DC Recap
Hello all Hunger Fighters! What a year it has been! We are coming to the end of our pilot year and I think a decent recap of my favorites is only appropriate :). Let’s see, we started off our August of 2011 with an awesome RH meeting in Washington DC. We got to meet each other and brainstorm ideas about how to Revolution Hunger can bring our message to YOU!
New media Producers decided up on videos, pictures, and LOTS of blog posts. One of my favorite blog posts was “To Be OR Not“ . I wrote this post with the Trayvon Martin case in mind; everyone focused in on such a terrible tragedy but tragedies happen all the time in our face. It’s not until something extreme happens in our own backyards that we tend not to take certain things for granted. I wanted to appeal to all in the sense that let’s not take forever for something bad to happen, before we take action against it.
Now, all the new media producers at Rev Hunger have done an supercalifragilistic job with making videos. We done everything from interviews on the street to hawking kids down in our school hallway with a camera. It was alotta work. Trust me on this one. I have to bring up the very first Rev Hunger video, by Jessie in San Francisco. She made it out to be like a news show which was really cool! It was witty and was loaded with info about Rev Hunger and what was poppin (/-__-)/.
Then, there was the “Dc Students Think Hunger Is…” video. I had hella fun with this video. I interviewed so many tens, teachers, administrators it was RI-DIC-U-LOUS. I had a class discussion about hunger and what it meant to the kids in my school. I got different feedback from everyone and on some topics the decision was unanimous.
Alexcia from the Twin Cities made “Ideas and Words” within like a month of her joining us! It was a total silent video and was pretty cool because the teens wrote on a board what they wanted and it was just so inspirational.
Well, Rev Hunger def did more than just that but I don’t think there’s enough GB space on Tumblr to tell every detail of our journey. But I can say, Rev Hunger has broaden my views about famine and hunger. I have been thoroughly educated about the effects of over farming and nutritional value. Hunger is not just located in Africa but EVERYWHERE.
As the saying goes, Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Tekiah Jones is the Washington DC New Media Producer for the Revolution Hunger Campaign. Tekiah is a a senior at McKinley Technology High School is planning to study film production and broadcast at Howard University.
Fighting Hunger in Washington, DC!
A few images from RevHunger rocking the Global Youth Service Day in Washington, DC! Check out more on our Facebook page.
Tekiah Jones in DC interviewed some students at her high School, Mckinley Tech, and got some opinions (and some not) on what, who, and where they think hunger exists. Check it out, comment and Join rev Hunger neoooooooooowwwwww!
To Be or Not
I will never be hungry. Even if my grandmother doesn’t cook for a week and I’m left in the house alone…matter of fact, she did that yesterday. No matter how much bread or eggs cost, I will never feel the experience of real hunger. I will never watch my skin cling to my bones. I will never witness family members dying because of malnutrition. I won’t have to worry about walking two miles to a well, to get fresh water for my family. I will never have to pay before I eat. And I certainly will never understand NOT being able to go to the Wendy’s to get a small chocolate milkshake. I will never feel these things because I am privileged. Privileged to live in a country where people waste bread, eggs, clean water, and milk daily. It was the card I was dealt. No choice in the matter. Just the card handed out by the dealer. I have lived my whole life privileged. Privileged to be born without a glass ceiling. Privileged to grow up in the richest country in the world. Remember, it was just the next card that came out of the deck. But, I have choices. I got choices on how I play the hand I was dealt. I got a lot of options. The ball is in my court.
I have read a lot of articles about hunger and famine. I have seen a lot of television segments. The message is consistent. Most of the commentators, writers, and op-ed pages agree. Something is wrong. How can almost one third of the world be hungry, continents starving, but a small country like ours has more than enough food? America’s elephant that never seems to leave the room. But, the part that doesn’t sit well with me is that all of the messengers of this message are small humanist groups. I mean, it was only two weeks ago when almost every person I knew was tweeting about stopping a brutal African warlord from killing more innocent children. And they even took thirty minutes out of their busy schedules to watch a movie about dude. They bought t-shirts. Some bracelets. Even tweeted at Rihanna to take a stance. But, a person dies every 3 minutes from starvation or malnutrition and my friends are quiet. Eerily quiet. Not even a trending topic for the problem.
We’ve seen the stomach churning commercials. We’ve read the statistics. We listened to the documentaries and activists. But we’ve never felt the pain of those going without a sufficient meal for WEEKS.
So I’ve made the choice today to tell my friends that the rights I take for granted are only valid if I fight to give those same rights to others. The bread. The hella expensive bottled water. The meal. These are all things I’ve taken for granted.
