Meet the rest of the interns!

So as some of you may already know, our very own Tori will be an intern with Falling Whistles this summer! We’re so proud of her and can’t wait to see what she brings back to campus in the fall. She will be an intern in the DC Advocacy Office. Kate who was also active with the Vandy Falling Whistles during her time at Vanderbilt is also interning with FW this summer, but here is a chance for you to meet some of the other interns.

Wish them luck! Send them some FW love; they are going to do great and wonderful things!

-Terica

Clean Water for the Congo

I think one of the most difficult and overwhelming aspects of poverty is just realizing how much it takes to run a country. Just the thought of establishing a workable infrastructure can be mind-blowing: thinking about education, economy, sanitation, water, food, transportation, healthcare, etc etc. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. And that is why it’s dawned on me how every little bit helps.

I just came across an article by Samaritan’s Purse talking about clean water in the Congo (see article here) and the work they are doing for it. The truth of the matter is, that the most ideal situation would be for a government to be truly capable and caring for the wellbeing for its people, so that they can look at a nation and say, ‘Here are the problems. These are the things that need to get done. These are the things that are most pressing and that we’re targeting. Action plan, and let’s go.’ To have such an vision is so critical to the proper and effective development of a nation, but unfortunately, most developing countries are in disarray because of the lack of a competent government. Or, because people are in the process of fighting for the best government they hope to put in power. In any case, when the ideal is still a dream away, and yet the reality of the need is pressing, having groups of people rise up to say, ‘this is what we can do, and so we’re going to do it,’ is vital.

And so I’m thankful. That there are people who care about policy. That there are people who care about the children. That there are people who care about water. And that there are people who care about peace. Perhaps then, with everyone chipping in what they can, because we can’t be superheros and solve all the problems of a world, we’ll move closer to helping the innocent – the ones who suffer the most at the hands of a government who doesn’t seem to care about it’s people first and foremost, the ones who are helpless in the face of poverty and yet pay the greatest price of all. Slowly but surely, one day we’ll get peace and justice for all.

You’re Making a Difference!

Keep Signing.

Keep Sharing.

Keep Fighting for Peace in Congo.

Your voice is being heard. I know it seems like your voice may be the only voice, but that  voice has already combined with thousands of whistleblowers. I love this new video! I wanted to share with you guys if you haven’t checked it out yet! If you’ve signed the petition–awesome. Now get more people to sign.

There are days for conversations and there are days for action. Today is a day for action.

I know right now for some of us, we’re thinking about finals, graduation, grad school, job interviews, and fifty other stressful things for the next two weeks. So I challenge you to come up with a creative way to share the petition with those you haven’t already shared it with, if you’re like me and have exhausted your contact list/facebook/twitter resources.  I’ve decided to set the petition as my homepage, if anyone needs to borrow my computer, they’ll see the petition first. Even if I’m so stressed about my next exam that I don’t bring it up in conversation, it will definitely cause someone to ask me the question.

Leave your ideas in the comments or shoot me an email, because we would love to use them!

Peace & love,

Terica

My Chat with Yves Muya

I recently had the privilege of eating brunch with Yves Muya, Congolese activist and Falling Whistles Representative. We had an interesting yet heartbreaking conversation about injustice. He told many stories of the injustice in the Congo which broke my heart. The first story was of a woman being raped as her husband was forced to stand by and watch. Another story he told was of a woman who had a heart for younger women. He said that as the solders came into her town she would give herself to them to do whatever they wanted with her so that they would not rape the younger women. It is hard for me to comprehend how anyone could do these acts of injustice to another human being. Yves spoke about his desire to end the war with such a passion and a love for the Congo that I was struck with the urgency of this issue. He also made a very interesting point that has stuck with me ever since. Too often we only focus on the consequences of a problem when what really needs to be addressed is the root of the problem. I am so thankful for those who invest so much into addressing the root of these problems in the Congo.

-Abby

Free and Fair

Check out Falling Whistles latest video and sign their petition!

 

This was taken from their facebook event “Watch. Sign. Share.”

 

Whistleblowers & Freedom Fighters,

This is a global call to arms.

…Now is the time we need you to stand up and use your most powerful weapon – your voice.

November 27, 2011 the Congolese are having an election – their 3rd in history and perhaps the first chance to determine their own destiny. For Falling Whistles, all of 2011 will be about building a global alliance to ensure Free and Fair Elections.

