Hike for Congo- May 6, 2012

WHAT

A forest hike + picnic + fundraiser.

Hike for Congo is a fundraiser for the Congo Connect project. We are co-creating computer labs with internet+journalism training courses for youth in DR Congo. They are learning how to use  technology to connect, organize, document their lives, and share their stories. Hikers are encouraged to raise funds for the cause.  

WHEN

Sunday, May 6  

(rain date: May12)

1pm - Potluck/Picnic - We will be in the picnic area next to the Discovery Center. 

(Bring reusable dishes and some food to share.)

2pm - Hike - Lakeview Trail 

3:30pm - S'mores!  

WHO

YOU & anyone who wants to take action for peace in DR Congo. Kids welcome! Tell your friends!

SIGN UP

1) RSVP - email Brooke at rfcwaa@gmail.com - include shirt size if you want a shirt! 

2) Fundraise!! - use this online page, or bring donations to the hike: http://www.crowdrise.com/hikeforcongo2012/fundraiser/CongoActivistsofMichigan  

3) Recruit friends to hike with us!

WHERE

Waterloo Recreational Area

The Eddy Discovery Center

17030 Bush Road, Chelsea, MI 48118

(30 minutes northwest of Ann Arbor.)

Lakeview Trail:  A 3.5 mile hike, starting at the Eddy Discovery Center.

http://www.michigandnr.com/Publications/PDFS/RecreationCamping/waterloo_discoverycentertrails.pdf

www.michigan.gov/eddycenter

DIRECTIONS

Address: 17030 Bush Road, Chelsea, MI 48118

From Ann Arbor - take 94 West - exit 157 - take ramp right for Old US 12 toward Pierce Rd - straight onto Pierce Rd - Left onto Bush Rd. - arrive 2nd parking lot next to the Discovery Center - look for Hike for Congo signs.

MAP: http://g.co/maps/ynq2w

WHY

Nearly 6 million people have died in the Congo conflict, and the crisis is ongoing.  We believe in *non-violent*, *non-military*, *community-led*, *grassroots*, sustainable*, *peaceful* solutions to the conflict.  We believe the Congolese youth have the power to transform their country.  We Skype with our youth partners, La Jeunesse Pour une Nouvelle Societe, in Kinshasa. We listen and try to provide the tools they need to do their grassroots activist work.  To learn more about our partners and their work check out the Congo Connect page: http://www.congoactivistsofmichigan.org/p/congo-connect.html

DONATE

Help us reach our goal of $2012, make a donation today!

http://www.crowdrise.com/hikeforcongo2012/fundraiser/CongoActivistsofMichigan

**Bring used CELLPHONES + electronics to donate to Congo Connect**

Peace Dove

We made this giant peace dove puppet and flew it at the International Women's Day : Join Me On the Bridge event in Ann Arbor.  Lots more pictures on our facebook page!

"Crisis in the Congo : Uncovering the Truth" film screening and discussion

March 12: 

Screening of "Crisis in the Congo: Uncovering the Truth" followed by discussion

7pm, Trotter Multicultural Center, 1st floor lounge, 1443 Washtenaw Ave, University of Michigan, AnnArbor

co-hosted by International Justice Mission and Congo Activists of Michigan - 

 

part of IJM's Justice Week .  

We will be discussing all aspects of the crisis, including the new #Kony2012 campaign.  

International Women's Day

Wednesday, March 7th:  
A Salute to the Women of the Congo: Courage and Resistance in the Face of Impunity
Presentation by Carrie Crawford Esq., co- Founder and Chair of the Friends of the Congo. Speaking about women and human rights in the DRC.
7PM in Student Center Auditorium, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti

Friends of the Congo is an organization raising consciousness about the challenge of the Congo and supporting Congolese institutions as they strive to bring about peaceful and lasting change.  Congo Activists of Michigan is currently collaborating with FOTC on the Congo Connect project.  http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/

Thursday, March 8th, 
Join Me on the Bridge 
4:30 - 6pm, U of Michigan, School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor
Now in it's third year, the Join me on the Bridge campaign started in 2010 when women from Congo and Rwanda joined together on the bridge connecting their two countries, showing that they could build the bridges of peace and hope for the future. This action sparked a massive global movement, and last year they were joined by thousands of people on hundreds of bridges worldwide.  
On International Women's Day, 8 March, thousands of people will show that they are with the women of Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan and other war-torn countries.  
** We will have a giant dove! Bring doves! Bring peace signs! **
http://joinmeonthebridge.org/events/join-me-on-the-bridge-at-the-university-of-michigan
http://joinmeonthebridge.org/

