TASteam
The Feather Project is Taking A Stand by promoting a sustainable future that includes a strong commitment and interplay between young and old, dreamers and practitioners. They want to fuse the ideas with the experience that leads all of us to a better tomorrow. It is inspired by the Earth Charter and utilizes the feather as both a symbol and tool for dialogue.
Like Take A Stand, the Feather Project encourages users to share their own videos with their community. It focuses on sharing stories amongst different generations in order to lift both humanity and our connection to earth. Young people are encouraged to share their dreams for the future of Earth and those ideas are spread through their site.
We especially liked this quote: “When the visions of the young meet the wisdom of the elders, nothing can stop us.”
Here is an example of a Feather Project compilation from the New York City Susan E. Wagner High School Conflict Resolution Leadership Program:
The Feather Project can be found online at: http://www.featherproject.org.
Free The Children not only has an important objective in helping break the cycle of poverty across the world for children, but the people they bring in to work on these issues are also youth. Their legion of volunteers includes so many children across the globe, it’s hard to keep up with their programs. But they sponsor fundraising and awareness campaigns, school information sessions, and opportunities like adopt-a-village. But through all of this work they make it a point to say “it’s not charity, it’s sustainability.”
Here is their mission listed on the website www.freethechildren.com: Free The Children empowers children in North America to take action to improve the lives of fellow children overseas. Our local leadership initiatives bring leadership and inspiration to tens of thousands of youth in the US and Canada. Our international projects, led by our adopt a village program, have brought over 650 schools and water projects to communities around the world.
Perhaps Free The Children’s most well-known activity is the We Day events which bring thousands of children of all ages together for an exhilarating show of unity. This year they are launching a new call to action labeled “Free Form” which we’re sure will get more children involved. If you want to learn more about what Free Form really means, well, you’ll have to check out their sites or join a We Day in person!
The Take A Stand campaign uses socially conscious media to inspire positive action towards bettering yourself and your community. We give a platform to those who have either overcome adversity or have been moved to action in an innovative way. Take A Stand forms conversations around important topics and captures your stories through personal dialogues, collective action in the community, and creating and posting videos.
Our movement is inspired by making of the film “Bilal’s Stand” and its message of overcoming obstacles and finding your dreams.
Introduction
The Take A Stand campaign uses socially conscious media to inspire positive action towards bettering yourself and your community. We give a platform to those who have either overcome adversity or have been moved to action in an innovative way. Take A Stand forms conversations around important topics and captures your stories through personal dialogues, collective action in the community, and creating and posting videos.
The story behind the top Take A Stand video will be made into a short film by an award-winning production team and other short films will be placed on the Bilal’s Stand DVD for distribution! This is your chance to tell your story and share it with the world.
Inspiration
The film Bilal’s Stand was made as part of a youth program in Detroit called EFEX (Encouraging the Filmmaking EXperience) that provides educational and life skills through the process of filmmaking. With a shoestring budget and little faith from critics, hundreds of community members engaged in completing a film that has since accepted to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.
[Embed making of Efex video here?]
Bilal’s Stand is an inspiring true story that focuses on educational inequalities, class, race, spirituality, and the boldness needed to pursue a dream. Now proceeds from Bilal’s Stand will help fund the Take A Stand campaign as well as the development of further educational youth film programs around the country like EFEX.
Bilal’s Stand follows a Detroit high school senior who is destined to take up the family taxi stand business. But after secretly submitting a college application and pursuing an ice carving scholarship, he is forced to decide whether he will continue working at “the Stand”— the only life he’s ever known — or take a chance at social mobility.
This film has really demonstrated what we’re all about here at Take A Stand. It is a moving and educational film that was created through a very strong community-based process. As a poignant look at the challenges for social mobility of urban youth, this film benefited by crew, writers, and cast members who were actual members (in some cases not even professionals) of the communities portrayed. The realness comes through, as well as a hope to pursue your own dreams.
info@takeastand.org 
