Celebrate Black History Month

with Word Community’s screening of the film,

Freedom Riders

Tues. 7pm Feb. 21 – North Island College Theatre, Courtenay

Admission is by donation -115 minutes

Freedom Riders is the powerful, harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed the United States forever. From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives—many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South.

Organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the self-proclaimed “Freedom Riders” came from all strata of American society—black and white, young and old, male and female, Northern and Southern. They embarked on the Rides knowing the danger but firmly committed to the ideals of non-violent protest, aware that their actions could provoke a savage response but willing to put their lives on the line for the cause of justice.

Says award-winning filmmaker, Stanley Nelson, “The lesson of the Freedom Rides is that great change can come from a few small steps taken by courageous people. And that sometimes to do any great thing, it’s important that we step out alone.” (previously screened at the Sundance Film Festival)

For more information, call (250) 337-5412.

An opportunity to travel the world and experience first-hand the challenges, triumphs and hopes of others living in the global village awaits you! It’s time once again for the World Community Film Festival, held in Courtenay this Feb 3rd & 4th. 

A festival pass for Fri. & Sat. is $32, Fri eve $14,  Sat $22 (only $3 for youth on Sat.)

Tickets are available at the Sid Williams Theatre Box Office – Call 338-2430 or order online www.sidwilliamstheatre.com  Check out the schedule online www.worldcommunity.ca or look for the program guide in The Word newspaper.

For 20 years the film festival, deemed ‘the largest social issues filmfest in BC’, has been showing documentary style films about international topics that you may never hear about on the evening news.

The festival gets off to a start Friday night with the film, JustDo It. With unprecedented access, director EmilyJames spent over a year embedded in activist groups such as ClimateCamp and Plane Stupid, documenting their clandestine activities. JustDo It introduces you to a powerful cast of mischievous and inspiring characters who put their bodies in the way. They super-glue themselves to bank trading floors,blockade factories and attack coal power stations enmasse, all despite the very real threat of arrest. JustDo It is an absorbing, illuminating and at times very funny film.

With over 30 films shown in 4 different venues, Saturday is considered the main event of the festival and includes a family film program on Saturday afternoon.  Themes such as community economic development, environmental issues, human rights, social and women’s issues, native rights and international solidarity are explored with passion, hope and creativity.

When not viewing films, visit the Bazaar in the Upper Florence Filberg Centre where community groups will be on hand to give out information or to sell merchandise related to the various issues raised during the festival.   It’s also a great place to relax and have a snack! And make sure to reserve your seat for the popular banquet on Saturday evening.

See you there!!

and provocative sneak preview from our upcoming World Community Film Festival.

Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood

Tues. Nov. 29th, 7:30 pm

North Island College Theatre, Courtenay

(admission by donation)

Consuming Kids throws desperately needed light on the practices of a relentless multi-billion dollar marketing machine which sees North American children as one of the most powerful and profitable consumer demographics in the world. Drawing on the insights of health care professionals, children’s advocates, and industry insiders, the film focuses on the explosive growth of child marketing in the wake of deregulation. While youth marketers have used the latest advances in psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience to target this lucrative market, ordinary consumers will find that Consuming Kids helps them deal with the onslaught of holiday marketing that is aimed at us and our kids right now.

Consuming Kids pushes back against the industry which sells kids and their parents everything from junk food and violent video games to bogus educational products and the family car. Challenging the ethics of children’s marketing and the wholesale commercialization of childhood, this film has audiences looking at advertising aimed at children in a totally different light.

Get a head start on your film festival viewing, and a new perspective on the commercialization of childhood and what you can do about it this holiday season.

A 5 minute trailer can be viewed here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maeXjey_FGA

More info: 250-337-5412

Admission by donation

Economic globalization has led to a massive expansion in the scale and power of big business and banking. It has also worsened nearly every problem we face: fundamentalism and ethnic conflict; climate chaos and species extinction; financial instability and unemployment.

