Update on SASsy Meetings

June 23, 2010 - Amy - Oil pipeline/tankers
April 8, 2010 - Nona/Susan - Vancouver School Board Budget/Clemence
Mar 1, 2010 - Lisa - Funding Cuts to Arts
Nov 19, 2009 - Katherine - Live in Caregiver Program
Oct 5, 2009 - Alison - Greenest City Initiative

Run for Aurelio!

November 2, 2008






SASsy held its second annual fundraising run today - this time to raise money to support a 20 year-old Guatemalan man named Aurelio to pursue his nursing studies.

Aurelio works for the NGO, Compañero en Salud (“Partner in Health”) in Guatemala. SASsy was made aware of Aurelio by the Lions Bay-based NGO, Project HANDS, which collaborates with Companero en Salud by sending BC surgeons, anesthesiologists and others to
volunteer at their outreach clinics twice a year. Aurelio performs a very important role at these clinics by reconfirming patients and accompanying them to hospital. He also assists in providing English/Spanish/Quiche interpretation between volunteers and patients. A representative of Project HANDS writes: “It is obvious that he has a gift when it comes to taking care of patients, he always listens carefully to what they say and is always motivated to help them.

Aurelio is from a poor part of Guatemala which was severely affected by the civil war. Early in his life, Aurelio’s education was interrupted when his parents had to move in search of work and then again with the death of his father, when he was only seven years old. He has not had consistent access to schooling, nor the means to pay for it.

Now 20, Aurelio has worked for CS for two years, and with the money he earned completed his high school education (Bachillerato en Ciencias y Letras). Aurelio dreams of becoming a nurse and continuing his important work with CS. First, he plans to study towards an "Auxiliar de Enfermeria" (1 year). After he finds work, he plans to save towards his next education goal: continuing to university to obtain accreditation as
an "Enfermeria Profesional".

To help Aurelio meet his goals, he needs support for one year at $215 per month, a total of $2,580. This will cover the costs of his materials, uniforms, transportation, food, and room rental.

We're really pleased to announce that our fundraising run was a huge success. Through the generosity of our friends and family, we raised a total of $2,285 - almost enough to send Aurelio to school for the full year! This total is beyond any of our wildest dreams. Thank you to all who attended this event today. We enjoyed a great run, yummy food and good company, and hopefully have made a significant contribution towards a young man's future.

Stay tuned for updates on Aurelio's progress.

For more information about Project Hands, click on: http://www.projecthands.org/

Refugee Issues

February, 2008

Host: Alison
Attendees: Amy, Brenda, Clemence, Katherine, Kirsty, Lisa

Discussion: Alison presented some facts and figures about refugees around the world and Canada's role in resettlement.

Action: Two letters to Immigration Minister Diane Finley (see below).


The Honourable Diane Finley, P.C., M.P.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Email: Minister@cic.gc.ca

Dear Minister Finley:

We are writing to strongly encourage you to increase the numbers of Government Assisted Refugees accepted by Canada each year.

As a diverse group of Vancouver women interested in humanitarian issues, we recently reviewed a report by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees that details the numbers of refugees accepted for resettlement around the world each year. While we were pleased to see that Canada ranks high among developed countries in terms of the number of refugees it accepts for resettlement each year, Canada's contribution seems very small when compared to the number of refugees in need of resettlement worldwide.

According to the report, in 2006, almost 10 million refugees worldwide were seeking to return to their countries or to be resettled in a safe third country. In this same year, Canada accepted just 10,700 refugees for resettlement. We understand that developing nations such as Pakistan, Syria, Kenya, etc. currently shoulder a much more significant responsibility in hosting millions of refugees as they wait to return home or be resettled.

We feel strongly that a nation as rich as Canada should play a much more important role in resettling refugees and in encouraging other developed countries to do the same. The current crises in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other nations highlights the need for countries such as ours to be much more proactive in assisting people displaced by these conflicts.

We strongly urge you to increase the targets you set for Government Assisted Refugees in your future annual immigration level plans. We would appreciate receiving your views on this matter.

Disorientation and Decolonization: Aboriginal Peoples in British Columbia

October 4, 2007 meeting at Amy's

Topic: Aboriginal Peoples in British Columbia
Guest Speaker:
Dr. Coll Thrush, Assistant Professor, History, UBC
(Coll's latest publication, Native Seattle)
Present: Alison, Amy, Brenda, Clemence, Colleen, Lisa, Nona, Susan

Coll provided an enlightening overview of his involvement in and passion for First Nations issues in the Pacifc Northwest region. An insightful group discussion followed including personal experiences and what role we play as advocates and activists.

Action: Better educate ourselves in order to hopefully raise awareness of First Nations issues amongst others.

