Lost seed group!

Hi Guys,

Where were you this week? I came to class and no one was there! I've been told Mr Paini is in China with some students, are any of you with him?

Please note we will have seed group the first week back in Term 4 (Thursday the 14th of October) so make sure you all make it! And remember to bring your friends!

We really want to get the next event organised as soon as possible!

Check the blog page regularly
It's important that you check the Blog page regularly as its the primary way I'll be contacting you outside of class.

So make sure you all book back this address http://morleys4s.blogspot.com/


UN Millennium Development Goals Review Summit 2010
We've talked a lot about the UN Millennium development goals this year. Right now there is a meeting under way in New York to discuss the progress in achieving these goals. The deadline to achieve the goals is 2015, so there is quite a bit of pressure to make some serious headway.

Above are the 8 development goals.

Right now Oaktree has a delegation in New York and are making regular webcasts. To follow them watch the video bellow.

UN MDG Summit - Update #1 from Lewis Best on Vimeo.

To learn more about the summit visit the UN's website here. http://www.un.org/en/mdg/summit2010/ -

Useful Links
The UN MDG Review Summit Website -> http://www.un.org/en/mdg/summit2010/ -
The Latest from Oaktree -> http://theoaktree.org/blog/category/the-latest/
Wikipedia -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Development_Goals

Peer Educator of the Month 0910

SOUTH AFRICA

Hlengiwe Langa

"GOLD has encouraged me to spread my wings and fly"

Hlengiwe Langa is an extremely motivated and compassion track 1 Peer Educator.
Hlengiwe studies at Kwa Pata Secondary School which is located near
Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.

Hlengiwe is incredibly self motivated and dedicated to meeting her GOLD targets.
She believes that GOLD has enabled her to overlook the obstacles in her life, and
now she has the strength to encourage others to do the same.

Hlengiwe describes herself an outspoken person and says that "the GOLD
program has given me a platform to express myself." GOLD has instilled her
with a sense of dignity and integrity. Hlengiwe is amazingly dedicated to
working hard and doing her best to help her community. She says, "I'm doing
this for myself. If I don't take a stand, no one will. I will never get anywhere in
life if I just sit back and wait for things to come my way. It is better to get out
there yourself."

Hlengiwe has an inspiring sense of service to her community. She does her
best to provide help to others. Through the GOLD program, Hlengiwe is
reaching out to people in all corners of the community, even those she would
not normally have a chance to interact with. She says that reaching out to
people involves respecting them, and recognising their problems. After
spending some time talking through problems with them, she will either
provide some advice, or refer them on to an organisation which may help
them.

Hlengiwe is an incredibly passionate and motivated young South African. She
is doing an amazing job of uplifting her community and instilling her peers with
hopes and dreams for a better future.

Qhilika High School Update

Hi Guys, please find bellow an update from our sister school Qhilika High School in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa.

What GOLD events have been held by the school in the last three months?

In the last term the peer educators at the school organised an abstinence march. The peer
educators spoke in front of the whole school and explained the importance of abstinence as
a method to prevent HIV/AIDS. They aimed to inform learners that even if the were sexually
active, they should be aware about the issue and use protection.

Throughout the year the peer educators also regularly meet with local police to talk
about crime prevention around the school. They have built up a good relationship with
the police and have a monitoring scheme whereby the police regularly patrol the school.

Furthermore, in June the peer educators at Qhilika participated in a Schools 4 Schools
Holiday workshop. The day was fun for everyone involved. The aim of the workshop was to
equip the peer educators with the tools and ability to run community upliftment events at
their schools. The Schools 4 Schools South Africa team took them through Public Speaking
and Campaigning sessions. They also engaged in creative activities which they could use in
future community upliftment events.

How has the GOLD program impacted the Peer educators at the school?

The peer educators at Qhilika have become great carers for the other students at the
school. Recently the GOLD facilitator and some peer educators worked together to support
a grade 8 learners experiencing some troubles. Some senior peer educators recognised
that this grade 8 boy was going to school on an empty stomach. The peer educators went
home with this boy on an occasion and discovered he was living in a small shack with
his grandmother who was living off a single pension. The peer educators organised food
parcels for the boy and his grandmother. They also took him to the city to orgnaise a birth
certificate for him, so he could apply for an ID book which is a perquisite to complete the
year 12 matriculate. Now, thanks to the peer educators, this young boy is in a much better
position.

How has the GOLD program benefitted the school as a whole this year?

During the 2010 World Cup, all learners received a 6 weeks school holiday. This was
problematic for the many orphans at the school, and learners with dysfunctional families
who couldn't provide for them over this long holiday. The GOLD peer educators and
facilitators organised a camp for these learners, where there would be councillors
and social workers present, as well as fun and games! The camp was not just for the
Qhilika peer educators, but learners from other nearby GOLD schools attended too.

The veggie patch that the GOLD peer educators have been working on is also benefitting
the whole school. The idea is that the veggie patch will eventually be used to start a soup
kitchen to feed the many orphans at the school during break time.

The GOLD program is also benefitting the wider school community. Some of the peer
educators at Qhilika live a long way away from the school in rural areas. Over the last
few months they have been travelling to their home town on weekends to deliver GOLD
lessons with youth in their communities. The peer educators are amazingly dedicated and so
passionate about helping youth in need.

Are you smarter then your teacher?

Hi Guys,

The latest seed reader is out. I printed some out today and brought them with me, but if you missed out you can view them at this address.
http://theoaktree.org/initiatives/schools-4-schools/seed-reader/

Seed notes and Instructions

Zoe have a word with Mr Paini and run the "Are you smarter then your teacher?" idea past him and also another BBQ. Thanks!