The Economics of Happiness describes a world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On the one hand, an unholy alliance of governments and big business continues to promote globalization and the consolidation of corporate power. At the same time, people all over the world are resisting those policies, demanding a re-regulation of trade and finance—and, far from the old institutions of power, they’re starting to forge a very different future. Communities are coming together to re-build more human scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – an economics of localization.

The film shows how globalization breeds cultural self-rejection, competition and divisiveness; how it structurally promotes the growth of slums and urban sprawl; how it is decimating democracy.

The second half of The Economics of Happiness provides not only inspiration, but practical solutions. Arguing that economic localization is a strategic solution multiplier that can solve our most serious problems, the film spells out the policy changes needed to enable local businesses to survive and prosper. We are introduced to community initiatives that are moving the localization agenda forward, including urban gardens in Detroit, Michigan and the Transition Town movement in Totnes, UK. We see the benefits of an expanding local food movement that is restoring biological diversity, communities and local economies worldwide. And we are introduced to Via Campesina, the largest social movement in the world, with more than 400 million members.

We hear from a chorus of voices from six continents, including Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, David Korten, Samdhong Rinpoche, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Michael Shuman, Zac Goldsmith and Keibo Oiwa. They tell us that climate change and peak oil give us little choice: we need to localize, to bring the economy home. The good news is that as we move in this direction we will begin not only to heal the earth but also to restore our own sense of well-being. The Economics of Happiness challenges us to restore our faith in humanity, challenges us to believe that it is possible to build a better world.

To see the film trailer and more info go to   http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/

~ click on the image to go to the site ~

The directors of World Community believe that the global crisis facing us at the dawn of the 21st century is of such magnitude that no one group, or community or country can effectively develop solutions without the help of others. We are all being called upon to work collectively for the betterment of society and especially for the benefit of future generations. The directors believe in the old African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” We want to go far.

Tidechange.ca is a web site that has been designed to connect people working on issues of eco-justice, social justice and democracy. We focus on community groups active in the Comox Valley, a region of about 65,000 people on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The Comox Valley includes three urban centres: Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland. The Valley is renowned for its active citizen groups and Tidechange.ca is meant to help them co-ordinate events and share their news and campaign efforts. The TideChange mission is “connecting people who share a vision of healthy communities on a healthy planet.”

 Find Tidechange.ca on Facebook.

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Since 1999 World Community has been directing funds earned through its fair trade coffee sales to assist the organization ATENCION PRIMARIA EN SALUD (APS) in Nicaragua.

APS is a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Saul Contreras and established to improve the availability and quality of primary health care to rural Nicaraguan communities.

Aiming to build an alternative health care system grounded in community-based preventative and curative primary health care services, APS:

• operates clinics that deliver free or low-cost care and medicines
• extensively trains community health promoters in rural areas to be able to diagnose, treat and provide health education on a wide variety of health topics
• supplies health promoters with a health kit
• makes medicines available at reduced prices encouraging the restocking and use of the health kits; as well as encouraging continued contact and dialogue between APS and health promoters
• delivers training and education sessions on a monthly basis in central locations to certified health promoters.

Health promoters, based from their homes, provide free consultations and sell medicines below-cost within their communities. As a result of providing primary health care to their communities, the promoters (the majority of whom are women) develop leadership skills and become community leaders.

Many have gone on to create and participate in their community health committee as well as become members of the community-wide council. These positions have led them to direct many development-oriented projects, such as creating access to clean water, building latrines and roads, as well as the creation of nutritional centers for children. They have also been involved with local Ministries of Health and other non-governmental organizations that are involved with many kinds of development activities.

Presently, APS is actively involved with health promoters in 176 communities. World Community contributes over $10,000/yr to APS .

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APSIES in EL SALVADOR

SALVADORAN ASS’N FOR INTEGRATED HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

APSIES is another programme which World Community has supported, through CoDevelopment Canada, since 2001.  Founded in 1983, and growing from a network of health committees in San Salvador, APSIES is currently active in three main areas: environmental management, primary health care and civil society participation.  It works in the micro region of Valle La Esperanza, in the Eastern provinces of Usulutan and San Miguel.