As per Coll's suggestions, following are some books to start with to further educate ourselves:

• McCann, 1491 (*excellent* overview of the Americas before Columbus; better than most science fiction in terms of the alternate worlds it describes)
• Turner, The Earth's Blanket (has worked with BC First Nations communities for decades; this is the culmination of her career in many ways -- a great resource for understanding local landscapes)
• Lepore, The Name of War (about New England in the 17th century, beautifully written)
• Victoria Freeman, Distant Relations: How My Ancestors Colonized North America. (very thoughtful, and a good overview of both US and Canadian big-picture history.
• Taiaiake Alfred, Peace, Power and Righteousness

More academic, but get at some really key issues:

• Paige Raibmon, Authentic Indians: Episodes of Encounter from the Late-Nineteenth-Century Northwest Coast
• Phil Deloria, Indians in Unexpected Places

Novels:

• Alexie, Reservation Blues
• Robinson, Monkey Beach

Transportation Issues in the Vancouver Area

Discussion on Vancouver transportation system and urban planning, June 24th 2007.

Action:
Letter sent to the City Hall, the BC Ministry of Transportation and MetroVancouver.



To the Honourable Mayor of Vancouver,

We are writing regarding Vancouver's transportation policies. Transportation represents a major issue for a growing city: it impacts the environment, the well-being of inhabitants, their health and is a subject of concern for us as for all Vancouverites. Browsing the City website, we were surprised to read that the 2024 transportation targets were already met. We dare think that it means these targets were not ambitious enough. There is still a lot of room for improvement in the GVA.From our readings, comparison with our cities experiences and our daily experience, we would like to share a few points with the Department of Transportation and other regional bodies.

Service improvement: - Skytrain: The skytrain is a very efficient mode of transportation but also very busy at rush hour. Would it be possible to add an additional coach to each train? The skytrain would then be able to transport an additional number of passengers per trip.
- Bus: Some routes should get better service, specially in East Vancouver where people have no other option than to take public transit. If passengers were continually reminded to move to the back of the bus, and to remove backpacks, the capacity of buses could be increased. This can only happen through bus drivers, and although this must be a source of frustration for them, we have noted that some drivers manage to get this message across with energy and humour. - Bike routes seem easy to set up as they require less fitting out than bike path. They are safer routes for bikers and should be more common. It is obvious that some areas of Vancouver are not equiped by these facilities. Additional well-marked bike paths should be added downtown where traffic is very dense. The safer riding a bike will be, the more people will opt for this mode of transportation.

If service improves and people are informed, it will create a greater demand for public transportation.

Promotion is another key to improvments. You may spur the public to change their habits in different ways: - U-pass incentive is said to have reduced the car traffic on the UBC campus by 30%. Why not broaden this initiative to universities, hospitals, city employees and make it part of the benefits some large companies could offer their employees? Translink would be granted a predictable income and could reinvest part of it in infrastructure/service improvement. - Incentives to take public transport/bikes should exist. Deterrents should be put in place aswell: - in London tolls have been set up: air pollutants and CO2 have decreased by respectively 16% and 20% in 3 years in the British capital. These tolls are offset by excellent transit service within the city core. - in Paris, bike and bus lanes have been widened and added to the transport network. This has resulted in increased bike and public transport use. More room and infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and public transit will make transportation around the city much more pleasant, as in most European cities. - Vancouver also has to promote alternative modes of transportation: A communication campaign to promote carpooling, cycling, public transit would reach this goal.

Greener and better transportation is a choice every citizen makes but structures only rely on provincial government and city hall decisions.

It is in your power and your responsability to offer more efficient, more environment-friendly ways to get around the city and its suburbs and communicate this to the citizens of the Vancouver region.

We look forward to hearing about how the department of transportation plans to expand public transit and encouraging biking.

"Not quite 5 km fundraising run/walk for Simangele"

April 22/07

SASsy presented the "Not quite 5 km fundraising run/walk for Simangele" on Sunday April 22nd, 10:00am-12:00pm.

The goal of the run was to support Simangele, a patient advocate at TB Care, a well-established grassroots charity in Cape Town, South Africa. As a patient advocate, Simangele gives one-on-one support to HIV patients on anti-retroviral drugs and works closely with medical staff at the clinic. Her dream is to become a social worker, which will make her an even stronger advocate for the children and families in her community who are affected by TB and HIV. The total cost of her training and transportion costs is R5000 (~$900CAN). Simangele already had partial sponsorship for her course, and the run was planned to raise the remaining $500CAN she needed.

In fact, we managed to raise $1,105 for Simangele and TB Care!!! Thanks to everyone who supported the run, enjoyed one of the zillion muffins and made a donation.

Further information on TB CARE ASSOCIATION:

TB Care Association was founded in 1929 and is the only fully functional TB organisation in Cape Town. We operate throughout the City of Cape Town and provide the following programmes and projects:

· Health Promotion – TB and HIV awareness programmes in the community, at schools and workplaces.

