Ecovillage Design Courses 2006

The first Ecovillage Design Education Programme is scheduled to commence July 31st and continue through until August 26th. This programme has been certified by GAIA Education as an official programme of the Global Ecovillage Network and is endorsed by UNITAR as an official contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014. This programme is being offered within a number of Ecovillages internationally, and GAIA are generously contributing to this programme by offering sponsorship for a couple of places on the course.

The Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) Course will provide a strong theoretical and experiential base in the design and development of ecologically designed settlements in rural or urban settings, providing a valuable opportunity for anyone considering living in or starting up a sustainable settlement. Already, we have participants confirmed from the UK, Myanmar and the USA, and there are still places available if you are thinking about joining the course.

More information about the programme can be viewed at our website at:
www.ecologicalsolutions.com.au/courses/crsdetail.php?crsid=28 and http://www.gaiaeducation.org.



Innovative Health Project Competition - Vote Now!

For 3 Winners from the 12 Finalists in the "How to Improve Health for All" Innovation Award Competition
www.changemakers.net/competitions.cfm

Vote now to select 3 winners from these 12 finalists who have innovative strategies for providing high-quality, cost-effective, and scalable health solutions to low-income and marginalized populations around the world:

1. Mobilizing Private Sector Resources (India) - providing affordable and high-quality reproductive health services

2. Sustainable Delivery of Essential Healthcare through Micro-franchising (Kenya)

3. Creating and Sustaining Livelihoods through Franchising Eye Care Delivery (United States)

4. Improving Access to Safe Water through Microenterprise (Kenya)

5. Innovations in Primary Health Care through Public-Private Partnerships (India)

6. Sustainable Health for Everyone (Argentina) - system earns money with health promotion and care, upgrading family and rural doctors over specialists, thereby improving the economics and self-esteem of traditionally excluded communities and practitioners.

7. High-quality Medical Services for People with Low Incomes (Costa Rica) - offers specialized, sustainable, and high-quality medical services to people with scarce economic resources from both rural and urban areas, lowering costs through high volumes.

8. Community-led Approach to Promote Rural Health Care (India) - rural health initiative helping poor communities come together to establish, operate, and manage their own water supply and sanitation systems.

9. Eye Care Service with Sustainability (India) – addressing the issue of blindness in general and elimination of needless blindness in particular with a sustainable outreach model that reaches those that are traditionally unreachable.

10. Bringing Free Health Services to Rural Populations (India)

11. Delivering Healthcare Services through the e-Choupal Network (India)

12. The Joyce Fertility Support Centre (Uganda) - targeting couples and individuals with reproductive disabilities, targeting the community itself to stimulate broad behavioral change and a move beyond cultural beliefs that put reproductive failure to curses and taboos.



Provision of Affordable Housing Competition – Enter Now

Visit the New Ashoka/Changemakers Innovation Award Competition: "How to Provide Affordable Housing" www.changemakers.net/competitions.cfm

Housing is a basic human right and a primary foothold to the climb out of poverty. Changemakers in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International is hosting a competition for the best innovative solutions from social entrepreneurs who are addressing the challenge of providing innovative housing solutions to low-income and marginalized populations. The Changemakers Innovation Awards series is based on a unique "open source" format by which participants compete for the best solutions to pressing social issues while collaborating to advance current initiatives.

Please join us today at Changemakers.net and spread the word throughout your network to:
· Enter the How to Provide Affordable Housing competition by submittingan online application;
· Participate in the online discussion to advance the best solutions;
· Take a look at our conceptual framework and learn about what leadingsocial entrepreneurs have already done to provide affordable housing;

Three winners will receive a Changemakers Innovation Award. Entries for the housing competition must be submitted online and in English before noon on August 23, 2006 U.S. Eastern Time.

The competition is open to all types of organizations including philanthropic organizations, private companies, and public entities from all countries.



Demo-Net Survey of E-Democracy/E-Participation Researchers

World Youth Movement for Democracy
ymdsecretariat@youthlink.org

Are you doing research on eDemocracy and eParticipation? DEMO-net is trying to map current research on the use of technology to improve democracy and participation:

This is a request from DEMO-Net, the Network of Excellence which has been established by the European Commission to map current research and define future policy in the field of eParticipation.

Until now, research in eDemocracy and eParticipation has suffered from fragmentation, often being disparate and unfocused, where many researchers are often unaware of relevant developments in disciplines other than their own. DEMO-Net seeks to rectify this lack of coordination with an unparalleled opportunity for joined-up, multidisciplinary research to advance the state-of-the-art in research technologies and evaluation frameworks for participation. The ultimate aim of such research is to enable broader and more informed participation in the policy making process.

