Activist Connect

When it comes to tackling climate change there are two types of measures: climate change mitigation, and climate change adaptation. Most of the work we will do as activists falls under climate change mitigation- because we are calling on our own government and big business to take actions that will reduce our carbon emissions. But our activism efforts must be strategic and go hand-in-hand with humanitarian efforts. It’s crucial that those who are advocating and campaigning to mitigate climate change, are listening to the voices of those who are affected by climate change, and working together to ensure everyone’s needs are being met. Connect with us:https://www.facebook.com/activistconnecthttps://www.instagram.com/activistconnect/

Why should the climate justice space take an intersectional approach?Intersectionality focuses on how social categories such as gender, race, socio-class, ability, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of our identity interact on multiple levels, contributing to discrimination, exclusion, social inequality and systemic injustice.Connect with us:https://www.facebook.com/activistconnecthttps://www.instagram.com/activistconnect/

Why is climate change a human rights issue?While we largely understand climate change through the impacts it will have on our natural world, it is the devastation that it is causing and will continue to cause for humanity that makes it an urgent human rights issue. Climate Change will compound and magnify existing inequalities. These effects will continue to grow and worsen over time, creating ruin for current and future generations. Climate justice understands the issue of climate change as an issue of both environmental and social justice.Connect with us:https://www.facebook.com/activistconnecthttps://www.instagram.com/activistconnect/

Amnesty International states that people should be empowered to make their own decisions about their bodies and live their lives without interference from others. In this episode we hear from Australian sex workers, including, strippers, escorts, and brothel workers, who share their lived experience and discuss discrimination, sex workers rights, and bodily autonomy, as we explore the need for a sex positive feminist movement, here in Australia. Amnesty International’s RESOLUTION ON STATE OBLIGATIONS TO RESPECT PROTECT AND FULFIL THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF SEX WORKERS: https://www.amnesty.org/en/policy-on-state-obligations-to-respect-protect-and-fulfil-the-human-rights-of-sex-workers/Lana Jade's Instagram @whatss.my.name.againConnect with us on Facebook & Instagram @acivistconnect

Despite the positive results of the marriage equality campaign in 2017, we still have a long way to go to end discirimination, injustice and inequality towards Australia's LGBTQI+ community. In this episode we are talking all about defending LGBTQI+ rights with Amnesty Australia with Kirra from Amnesty Sunshine Coast, and supporting LGBTQI+ youth with Brock from Wear It Purple.

When we think about the complexities of the global refugee crisis, we often think about bringing refugees to safety- but bringing them here is only half of it. Once refugees arrive, we still need to welcome refugees into our communities, uphold the human rights of refugees, and demonstrate compassion for refugees and how they enhance cultural and religious diversity in the community. In this episode we chat to Robi, a young Rohingya refugee, who sheds some light on to Rohingya crisis, and what activists and community members can do to be more welcoming and allow refugees to integrate into our communities. We also explore some of the many ways individuals and activists can work together to welcome refugees into their community.

Words can change the world- in this episode we explore how activists can harness the power of language to make a positive impact.One of the most significant ways that Amnesty International has used words to change the world is through letter writing. We look at online writing and letter writing tips and tricks, how to write to an MP, and we chat to Courteney, a volunteer for Amnesty's Urgent Action network, to hear about the history of letter writing and urgent actions in Amnesty's broader model for campaigning for human rights.

Serious reflection compels us to consider exactly whether and how Amnesty International – and the human rights movement as a whole – is accommodating persons with disabilities or mental health problems and the disability rights and mental health agenda in its human rights work. In this episode, we will explore topics like mental health and human rights violations, how human rights activists can be more inclusive and accessible in activism spaces, self-care tips for activists, and we chat to Loughlin, an Amnesty International student activist, disability advocate and documentary producer, and the executive producer of Minds In Tune, a podcast that discusses mental health and music.You can listen to Minds In Tune here: https://anchor.fm/mindsintune https://mindsintune.org/

We chat with Amnesty students and hear the perspectives of young people who are actively engaged in human rights education and action, and to hear why they believe human rights should be a part of every students education. Human rights education should teach both about human rights and for human rights. Its goal is to help students understand human rights, value human rights, and take responsibility for respecting, defending, and promoting human rights.

To kick of our first episode of 2019, Activist Connect host Tiyana J outlines some valuable tips and tricks to help activists have meaningful conversations for change. Tiyana has experience in media, communications, campaigning, and community organising, across the humanitarian sector. We cover important things like inspiring action, handling objections, and principles of persuasion, which can all be used when you’re posting on social media, sending a campaign related email, talking to people at an event, or trying to get people to take a specific action like signing a petition.

To celebrate this year's 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we look back on the human rights movement throughout history. We discuss human rights doctrine throughout the ages, recount some landmark human rights cases in Australia, and reflect on the birth of the world's largest human rights organisation- Amnesty International. We also chat to Peter Hanley, who has been involved with Amnesty International Australia for over 30 years, giving us an insight into how the human rights movement has changed, and some highlights of being a long-term Amnesty activist.

As any activist would know, successful movements are powered and sustained by deep, and empowering relationships between activists. This is why building a sense of community is so important in activism. In this episode, we sit down with Irena Bee to talk about how you can better influence people in your community, and build a stronger community of human rights defenders. Irena has been teaching nonprofits how to tell their story – in the media, social media and through events and direct engagement, for over 25 years.

In this episode, we take a look at abortion rights in Australia and around the world, and discuss what it is like to live in an Australian state where the government still controls our right to healthcare services like abortion. We talk to Ellie, from the Women’s Abortion Rights Campaign (WARC) in Brisbane about the importance of abortion rights and women’s rights. We also chat to Hope, another activist from WARC, about the current campaign to decriminalise abortion in QLD.UPDATE: Abortion was decriminalised in Queensland on the 18th of October, 2018!

In our first episode of Activist Connect, we sit down with Amnesty Australia's refugee campaigner, Shankar Kasynathan. Shankar chats to us about his experience as a refugee arriving in Australia in 1987, and about Amnesty Australia’s My New Neighbour Campaign. We discuss tips and tricks for community campaigning, and hear from Amnesty Maroochydore about how they are campaigning for a fairer community sponsorship program for refugees in their community.