· Community based Anti-retroviral treatment Support – providing support and promoting adherence to HIV patients on treatment.

· Community based TB Care makes TB treatment accessible to patients on the street where they live.

· Workplace TB Care provides support for patients choosing to take their treatment at work and offers health information sessions on TB and HIV for employees.

· Rehabilitation – counselling and support groups for TB patients.

· Early Childhood Development – Brooklyn Chest Hospital – providing educare support for the 50 children admitted to the hospital and creating the link between the community and the hospital.

· TB Administrative Support – 40 unemployed youth trained to assist with administrative tasks at health facilities to provide them with workplace skills to improve their chances of meaningful employment.


Our programmes provide regular monthly stipends ranging from R100 to R1500 per month and ongoing training and support to about 650 people in the community.

Feminist/Women's Movement

May May 16/07 meeting at Colleen's

In attendance: Colleen, Katherine, Lisa, Alison, Clemence, and Kirsty.

Discussion:
We talked about the ways that women’s issues have changed in the last 3 ½ decades, the social changes that have been accomplished, and what has recently happened – both in 2001 with major provincial cuts, and recently with federal cuts to Status of Women. On both levels the cuts have meant that there are no operating funds available to women’s organizations, and all that remains funded are piece-meal programs and services (i.e. violence programs, victim assistance, etc) that put the women running them in a constant state of re-applying for funds because they’re all contract and need to be renewed annually or bi-annually. The SWC cuts mean that there is no longer any capacity for acting as the government watch-dog vis-à-vis gender issues. All that remains funded are some of the direct programs that were in place. On both levels the cuts were rationalized because of “inefficiencies” and infighting in the women’s movement.

At this meeting we discussed how policy is made, how change happens in the government, and Alison had a lot to share from her own experiences about having ongoing conversations around a particular topic to the point that someone (who exactly?) decides that something needs to be done, and then the wheels are set in motion. We thought it may be interesting to devote a full meeting to this very topic.

Action: letter.

Food Security

Jan 30/07 meeting at Rika's

Topic: Food Security

Discussion: Local and international issues around food production and the right to food. Locally, the concern is many are living in poverty and do not have the funds for food despite our social security net. Meanwhile there is much wasted food as well as land that could be used for growing food. Organizations that address these issues include Quest and Loving Spoonful.

Actions: Volunteer for few hours at Quest or donate to Loving Spoonful.

Going Carbon Neutral: Carbon Offsetters

Meeting date: February 22, 2007
Present: Rika, Kirsty, Lisa, Clemence, Alison, Katherine, Susan.

"Carbon neutral" was the 2006 word of the year from the Oxford American Dictionary. Every Canadian produces an average of 5 tons of greenhouse gas (including Co2) per year and you can neutralize your emissions by investing in projects that help reduce CO2. You can become carbon neutral for as little as $100, depending on the carbon offsetter you choose.

Notable users of carbon offsetters are Al Gore, the Rolling Stones and Coldplay - all of them purchased carbon credits to offset the emissions from their travel. "Syriana" was the first carbon neutral film. And of course, we all know that due to Sassy, WestJet now offers carbon offsetting on their flights if you book through Offsetters.

Overall, we're in favour of carbon offsetting, but Susan pointed out a few criticisms of the initiative.
- No standards or monitoring of carbon offset projects. The U.S. non-profit Clean Air - Cool Planet recently published the "Consumers' Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers," reviewing 30 providers. Three quarters of the projects scored less than 5 on a scale of 1-10, and the reviewers only looked at the providers' websites - they couldn't review the projects themselves. My own quick review of providers noted that 3 providers cited the same projects, leading me to be concerned about double-counting of offsets. However, a Swiss-based non-profit called Gold Standard is proposing itself as a watchdog for voluntary offset projects.
- Carbon offsets have been compared to papal indulgences - they allow you to continue sinning without guilt. For example, Land Rover UK offers customers carbon offsets for the first 45,000 miles of their SUVs' lives.

Sassy Actions

1. A pledge that our meetings will be carbon neutral. We can reduce emissions by carpooling and providing locally-sourced snacks and we can neutralize emissions from driving, heating etc. by purchasing carbon credits. Notable emissions calculators from the Clean Air - Cool Planet review include: BP's Target Neutral, TerraPass, and Carbon Counter. The top eight carbon offsetters from the review are: AgCert, Atmosfair, Carbon Neutral, Climate Care, Climate Trust, CO2 Balance, Native Energy (the one Al Gore uses), Sustainable Travel/My Climate.
2. A letter to VANOC asking organizers to make the Olympic carbon-neutral. (Lisa to look into this.)
3. A letter to some of the top corporations in B.C. asking them to make their business travel carbon-neutral. (Susan to research this and draft letter.)