Everyone make sure you remind the others to make it to the seed group next week.

I encourage you all to post up any ideas, thought or questions to the blog page.

Notes on Poverty
Poverty is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter, because of the inability to afford them, it is also sometimes called absolute poverty. Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society or country, or compared to worldwide averages. About 1.7 billion people live in absolute poverty.

Interesting Links
Poverty, what is poverty - http://vimeo.com/10988756
Poverty Website - http://www.poverty.com/

Human Rights, Fundraising Ideas, Bolstering Numbers

Hi Guys, thanks for coming to seed group this week, I hope you all found it valuable!

I've put up some notes about Oaktree, the Schools 4 Schools program and G.O.L.D. in the post prior to this. If you have any questions please ask me next week.

In this post, I've put up some notes on Human Rights from last week, some links and notes on the Seed Group fundraising and the Seed Group in general.

Fundraising Ideas?

So as I mentioned Morley has a fundraising target for 2010 of $1,000. So far with our BBQ we've raised $200. (Well done!) So this means we want to raise $800 dollars next term!

I know that sounds like a lot, but don't loose heart, it's very possible.

Firstly, we organise another BBQ, but a bit bigger with maybe 300 hot dogs and really promote it hard so we sell them all.

Secondly, organise a free dress day and ask all students to make a gold coin donation if they want to wear free dress.

Thirdly, make collection tins and head down to our local shopping centres and ask people for donations.

We'll need to work hard to organise it all!

Bolstering our numbers!

Think of two friends to bring next week.

Create a notice board poster to advertise the seed group. Also possible to make flyers!

Ask anyone else from the Leos program if they are interested.

I'll speak with my boss and see if anyone can come and make a speech at assembly.

Ask if a notice can be put in the school bulletin.

Questions answered!
Q: Today someone asked, how do we know if the money fundraised actually reaches the children in South Africa?

A: 95% of all money raised is spent on project and community education. Only 5% is spent on administration. Like I said today we're all volunteers and give up our time free of charge, so none of us are paid.

If you're interested further please visit this link. "Where will your money go" and read our annual report. We are really committed to financial accountability and transparency.

HUMAN RIGHTS

What does it Mean?
The term 'human rights' refers to the universal rights of all human beings - civil, political, social, economic and cultural - as set out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNHR) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris 1948. This was a more specific definition of rights listed in the United Nations Charter (the founding treaty of the UN) drawn up in San Francisco in 1945 in the aftermath of World War 2.

What Are Human Rights?
The rights specified by the UDHR can be roughly divided into three categories.

First, there are the rights necessary for the survival and dignified living, which include the right to adequate living standards (food, water and housing), the right to social protection in times of need, the right to highest attainable standard of health, the right to work (and in human conditions) and the right to privacy and family life.

Second, there are rights necessary for human dignity, creativity and intellectual and spiritual development, which include the right to education and information, freedom of religion, opinion and speech, freedom of association (the right to band together with other individuals to express or defend common interests, such as with workers' unions), the right to take part in political process and the right to take part in cultural life.

Finally, there are rights necessary for liberty and physical security, which include freedom from slavery, freedom from torture or degrading treatment, freedom for arbitrary arrest or imprisonment and the right to a fair trial.

Some of the Videos we watched last week.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights - >
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTlrSYbCbHE
Story of Human Rights -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh3BbLk5UIQ&feature=related

Welcome

Welcome to the Morley Schools 4 Schools blog page!

Instead of messing around with the email, I've decided to make this blog for us to communicate on. I would like you all make an effort to read it each week.

On this blog I'll post notes from seed group, notices from Oaktree, links to useful sites and other ideas. Please feel free to comment bellow or ask me about anything I post on Thursday.

Bellow I've posted some notes about the Oaktree Foundation, the Schools 4 Schools program and the G.O.L.D program. I've also posted links and other information.

WHAT IS SCHOOLS 4 SCHOOLS?

• A year long program that brings Australian schools into partnership with schools in South Africa, enabling young people to be the driving force in empowering communities through education.
• Throughout the year the program empowers students to:
• Understand current issues in South Africa and the lives of their peers in their partner school
• Raise money for GOLD to be run in their partner school
• Learn about global issues and take action on them with really easy and accessible teaching on activism in Term 3

WHAT IS GOLD?

• GOLD stands for “Generation of Leaders Discovered’ and is an organisation in South Africa that run the education program in South Africa that we raise funds for here in Australia
• GOLD empowers students to become leaders in their communities. It teaches them to address the issues that face their communities. In particular: unemployment, crime, violence, teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.

WHO ARE OAKTREE?

• Oaktree is an aid and development program rum entirely by volunteers under the age of 26.
• We believe education is the most powerful way to change the world, and we partner with developing communities to make educational opportunities a reality.
• We fundraise for our projects, advocate for justice and help young people lead the movement for social change.

INTERESTING LINKS

• The Oaktree Foundation -> http://theoaktree.org/
• The Schools 4 Schools Program -> http://theoaktree.org/initiatives/schools-4-schools/
• G.O.L.D -> http://theoaktree.org/initiatives/schools-4-schools/gold/

• The Oaktree Foundation - Schools 4 Schools Promo Video -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTd8I_zssL8&feature=related
• Schools 4 School Video with Evermore & Bliss N Eso -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUxDlWN0AqQ&feature=related