute to genocide, patterns of extraordinary andegregious violations of human rights, or crimes against humanity in the future.

For the petitions, please e-mail trhs.amnesty@gmail.com for the pdf files. We will continue collecting signatures throughout the months!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Minute: September 30, 2008

2008-10-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

What is a "minute?" Basically, minute is a recap of what has happened at the club meeting. It's a little overdue, but better late than never, right? So here it is. :)

-Board Introduction (Refer to this post)

-Club Membership Form - The fee is $12 for this school year, which includes the cost for club t-shirt. If you cannot pay the fee, please let us know. The membership form is due on October 14.
-Introductory video to Amnesty International:

- Nickelback's If Everyone Cared Video:

-Universal Declaration of Human Rights Packet. Click HERE for the UDHR.

-Nickelback's If Everyone Cared video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IUSZyjiYuY

-How is the video relevant? Just watch it. We can make a difference as individuals. (Nickelback video, by the way, donates money to Amnesty International, depending on the number of hits it gets on the video.)

-Handed out the Universal Declaration of Human Rights packet. (I'm afraid we ran out, but you can look at them here .)

That's basically what we went over on Tuesday. If you have any other questions, let me know! I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

---
Stacy Suh
Co-President

Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year!

2008-09-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hi, welcome!

This blog will serve as a temporary "website" to keep you all posted on the latest news.

So let me cover some of the frequently asked questions.

Q: What's Amnesty International?

A: Amnesty International is a nonprofit human rights organization, 2.2 million members strong worldwide. AI is an activist organization that fights against human rights violations.

Q: What are "human rights?"

A: Human rights are basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to regardless of your background. In December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and despite signing the document, many nations violate the very fundamental rights that we all deserve.

Q: So what does the club actually do?

A: Amnesty International has ongoing letter writing campaigns for its different issues, ranging from prisoners of conscience (individuals who are imprisoned for speaking out for their rights) to the Darfur conflict. As a club, some or our goals is to educate the student body by raising awareness of the injustices being committed on a daily basis and get more students to be involved in human rights activism. We also do fundraising, petitioning and public demonstrations throughout the year. We have a few projects that we're working on, and we'll definitely want you to be a part of it.

Q: How does letter writing help? Who do we write to?

A: We usually write to our local congressmen, president, and even ambassadors and representatives from other countries to let them know that we DO care about the injustices. We apply pressure to the individuals in position of power so that they will do something about the wrongs that are committed all over the globe. Doubtful of our successes? Click here for Amnesty International's accomplishments.

Q: What kind of issues do you cover?

A: Amnesty International covers a wide range of human rights issues. However, the five national priorities are:

1. Darfur (End the Killing in Darfur)
2. Counter Terror with Justice (Denounce Torture)
3. Individuals at Risk (Prisoners of Conscience)
4. Stop Violence Against Women
5. Abolish the Death Penalty

For a complete list of issues, please click here.

I hope that covered most of the questions you had! If you have any other questions, please feel free to e-mail us at trhs.amnesty@gmail.com

Stacy Suh

Co-President

Troy High School Amnesty International

Board Members 2008-2009

2008-09-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the board for 2008-2009. :)

Co-Presidents: Stacy and Miriam.

Vice President: Jean

Secretary: Pragati

Treasurer: Abraham

Publicity: Larissa

Webmaster: Jane

Club Advisor: Sra. Menna

(Pictures coming soon for the other board members! :D)