One Night, One Voice - Activity Kit

 

Activity Kit A Guide for Event Organizers Action Guide Discussion Guide Additional Info: FAQ, Conference Call Transcript

A GUIDE FOR EVENT ORGANIZERS

Organize a screening event for your community. Consider inviting a broad range of community groups to join you, including faith leaders, book clubs and student groups.

BEFORE THE SCREENING:

• Find a location where you can watch a DVD. If possible, find a place where you will have access to the internet to watch a panel discussion after the movie. Or, make sure to download the video beforehand.
• Register your event to help others find it from the Save Darfur home page.
• Order the DVD or download the film.
• Advertise the event using the poster and flyer templates and fill in all the necessary information. Reach out to local news outlets (using the provided media advisory template) to write about the event or include the flyer in their publication. Ask faith leaders to announce the event during services and include it in congregation publications. Announce the event at public libraries and through school information outlets. Be creative and get the word out!
• Encourage people to sign up for your event using the RSVP link provided to you upon registration.
• Get your materials ready. 
  • Make copies of the action guide and petition for your event participants.
  • If you would like to hold a discussion, make copies of the discussion guide.
  • Download the panel discussion if you would like to watch it at your event.

AT THE SCREENING:

6:00 p.m (Times are only a suggestion)

• Set up tables in the event venue designated as “action spots” for signging the petition and additional ways to get involved.
• Set out the materials you have prepared for attendees.
• Distribute the discussion guide to the audience, pointing out the broad questions to think about during the screening.
• Set up your computer to watch the film and/or panel discussion.

7:00 p.m

• Welcome the audience and introduce the video.
• Show the 12‐minute DVD.

7:15 p.m.

• Break.
• Encourage participants to take action now by signing petitions at "action spots."
• Watch the panel discussion on your computer and/or use the discussion guide to lead an internal discussion to wrap up lingering questions. Review the action guide. Together, determine next steps using the action guide, including follow‐up activities you can pursue within your community.

8:30 p.m.

• Make closing remarks and thank the audience for coming.
• Use the action guide to help your attendees take immediate action now and at home.
• Direct people to tables in the event venue designated as “action spots”.
• Encourage your attendees to dial (888) 473-7885 into their phone so that your attendees are ready to call and leave messages of support according to the action guide.

AFTER THE SCREENING:

• Use the action guide to take immediate and long‐term steps to support men, women and children in Darfur. (coming soon!)
• Log on to SaveDarfur.org/women. There will be many more ways for you to get involved and make a difference.
• Couldn’t get everyone to your first screening? – Organize a second screening and reach out to groups and friends that didn’t attend your first gathering.
• Collect petitions. Use community gatherings, youth groups, clubs and events at congregations in your community to gather them.
• Follow through. Use the ideas for future action brainstormed during the discussion to guide next steps.

ACTION GUIDE

You have heard the personal testimonies of Darfuri women and their call to action. Now you can take action to help the people of Darfur. Here is what you can do right now, tomorrow and in the days thereafter.

Right Now

1)      If you have not already done so sign and father signatures on a petition to stop violence against women in Darfur. Click here to sign the petition online. Click here to print the petition.

Tomorrow

2)      Log on to www.savedarfur.org/women. There are many more ways for you to get involved with the various different groups that are working on related women's issues. You will find ways to support women living in camps, ways to strengthen the civilian protection force. You will see that there is a strong community taking action. You will also find ways to support the Save Darfur Coalition's initiatives to further peace, protection, and justice in Darfur by supporting Darfuri women.

3)      Become an advocate by joining the Save Darfur community. Sign yourself up on the Save Darfur Coalition's email list by signing a petition online or by using the form at the top-right corner of any page. We will email you regular updates and opportunities to take action.

This Month

5)      Pass the film on to a friend, a family member or another leader in your community.

6)      Pass around a petition at a local event. Ask friends to pass around petitions at their work places. Ask a local congregation to pass around a petition. Collect as many signatures as you can!

Next Month

7)      Advocacy: Meet with your member of Congress and let them know that Congress must do its part to resolve the conflict in Darfur. Ask them to advocate for effective protection of women and girls and to press the Obama administration to build an inclusive peace process. Tell your member to fully fund the programs necessary to stop the Darfur genocide. Get for tips on how to set up a lobby meeting and legislative updates.

8)      Fundraising: Raise money for relief programs or Save Darfur Coalition advocacy efforts by placing a fundraising jar at your house of worship, designating a day at local schools for Darfur donations or organizing a fundraising auction, concert or dinner within your community.

 

DISCUSSION GUIDE

If you will not be tuning in to the live panel discussion online, you can use the texts and questions below to begin a conversation.  You can work with the entire audience or break into small groups and then return to the larger group to share ideas. You may wish to distribute this sheet before the film to acquaint the audience with these questions. We hope this discussion will lead your group to think about ways that you can help support the women of Darfur and end the Darfur crisis.

Text:  In the opening lines of the film, the screen reads, "Somewhere in Darfur, rape claims another victim. And another woman becomes a survivor."

Discussion: What is the relationship between the word "victim" and "survivor" throughout the film? How have Darfuri women shown they are survivors throughout the conflict?

* * *

Text: In the film, Adrienne Fricke says: "When someone rapes a woman, they rape her entire tribe.  It's considered, in the traditional sense, to be the deepest affront... by raping a woman in front of her male relatives.  It ensures the destruction of that family...the fabric of that family."

Discussion: According to the United Nations, hundreds of women continue to be raped in Darfur each day. It is important to note that women are specifically targeted by the Sudanese government because sexual violence breaks down community structures and hinders women's leadership within those communities. Discuss this. What role does sexual violence play in the continuing genocide in Darfur? How is rape used as a tool of war?  

* * *

Text: In the film, the narrator explains that a multitude of actors commit sexual violence and all operate with impunity. She says: "There is no justice for the women of Darfur." In his case against President Bashir, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court makes clear that evidence of systematic violence against women and girls plays a key role in the case, noting that "rape is an integral part of the pattern of destruction that the Government of the Sudan is inflicting upon the target groups in Darfur... they use rape to kill the will, the spirit, and life itself."

Discussion: Based on our suggested actions, discuss what your community can do to raise awareness about the use of sexual violence in Darfur and support ending impunity for the perpetrators.

* * *

Text: In the film, Niemat says, "For me to die is no different than those people who are dying." Fatima follows her by saying, "As long [as] there are people who are alive still, and their rights are taken away, we can still reach them." Often it can seem as if a conflict thousands of miles away is too far removed from our daily lives for us to make a difference.

Discussion: In your own life experiences, how can you relate to the women of Darfur? Share an example of how you reached across distances, whether large or small, to help someone. How do both of those experiences better equip you to be an advocate for the women of Darfur?

* * *

Text: At the end of the film Niemat says, "We need to hear the voices of women around the world. Any woman, if she has heard about the suffering of another woman, she feels that suffering and she feels that anger. It is good for her to transfer that anger into action."

Discussion: After viewing the film, how will you transfer your emotions into action? Discuss how to best funnel the energy of your community based on the resources and interests you possess. Do you have ideas for further action beyond what we suggested in the action guide?

Please feel free to submit follow-up questions and ideas by emailing women@savedarfur.org.

Stand with the women of Darfur. Join the movement.

 

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