Go to new site:
Amnesty International Group 27, Victoria B.C.has a new home site: amnesty international in victoria
This old site will stay as an archive site; and it also has some valuable, still relevant links
Amnesty International Film Festival 2006 Victoria, BC
Fri Nov 17 / Sat Nov 18 / Sun Nov 19
Location: University of Victoria David Lam Auditorium (MacLaurin Building)
Tickets: All screenings by donation. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit www.amnestyfilmsvictoria.ca
or contact
marikomiller@hotmail.com
Few artistic media have the power to reach across cultures, languages and even time itself to influence millions of people in the language of our daily lives. Film has such power. Each year, talented filmmakers work against long odds, short finances and threatening politics to bring to the screen powerful stories of human struggle, sacrifice and triumph.
But this festival is about more than just exemplary film-making. We share these powerful films to raise awareness and to encourage people to translate what they have seen into meaningful action. This year marks our fourth annual human rights film festival in Victoria.
We are fortunate to have eight excellent new films, along with education and action opportunities, including letter signing on specific issues raised in the films, and info tables from over 30 groups, including Doctors Without Borders, Building Bridges, Canada-Tibet Committee, Free the Children, Central American Support Committee, Journalists for Human Rights, Save the Aids Orphans, Kapasseni project and more. /mm
Planning Meeting:
1 November 2006 (Wednesday) at 7 p.m.
All are invited to attend
contact for exact date and location: amnestyinvictoria@gmail.com
Earth Day: for the human rights victims of the "war on 'terror'"
Earth Day
Saturday, 22 April 2006Thank you for all who have signed the petition for the prisoners in Guantánamo. We gathered 51 signatures demanding their rights to be uphold. Several postcard and letter appeals also were taken up. Pleasse don't forget to sign and mail them! See you all next year!
About Group 27
The Beginnings
Amnesty International Group 27 was founded in 1974 by Marks McAvity, a teacher at Pearson College. The group was quite small, and slowly grew to approximately forty members.* During this time Group 27's main activity was letter writing. The group wrote on behalf of three prisoners, one left wing, one right wing, and one from the Third World. Urgent actions and death penalty abolition and anti-torture campaigns were also undertaken.*(Many of these were members of the Unitarian Church, which is recorded here solely in behalf of a chronic of Victoria and its humanitarian organizations. It has no part in the work of Amnesty International as an impartial and independent organization, though).
The first of "their" prisoners released
The 1980s witnessed a growth in the group. McAvity had stepped down in the late 1970s, and was replaced by a series of chair persons. In 1982 Group 27 hosted AI's Annual General Meeting, and around this time membership grew to over 150 members. They wrote letters on behalf of a variety of different prisoners, and the first of "their" prisoners to be released was an Indonesian woman who was held without trial or criminal charges laid against her for eight years. Regional Actions Networks and public meetings were prominent features of this period.Working together
In the late 1980s and early 1990s AI reviewed and expanded its mandate. Over the years AI broadened its scope, from focussing on letter writing, to including public education, outreach, and working with other non governmental organizations.Planning Meetings
Group 27 has a planning committee, consisting of all coordinators, field worker, group records secretary, treasurer and all interested general members. The planning committee meets once per month, excluding July and August, to discuss administrative matters and plan public meetings, fundraisers, campaigns, and other events. Members of the planning committee fulfill a variety of tasks to ensure the success of Group 27 work. All AI members are welcome to attend.Planning meetings are held at committee members' homes on a rotating basis, and each meeting has a chair and recorder, which also rotate each meeting.
Community Events
Current and upcoming events are listed on the top. Occasionally Group 27 follows invitations to give school presentations.Group 27 needs people to continue the presence of Amnesty International in Victoria. Please join.
Urgent and Regional Letter Writing Action Groups
Urgent Action
The UAN endeavours to target a large volume of appeals in a very short time to help human rights victims anywhere in the world whose situation is critical. This network has a coordinator which reports to the planning committee.Regional Action Networks (RANs)
RANs engage in short and medium term letter writing, publicity, and target sector work on behalf of individual or groups of human rights victims in a specific world region. Each Ran has a coordinator which is a member of the planning committee.Group 27 members are involved in:
- North Andes
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela - East Mediterranean
Israel/Occupied Territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Authorities, Syria - West Europe
27 countries in Western Europe
The West Europe and East Mediaterranean co-ordinator will move away in June 2006 and has of yet not found a successor. While more people choose to work spontaneously on actions posted on the web there is still a need to maintain a more in depth dialogue with those in power, governments and opposition groups, based on deeper understanding of often complex material.
This work is rewarding. The Group 27 RAN members received numerous substantial responses over the year. There were indications of improved treatments of people in police custody and during interrogation, of prisoners and refugees.
Letter writing files are sent out ones every one or other month. A co-ordinator needs to study the information material and to divide up the tasks for letter writing members. There is some copying and mailing to do, and reporting back to the group and to the national co-ordinator. This usually takes one or two sessions of a couple of hours worth of concentrated work.
Please come forward to keep the candle burning. Contact amnestyinvictoria@gmail.com Top