This questionnaire has been designed to create a worldwide roadmap of researchers in the area of eParticipation, so that we can discover, amongst other things:
· who you are;
· what tools and techniques you use, and which academic domains you work in
· where you publish and which conferences you attend;
· keywords you would use to describe your own work;
· other colleagues/fellow researchers you know are working in the same field

The questionnaire is fairly short and we would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to complete it. You may find it here:
www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=961232097503


UN Global Youth Leadership Summit, UNHQ
www.unyouthsummit.org
31st Oct - 1st Nov 2006

Organised by the UN Office for Sport for Development & Peace, the UN Global Youth Leadership Summit aims to link youth with the Millenium Development Goals, using sport, peacebuilding, & culture as entry points. The event will include two youth delegates - one male, one female - from each of the 191 Member States of the UN.



Global Prize for IT Benefiting Youth in Developing Countries – Call for Nominations for US$100,000 Development Gateway Award

The Development Gateway Foundation is calling for nominations for its US$100,000 prize for outstanding achievement in the use of information and communication technologies to improve lives in developing countries. Sponsored in part by Intel Corporation, this year's Development Gateway Award is focusing on initiatives that empower or improve the conditions of youth.

The award will be launched here today at the United Nations' World Urban Forum III, at a special reception for youth participants following the close of this weekend's World Youth Forum. Both events have gathered people from around the world to focus on critical development issues.

Both individuals and organizations are eligible to apply for the award. Applicants must demonstrate that their initiatives are successful, sustainable and replicable. The initiatives must also show significant impact on youth in areas that are important to social and economic development, such as employment, education, health or agriculture.

"Better access to basic information or services through technology can change the life of a poor person," said Mark Fleeton, Chief Executive Officer, Development Gateway Foundation. "As first adopters of new technologies, young people in urban areas can often benefit most quickly. As entrepreneurs, they are also critical to spreading the benefits across their communities and to the rest of the world."

In 2005 the award was presented to the ITC eChoupal program in India for its overall contribution to development. eChoupal has helped increase the incomes and productivity of millions of farmers by giving them more direct access to markets, as well as pricing and product information, via village-based Internet kiosks. eChoupal is now expanding its service to include education. For full award criteria and to access an online application, please go to www.developmentgateway.org/award. The application deadline is August 11.

The Development Gateway Foundation puts the Internet to work for the benefit of people in developing countries. We provide web-based solutions for effective aid and e-government -increasing access to critical information, building local capacity and bringing partners together for positive change. The Development Gateway is a non-profit organization with activities around the world. For more information go to www.developmentgateway.org..

The Conscious Consumer

Don't forget, the new 4th edition of The Conscious Consumer:
Promoting Economic Justice through Fair Trade is now available! It's a comprehensive overview of the North American Fair Trade movement. It also includes:

-Why Traditional Trade Is Ripe for Change
-Fair Trade's History, Key Principles and Major Players
-How Fair Traders Differ From Commercial Importers
-Fair Trade by the Numbers
-Fair Trade's Benefits to Consumers
-Women, Crafts and Fair Trade
-Shared Ownership with Producers
-Faith-Based Outreach
-Technology
-Identifying and Motivating Consumers
-Reconciling Mission-Based Fair Trade with Mainstream Distribution
-The Case for Parallel Certification Processes

Each copy costs $3.95. For quantity discounts (3 or more copies) contact Stevik info@fairtraderesource.org.


Campaigns Assistant Vacancy for International Labor Rights Fund

The International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) is a nonprofit
organisation located in Washington, DC. ILRF is focused on human and labor rights abuses that occur around the world. Our current projects include campaigns to pressure Nestle, Coke, Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil and other companies to respect basic workers' rights. More information can be found at www.laborrights.org.

The ILRF seeks a full time Campaigns Assistant whose primary
responsibility is to support and develop new and ongoing corporate campaigns.

Some of the job responsibilities include:
· Research campaign options, assess and recommend campaign activities and strategies, and help ILRF to choose campaigns that advance ILRF's mission and vision.
· Coordinate content and provide oversight to ILRF's website; write and review campaign and outreach materials on ILRF's website
· Work together with ILRF constituencies to research campaign options, assess and recommend activities and strategies for solidarity and support campaigns in the United States
· Take part in the design and implementation of all aspects of major campaign activities, including research, writing, media and other public relations, and coalition building
· Evaluate and monitor effectiveness of current campaigns
· Coordinate ILRF media activities, including working with PR firms, drafting and reviewing press releases
· Build and expand networks of human rights NGOs working on similar issues.

The person must have an understanding of international human
rights/labor issues, foreign languages and computer skills highly desirable. Must be able to do multitasks, work creatively and independently with little supervision. Salary commensurate with small non-profit organisations, and excellent benefits. Email cover letter and resume to Trina.Tocco@ilrf.org by June 9, 2006.

