see Earthbeat print version under "publications"
Gaza: Enough is Enough
Avaaz: The bloodshed in Gaza is escalating while diplomats talk -- the death toll now stands at over 600 people and rising, almost half of them civilians and over 100 children dead.[1] As Israeli tanks, airplanes and artillery bombard thickly populated urban areas, hitting UN schools yesterday, thousands more have been injured and 1.5 million terrified civilians have no escape from this prison-like enclave -- the borders have been sealed. Hamas continues to fight and fire rockets deep into Israel: 11 Israelis have died, including from friendly fire.
There is no military solution for either side -- it's time for world powers to step in, advancing arrangements to protect civilians on all sides and let them live their lives in peace and security. Sign the petition now at the link below and send this message to everyone you know -- we'll publish it in The Washington Post and elsewhere, and seek face-to-face meetings to deliver the petition with the Obama team, the UN Security Council and European leaders:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace
Rally in Saskatoon
The Islamic Association of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Inc. and community groups in the Saskatoon area will hold a rally protesting the Israeli Government's agression in Gaza. This protest rally will be held in solidarity and conjunction with similar events taking place around the world. The rally will take place at the Saskatoon City Hall, 23rd Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK, on Saturday January 10, 2009 at 2:30pm.
Crisis in Zimbabwe
Saskatchewan People Respond
Facing the highe
st inflation in the world, Zimbabweans have been struggling for years just to eat and find clean drinking water. The current cholera epidemic that has killed more than 500 people across the country since August, and the subsequent failure of Zimbabwe’s health care system, is one of the most recent and most devastating effects of the country's overall economic collapse.
Saskatchewan people with ties to Zimbabwe have rallied in the Saskatchewan Zimbabwe Committee. Read more here.
People who want to support this effort can send a cheque to SCIC (identify funds for Saskatchewan Emergency Assistance Program) or donate on-line via Canada Helps.
Global Citizens of 2009!
Dale Dewar & Bill Curry
Nominated by the Canadian Friends Servic
e Committee (CFSC) and supported by Quakers in Saskatchewan, Dale Dewar and Bill Curry are well known for the support they give to many vital causes locally and globally – made possible by the support they give each other and their family. As a prominent rural physician in 
Saskatchewan, Dale has provided leadership to CFSC's maternal health programming in Iraq, as well as international programs of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, and is past president of Physicians for Global Survival. A long time proponent of human ecology, Bill works tirelessly for justice and building the wider community into a just and peaceful context for raising children. Both Bill and Dale are proof that global citizenship is the foundation of life-long empowerment. Read more here.
The Prairie Messenger
The Prairie Messenger is a weekly newspaper published by the Benedictine Monks of St. Peter’s Abbey in Muenster, Saskatchewan. Well known across the Prairies, the Prairie Messenger was nominated by Development and Peace Saskatchewan for being an excellent source of news and analysis on international development and global justice issues. The Prairie Messenger deserves recognition for the outstanding work that it does in supporting the work of international development organizations, including the member agencies of SCIC. Read more here, or browse the Prairie Messenger and see for yourself, at www.prairiemessenger.ca.
Events honouring this year’s Global Citizens will be held in Humboldt Sunday, February 1 and Regina Friday, February 6. (Click on the cities to get details.)
Youth Activism and Engagement Workshops
with Kevin Millsap of Check Your Head
SCIC, its members, and many of our partners in the community struggle with creating the right kind of messages, events and programs to engage youth in justice issues. In January SCIC's Youth Program will offer two workshops -- one for people who do peer organizing (youth to youth), and another for "older" organizations seeking advise on how to become more youth-friendly. The facilitator for these workshops is Kevin Millsip from Check Your Head (www.checkyourhead.org). CYH is a youth driven organization located in Vancouver. Dates for the workshops are Thursday January 15 in Regina and Friday January 16 in Saskatoon.
For more information:
Saskatoon peer to peer workshop
Saskatoon organization workshop
registration form or e-mail scic@web.ca
Member Profile: USC Canada
USC Canada was founded by Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova in 1945 as the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada. Today, USC Canada assists farmers in the global South to build and control sustainable food production systems so they can stay on their lands, feed their families and generate solid livelihoods. With engaged Canadians and partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, USC supports those at the heart of resilient food systems - women, indigenous peoples, and small-scale farmers. Find out more at www.usc-canada.ca.
Despite a tropical climate that might seem ideal for farming, Bangladesh faces many challenges. USC has been working in northern Bangladesh for years, supporting the Lifeskills and Education for Adolescents Development (LEAD) program. Read more here. 