Tekiah Jones is the Washington DC New Media Producer for the Revolution Hunger Campaign. Tekiah is a a senior at McKinley Technology High School is planning to study film production and broadcast at Syracuse University.
Check out RevHunger’s DC Team at Mayor Vincent Gray’s Youth Town Hall meetings. They were repping Revolution Hunger, and helping spread the word about our cause. And that first picture? Yeah, that’s our very own Hunger Fighters Bianca and Shukura with Mayor Gray!
Teens—Intern With Revolution Hunger’s Outreach Team!
Hunger Fighters in San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis/St. Paul—it’s time to join Revolution Hunger. We have openings for teen interns in each of those three cities. Read below for more information, and get in touch if you want to join the Revolution Hunger Outreach Team!
Read on to see the full description. We can’t wait to see your application!
Internship Description: Revolution Hunger Outreach Team, Revolution Hunger Campaign
Position Start: Rolling Basis
Locations: Minneapolis/St.Paul, Washington DC, San Francisco/Bay Area
Status: Quarter-Time Paid Internship
Position ends on May 30th, 2012
Who We Are
Revolution Hunger is a campaign that harnesses the power of teens to make a lifelong commitment to take on the problems of hunger and malnutrition around the world. We know that we can each help fight hunger, in our own unique way. Our goal is to drive teens to RevolutionHunger.org to learn how they can “Live it, Face It and Fight It” in order to become a Hunger Fighter! Revolution Hunger was developed by The Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition® in order to inspire the next generation to fight hunger and malnutrition around the world. For more information, please visit revolutionhunger.org.
We are currently looking to hire a team of 2-3 youth per city to become our street teams in three of our pilot cities.
About the Position
Revolution Hunger is looking for a passionate, web-savvy, and outgoing Teen Outreach members between the ages of 13-18 to join the Revolution Hunger Outreach Team. This individual will want to gain more skills in social media marketing, community outreach, organizing, and leadership skills. The ideal candidate is also passionate about working with peers to build a movement to fight hunger both locally and globally. We want a smart, fun-loving teens who can bring the movement to life through raising awareness of the campaign and building an online network of supporters. This is a great opportunity to develop leadership skills and gain experience in a fun internship where you are an important part of our team.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis in all three cities until the positions (2-3) are filled.
Responsibilities
● Must be able to commit to 20 hrs/month for the duration of the project.
● Bring forth ideas on how to access a diverse base of teen leaders, service-oriented individuals, community organizations and high schools students online
● Helping to build a teen community and promoting the Revolution Hunger initiative, which includes:
○ Attending at least 2-3 fun teen events wearing your Rev Hunger T-Shirt and talking about the program
○ Speaking at your school about Revolution Hunger with your Regional Coordinator or
giving 2-3 presentations to high schools in your area
○ Work with your Regional Coordinator to develop a potential Revolution Hunger club at
your school
○ Taking photos or video of your outreach activities with your team!
○ Flyering and postering about RH in highly trafficked teen areas
○ Using facebook, twitter and tumblr to distribute interesting information about hunger to your peers
● Participate in twice a month team meetings and/or phone calls
Qualifications & Requirements
● Between the ages of 13-18 years old
● Interest and passion in solving hunger issues and promoting youth activism
● Outgoing, social, and a positive attitude toward life- you are a social organizer!
● Good written and verbal communication, don’t forget a sense of humor
● Accountability to yourself and your team
● Photography and video production skills a plus
● A love for social networking and building online communities
● Regular access to the Internet, computer, and a phone
Compensation
● A monthly stipend of $100 and a small travel budget
● One expenses paid conference opportunity in your city to promote Revolution Hunger!
● Revolution Hunger gear, and support from your local Regional Coordinator and the National Team
● A written letter of recommendation for future school or employment opportunities pending participation
How to Apply
Email your resume and answer the following question in a short cover letter that gives us a sense of who you are (~ 250 words) that answers the below questions. Send to lauren AT revolutionhunger.org Whatever you do, remember to let your playful digital creativity shine! Written or Video submissions are acceptable. Get creative.
1. Name
2. School
3. Age
4. Contact Information
5. What connections, groups or organizations are you a part of?
6. Why do you care about this issue of hunger? How are teens important to fighting it?
7. What makes you the next best Revolution Hunger Outreach Team Member?
Shukura, a hunger fighter in Washington, D.C. talks about her passion for fighting hunger and making the world a better place. Fight on with Shukura and Revolution Hunger!