Jobs with Global Exchange
www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/jobs.html

Global Exchange is an international nonprofit human rights
organization aimed at forging closer ties between North Americans and grassroots groups working for democracy and social justice around the world. Its programs include Reality Tours to both U.S. and international destinations; a Fair Trade program (including two Bay Area Fair Trade craft stores and one in Portland, OR); Public Education (including a Speaker's Bureau and a publishing wing) and various campaigns to influence public policy around international
issues.

Sweatfree Campaigns Organizer - We are looking for a full-time organizer to continue our work building a network of Sweat-free communities on the West coast and participating nationally in the anti-sweatshop and fair trade movements. The program has been responsible for passing the nation´s strongest sweat-free local
procurement ordinance in San Francisco and seeks to replicate this success in other cities, as well as being a resource for the movement against abusive labor conditions around the world. See the website for more details. Applications close June 9 2006.

Fair Trade Federation Job Opening

Title: Executive Director
Salary: Commensurate with experience, benefits included
Reporting to: Fair Trade Federation Board Chair
Position: Full-Time, starting June-July 2006

Position Overview:
A principal player in the rapidly expanding Fair Trade movement and marketplace, the Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is an association of Fair Trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide. FTF membership has been growing rapidly in recent years, and is set to
double over the next two years. FTF stands at the threshold of exciting new opportunities and is seeking a Director who will work with FTF's active Board of Directors to build a common vision for the role of FTF in the evolving Fair Trade market and movement, to develop a plan to expand the membership and income base of the organization, and to provide vision and leadership to both FTF and the North American Fair Trade Movement.

Core Responsibilities:
· Work with the Board of Directors to assess the opportunities and challenges facing the organization and develop a new vision for the organization in the form of a business plan and fundraising strategy to allow for the expansion of the Fair Trade Federation during the next 12-36 months.
· Provide high caliber management of the new membership application and screening process, and manage organizational growth through the launch of several new member categories.
· Offer leadership to the wider Fair Trade movement by developing and implementing creative marketing strategies that highlight the role of Fair Trade businesses.
· Provide programs and services of direct relevance to members, building their individual and collective confidence, their financial success, and their ability to work together to advance Fair Trade in North America.

Qualifications:
This position requires a creative self-starter with strong diplomacy, interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills. The ideal candidate must enjoy working with diverse stakeholders, possess strong management and leadership skills, and be able to work well with both big picture issues and the smallest of details. A strong commitment to the Fair Trade movement as a tool of poverty alleviation for the low income and marginalized people of the developing world is absolutely essential.

Experience required:
· College degree or equivalent experience
· 2-5 years direct experience with Fair Trade, socially responsible business or relevant nonprofit sector
· 2-5 years in management positions with broad experience that includes developing strategy and policy, and employee supervision
· Fundraising experience
· Network/coalition building experience
· Practical project management experience including creating project documents, budgeting, financial reporting, and project implementation
· Strong speaking and writing skills
· Experience utilizing web sites as marketing tools
· Experience developing marketing and promotional strategies
· Travel or work in a developing country and knowledge of a foreign language would be a plus

Location and Travel:
Ideally, the Executive Director will work out of the office of Coop America in the District of Columbia. Candidates residing in the San Francisco Bay Area or in Madison, Wisconsin will also be considered. Some domestic travel will be required. International travel may be involved in future years.

Interested candidates should submit the following to
joelle@coopamerica.org:
· Your resume
· A cover letter stating salary expectations and how your background would make you an ideal candidate for this position
· A brief (5 page maximum) writing sample

For more information, please visit our website at:
www.fairtradefederation.org.

Youth Employment Summit (YES) Kenya, 2006
13 to 16 September 2006
Kenyatta International Conference Center, Nairobi, Kenya
Patron: H.E. Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya

Over 2000 delegates from 120 countries, representing government, civil society and private sector, are expected to attend the 3rd global Youth Employment Summit hosted by the government of Kenya in partnership Youth Employment Summit, (YES) EDC Inc. Focused on ‘Creating Markets…Unleashing Entrepreneurship’, the summit agenda would deal with identifying markets at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’, eco-entrepreneurship, building trade capacity, attracting foreign direct investment, building an entrepreneurial culture, and youth capacity building for employment generation.

Interested delegates are requested to register online at www.yesweb.org/2006 to get their invitations for the summit..

In 70 countries YES Networks, led by youth are taking action on fulfilling the goals of the YES Campaign, which was launched in 2002, under the Co-chair of President Clinton and Mrs. Mubarak at the 1st Global Youth Employment Summit held in Egypt. YES Campaign works to develop the capacity of youth to lead youth employment initiatives, to promote (in-country) youth employment to address key development challenges and to build in-country coalitions to develop national strategies addressing youth unemployment. To attain these objectives YES Campaign works under the “Framework of 6 Es: Employability, Employment Creation, Equity, Entrepreneurship, Environmental sustainability, Empowerment.”

E-mail at pk@yesweb.org for more details