On Monday April 4, 2011 we are launching our biggest campaign yet. Our Ask? That the State Department and Obama Administration immediately appoint a Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Congo. For the US to appoint a Special Envoy they must recognize that this urgent ask is demanded by the people, like yourself, of the United States. This is where you come in. In order for the US Government to recognize the urgency, the us’s, must speak up.

This Monday we will be launching our new video toward FREE and FAIR elections, our petition for a Special Envoy and our strategic brief. We need you to spread the word, so that by the end of next week we have 200,000 signatures that our Advocacy office in DC can use to show public will.

April 4th, visit www.fallingwhistles.com, watch the video, sign the petition, and spread the word.

Your voice matters.

Toward peace,
FW

Together we can move toward peace.

-Terica

The Benefit Concert

It is now T-minus 5 days until the benefit concert!  Here at the Falling Whistles Mayfield, we are hard at work on publicity and last-minute organization things.  It’s been a long road getting here, but this concert is going to be better than last year’s.  We have Yves Muya coming to tell us his story of growing up in the Congo and running from the Congo – which should lend a more personal light on what Falling Whistles is doing.

So, on Friday, April 8 at 8pm, come to Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema to hear some awesome music and a personal story about the Congo.  See you there!

~amber

Another Artist!

We’re really excited to have Robert Kelly performing at our Falling Whistles benefit concert! He loves Falling Whistles and is excited to be supporting their cause with us. Check out his music! www.robertkellymusic.com

-Ruthie

Listen to Sam & Dain

Hey guys,

Like Ruthie said, we went out Tuesday night to hear Sam & Dain play at 12th & Porter. It was a great show, and you can hear some of their stuff on this website. You can buy and download their album like I did, and have a small preview of what they’re going to sound like at our benefit concert in ONE WEEK!

-Brooke

Concert!!

I love Nashville. There are so many amazing musicians here! I love finding out about new artists and getting to know their music, and it’s so easy here. On Saturday night, Brooke and I and our friend, Emily, went to see Jake Ousley perform at Ugly Mugs coffee shop. He’s super talented, and I’m so excited he’s going to be performing at our concert! I’m going to another Sam and Dain concert tomorrow. Their music is fun, and they’re fantastic musicians. So come hear some great artists and support Falling Whistles at our concert on April 8th because it’s totally worth it!

Our 100th Post!

Wow!

I can’t believe it’s been two years. So much has happened on this campus. I’ve seen so many changes and I’m proud to be a part of what Falling Whistles is doing here in Nashville.  I’ve seen struggles and triumphs and a few SHAMBLES moments. As I prepare to graduate, and in some ways leave Vandy Falling Whistles behind as a new group of people take the reigns, I have great hopes for what the future of will hold. I’m sure I’ll be around tweeting and blogging and of course whistleblowing.

In the past two years we’ve had visits with Sean and David, like Tori’s mentioned before I don’t think any of us will ever forget Sean’s first late night visit to the Mayfield; the visit with the amazing FW crew from the Fall tour and Yves (we can’t wait for him to come back for the spring concert!);  the really cool skype tour with Justine through the FW headquarters long before any remodel; our very first concert with Sean and the first FW event on Ticketmaster (fun trivia fact);  our first Holiday Campaign;  meetings and events and emails and crazy publicity things we thought would work; we got a blog and a twitter and amazingly loyal followers; speakeasies with friends and strangers that became friends and best of all…conversations.  I’m sure I’ve missed something, but these last two years have changed my life and I’ll never be the same. Thank you.

I know we spend our undergraduate careers complaining, and I have certainly done my fair share of complaining, but I wanted to spend this moment being grateful. I love the Mayfield project–I’m spending this time being grateful, but I can be honest too, right? If I were any other senior, this isn’t where I would choose to live on campus. So, thank you, Vanderbilt Housing (how many times do they get the shout out they deserve?) for giving us the opportunities to make this happen. We really wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the support of our Mayfield Program Coordinators, Charleson and Megan. As freshmen, the class of 2011 complained about “Housing” and “the man” but when I began working on this project these were the people that wanted us to succeed and I quickly realized that what I was gaining was much more important than anything I was missing by living on the Commons for a year. As cheesy as it sounds, I’ve learned so much from this project. I’ve really loved giving back and I’ve even learned from the moments when I’ve failed as a leader. I’m excited and nervous about what the future will bring, but I know that our 100th post is just the beginning for FW at Vanderbilt.

For Peace,

Terica