Thanksgiving 2011—Tekiah’s Reflections
170 million Turkeys are killed for thanksgiving
100,00 pounds of packaged food are delivered to families
45,500 pounds of turkey are handed out
36 million Americans will go hungry this Thanksgiving
At least 12 million are children
This Thanksgiving, instead of laboring over a stove or trying to get the cranberry sauce just sweet enough, I’m sleeping in late and heating up bread sandwiches all day. No, I’m not kidding. Every year, I have been fortunate to have family members who can afford to buy food (and cook) but there are so many others out here who won’t be able to sit at a table and get stuffed, no pun intended. I’m thankful to be so blessed especially in a time that the country is in need and many are suffering. I thankful for my home, heat, and grandmother, who cares deeply for me. I have so much, but I’m most thankful for seeing students at my school getting excited donating canned goods to school or when everyone pitches in for a ‘Thanksgiving Dinner Table” and I feel so proud. I feel proud of my friends, school, and generation. We can put aside our differences and adversity to come together for a small moment to help others. That’s what I’m thankful for.
Tekiah Jones is the Washington DC New Media Producer for the Revolution Hunger Campaign. Tekiah is a a senior at McKinley Technology High School is planning to study film production and broadcast at Syracuse University.
Thanksgiving 2011—Bianca’s Reflection
For me, Thanksgiving has always been about community, the gathering together of those close to me to celebrate: family, friends, classmates, and partners. I’m lucky enough to be celebrating three Thanksgivings this year: one at home in Pittsburgh with my own family, one with partner’s family in Delaware, and one here in DC with my LGBT family. My “queer Thanksgiving” last week, hosted at American University through the LGBT campus group, Queers and Allies, was an incredible reminder of the amazing family I have built for myself in DC. These friends have supported me when I was frustrated and overworked, celebrated my triumphs, and helped me overcome my failures.
We don’t often think of hunger and the LGBT community overlapping, and activism rarely addresses both issues in the same breath. Yet LGBT people often suffer from the same systemic and societal problems that cause families to go hungry year after year: discrimination, poverty, and homelessness are serious threats for LGBT people, who are sometimes rejected by their families, discriminated against by employers or landlords and denied housing or adequate healthcare. Currently 1138 federal rights are denied to LGBT citizens based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
This is a pretty grim road to go down on a day I’m supposed to be remembering all that I’m thankful for, which is why my LGBT family at Queers and Allies and at my university in general gives me hope for the future. Together, we have built a space for students who can’t be themselves at home for fear of rejection by their families, or for teens that don’t have families to go home to this Thanksgiving. With friends and music and good food, we’ve built a family, a support network, and a safe haven for those who need it in our community. And moreover, these same students now have the strength to turn around and commit their time to activism and service, working to change the system that has disenfranchised them. While I’m thankful to have a family that loves me regardless of my orientation, I’m equally thankful to become family for those who don’t have that unconditional support at home. Giving others strength gives me hope for a greater tomorrow: in fighting hunger, fighting inequality, and bringing an end to the injustices that have hurt those close to us.
You can check out what other American University students at Queer Thanksgiving were thankful for here.
Bianca Palmisano is the Regional Coordinator with Revolution Hunger in Washington, D.C.
Motives
Rotating stomachs, confusion of sound
Negative imagery, holding us down
Social delusion, clearly constructed
Human kept hungry, morals corrupted
Trapped in reaction, lawlessness war
Dissatisfaction from bowels to core
Wicked theology, robbing the poor
Light shown in darkness, image exposed
Nobody can see the power food can hold
Few can see through the new emperor’s clothes
When the blind lead the blind
Just more trouble and woes
Thin looking cosmics, from schoolyards to college
Primitive child with civilize knowledge
System collapse and he still won’t acknowledge
That burning belly, tryna not to remember
Trying to fix the mix mind that God gave ya
Stiff-necked scholars , when’s the last time you were fed?
Congress wish this problem was all in their heads
Morale dilemma, pride is the root
Misguided from youth, heart divided from truth
Industrial wealth
Global economy, in it for self
cracked lips, dry, famished mouth
Heart full of madness, covered with kind
Pleasure designed to take over your mind
While classes in government, set up the veil
And cultivate minds for more mythical tales
while kids in my hood don’t even have meals
but it’s the system right? it never fails
little hungry girls still not happy without pearls
While vice and corruption take over the world
Motives and thoughts
Check your motives and thoughts
For centuries this is what my people have faught
Go get educated, that’s how Martin made it
But when the fridge is empty
the feeling is cringing
Lied to your neighbors, so you get ahead
Milk ran dry, don’t even got bread,
Modern day trickery is all you’ve been fed
Tekiah Jones is the Washington DC New Media Producer for the Revolution Hunger Campaign. Tekiah is a a senior at McKinley Technology High School is planning to study film production and broadcast at Syracuse University.