March 11:

"Ruined" play +special fundraiser

3pm, 1401 Broadway, Detroit

The award winning play, "Ruined", written by Lynn Nottage, is now being produced by the Plowshares Theatre in Detroit.  Story:: The rainforest bar and brothel of Mama Nadi both protects and profits from the women whose bodies have become a battlefield between the government soldiers and rebels alike.  Lynn Nottage's searing play takes us in the lives of a group of women surviving a civil war in the Congo.  Sincere, passionate, courageous and acutely written, this is a powerhouse drama set in the real world.  Ruined is a beautiful story about the human spirit that will bring you to tears, not out of pity for the characters, but out of admiration for their strength. 

CAM, FOTC, and Plowshares are collaborating on a special "Ruined" fundraiser event March 11.  We have special discounted $25 fundraiser tickets. http://friendsofthecongo.org/ruined-in-detroit.html On this day the fundraiser will go to support the Association of Widows in South Kivu. They need 35 sewing machines which cost $100 each. FOTC has already sent money for five and looking to send funds for 30 more. The number is 35 because the women are based in 35 parishes in the South Kivu province. See attached photo below.

 **Email us if you want to join the carpool: rfcwaa@gmail.com ** 
Plowshares Theatre: http://www.plowsharestheatre.org/Play_3.html
Link to buy discount TICKETS---> http://friendsofthecongo.org/ruined-in-detroit.html

Join Me on the Bridge

International Women's Day 

Thursday, March 8
JOIN ME ON THE BRIDGE

Now in it's third year, the Join me on the Bridge campaign started in 2010 when women from Congo and Rwanda joined together on the bridge connecting their two countries, showing that they could build the bridges of peace and hope for the future. This action sparked a massive global movement, and last year they were joined by thousands of people on hundreds of bridges worldwide. 
On International Women's Day, 8 March, thousands of people will show that they are with the women of Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan and other war-torn countries.

Time: March 8, 2012 from 4:30pm to 6pm
Location: University of Michigan School of Public Health
Street: 1415 Washington Heights
City/Town: Ann Arbor

(photo above: Join Me on the Bridge -UMich 2011)

link1: http://joinmeonthebridge.org/events/join-me-on-the-bridge-at-the-university-of-michigan

link2: https://www.facebook.com/events/288816701172905/?ref=ts

2012

Learn about the Crisis in the Congo, watch + SHARE this documentary::

Congo Week Oct 31 - Nov 3

Join us for Congo Week Ann Arbor!

http://congoweek.org/

The Congo is the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today where nearly 6 million people have died since 1996, half of them children under 5 yrs old and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped all as a result of the scramble for Congo's wealth. The United Nations said it is the deadliest conflict in the world since World War Two. However, hardly anything is said about it in the media. Can you imagine 45,000 people dying each month and hardly a peep from anyone in the age of the Internet? This is literally what has happened and continues to happen in the Congo. Take Action. Raise Awareness. Break the Silence.

Oct 31: Die-In on the Diag 11am-4pm *Flash Mob at 11:30 and 3*

This is an interactive theatre activist performance to create a visual reproduction of some of the deaths from recent genocides.   Everyone is welcome to join. Just lie on the Diag and act dead.

Flash Mob Die-In: 11:30-12 and 3-3:30, although you can die-in anytime.

Oct 31: Crisis in the Congo film & discussion 7pm Ginsberg Center
1024 Hill Street, Ann Arbor

Nov 2: Women in Congo: Lumo film & discussion 6pm Trotter Center
1443 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor

Nov 3: Bichini Bia Congo dance workshop 5pm Trotter Center
http://www.bichinibiacongo.com/

Nov 3: Bichini Bia Congo performance 7:30pm Trotter Center
1143 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor

Nov TBA: Skype with Youth in Congo 12noon room TBA

Congo Week events are free. Donations and used electronics will be accepted for the 
Congo Connect Youth Project :
http://www.congoactivistsofmichigan.org/p/hike-for-congo.html

Co-Sponsored by:

Congo Activists of Michigan, UofM STAND Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, Human Rights Through Education

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167975253292951