In CoDev’s ongoing project with APSIES, health committees in 11 individual communities near to Lolotique, as well as two small umbrella groups (intercomunales) further out in the region, are supported.  The committees are made up of health leaders within the communities who have experience in rural community health.  They receive monthly training and updating sessions at the APSIES office on topics such as reproductive health, analysis of the current health policy situation in El Salvador, AIDS and HIV, environmental health, and how to track health indicators in the community. Each committee runs an environmental health campaign in their communities, and is responsible for creating and updating community mapping projects.APSIES offers technical assistance to these committees for work plans, policy work, internal organising, or any number of other topics.  There is also a significant natural medicine program, where the women are taught how to make various tinctures, salves and drops out of the plants in their communities.

The other main area of CoDev’s program with APSIES is women’s rights, and again there are many advances to be made. Women, especially in rural areas, suffer within the machista society, and while some advances have been made, there remains a long road ahead. The country is still a very violent place to live, and according to Oxfam International, in the first four months of 2004 there were 1,054 cases of domestic violence reported to El Salvador’s office on women’s affairs. Almost 94 percent of the victims were women. The combination of poverty, a culture of violence and machismo makes life for women extremely difficult.

CoDev supports women’s committees in four different communities. The two strongest groups have 45 and 65 members, their own internal statutes, works plans and organisational structure. The two smaller groups are still looking for training on these areas, and count on 25 and 35 women at meetings. Organisers agree, that if more resources became available, they would invest them in the women’s programmes.

World Community Alternate Gift Cards are the perfect opportunity for you to support our health promotion project in Nicaragua. Buy a card and you are making a donation toward the empowerment of Nicaraguan health promoters to improve the health services in their under-served communities. 

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Join our inspiring group of volunteers and:

• help us with sales and promotions at events throughout the year
• help us with our film festival and film series
• or help us with one of our many other activities!

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Alternatively you can donate to World Community using

the Comox Valley’s community currency:

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EARTH DAY FAMILY FESTIVAL 

From 2007 – 2011 

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Co-presented by

Vancouver Island MusicFest, Our Big Earth Media Co. and World Community

Earth Day Family Festival is a free day-long celebration of planetary and community well-being.

The theme for 2011 was “Play in the Forest” and organizers invited friends and families from across Vancouver Island to join them for this vibrant community building event. A full day of free interactive learning, live music, community displays, fun-filled hands-on kids activities, live demos and so much more! Earth Day Family Festival is truly “community in action” where organizations and individuals come together in a celebration and exchange of ideas, inspiration and tools for life on planet earth.

Live music and dance performances presented by Vancouver Island MusicFest center on the theme “Forests, Faeries and Fun.”

Kids activities are presented by Our Big Earth and their incredible cast of Community Partners, Community booths and Exhibits are organized by World Community! Live music is presented by Vancouver Island MusicFest with songs and performers the whole family can enjoy!

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Earth Day Family Festival 2011 was generously sponsored by:

Vancouver Island MusicFest
World Community
Our Big Earth Media Co.
Sound Advice Production Services
Comox Valley Record

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2011 Exhibitors :

• City of Courtenay
• CoalWatch
• Courtenay Museum
• Cumberland Museum
  
• CV Conservation Strategy
• CV Cycling Coalition
• CV Montessori Society
• CV MultiCultural Society
• CV Naturalist Society
• CV Storytellers
• CV Unitarian Church
  
• CVRD  Water Conservation
• Eatmore Sprouts & Greens Ltd.
  
• Eco-Centric
• Fertile Ground
  
• First Curbside Recycling
• Healing Bliss
  
• Horne Lake Caves
• Lush Valley Food Action Society
• Morrison Creek Streamkeepers
  
• Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society
  
• Our Big Earth
• Phoenix Healing Arts
  
• Project Watershed
• Restore (Habitat for Humanity)
• Sierra Club Comox Valley
• Sunshine Organics
• Tsolum River Restoration Society
• Vancouver Island MusicFest
• World Community & WC Bikes

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