Free Tibet! Action Camp is a week-long intensive training in the skills and strategies of nonviolent action and grassroots organizing for the current and future leaders of the movement for Tibetan independence.
Camp will give you the skills to be a leader in the movement to free Tibet, and give you the energy to keep doing it for the next ten years!
Action Camp immerses participants in a comprehensive curriculum that includes the history and philosophy of applied nonviolence, grassroots organizing, campaign strategy, media advocacy, nonviolent direct action tactics, political theater, fund-raising, and more.
The camp brings together student activists, Tibetan community organizers, and seasoned human rights campaigners from around the world for a week of workshops, presentations, and discussions to advance the goal of human rights and freedom for Tibet.
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| OUR HOME FOR THE WEEK |
Non-violent direct action training!
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| ...even learning to climb! |
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| Celebrating Tibetan culture |
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| Making lifelong friends and establishing connections across the world... |
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| Warriors for rangzen! |
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| Learning about true solidarity. |
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| Leaving the campsite with more inspiration and determination for the cause than ever before. |
Amie's thoughts:
Going into action camp was like stepping into a new way of life where every day you lived for a purpose and shared dream with those around you. For seven days we ate, slept, breathed 'Resistance' in all it's forms; and some were more easy to face than others! From 7am you were up and out in the German countryside, learning how to strategically fight in this struggle. This camp brought together Activists and Tibetan freedom fighters from all across the globe and threw us into one melting pot of campaigns teachings, direct action training and network building. From our own spot at Edinburgh back home, it was liberating to become connected to so many inspirational Activists from as far away as Taiwan and Brazil; each reflecting the same determination for solidarity in their hearts.
Each of us going into this had brought our own personal goals and aspirations, but as the pot boiled, often the most unexpected of realizations would spit out. It was certainly a week for eye opening personal experiences; and with so much to challenge each and every individual, personal reflection at the end of each day was a welcomed break before we would again, be hit with the realization of the severity of the cause we are involved with in our interactions with Tibetan heroes, ex-political prisoners and Documentary makers that have risked their lives to tell us their story.
Each of us going into this had brought our own personal goals and aspirations, but as the pot boiled, often the most unexpected of realizations would spit out. It was certainly a week for eye opening personal experiences; and with so much to challenge each and every individual, personal reflection at the end of each day was a welcomed break before we would again, be hit with the realization of the severity of the cause we are involved with in our interactions with Tibetan heroes, ex-political prisoners and Documentary makers that have risked their lives to tell us their story.
It was this diversity of experiences, coupled with the friendships and bonds you could make with fellow Activists and supporters across borders which made this experience so dynamic and brought to you lessons in ways outside a classroom. Although taking practice in 'stepping back', may have been an unexpected mountain to climb, the view of my Tibetan friends and Supporters pushing themselves to the next level and inspiring those around them was worth all the challenge. I'm thankful that I could be there and witness it.
Although you often leave such heartwarming experiences with a sense of sadness that you cannot live in those moments forever; the week has create a new bundle of reserve energy within each of us, with the ability to reach into our memories and hold onto that feeling every time things get too much. Sometimes in Tibetan Freedom struggle we can feel alone in our efforts to bring about change; Which is why i am so thankful to have been part of such a strong family of activists at Edinburgh University. However, i have often felt as a non--Tibetan supporter, unsure of my place in the movement; whether i am steeping up too much , and how my actions are affecting what is in reality not my cause. Then i went to Germany.
Although you often leave such heartwarming experiences with a sense of sadness that you cannot live in those moments forever; the week has create a new bundle of reserve energy within each of us, with the ability to reach into our memories and hold onto that feeling every time things get too much. Sometimes in Tibetan Freedom struggle we can feel alone in our efforts to bring about change; Which is why i am so thankful to have been part of such a strong family of activists at Edinburgh University. However, i have often felt as a non--Tibetan supporter, unsure of my place in the movement; whether i am steeping up too much , and how my actions are affecting what is in reality not my cause. Then i went to Germany.
Going to action camp demonstration a vision of the future. A future where Tibetans have full control over their Resistance and are not only effectively bringing about change in their community, but that change is creating a rippling effect; crashing across the globe. This could be seen in the demographics of nationalities present, and the fact that so many foreign supporters are inspired to Action. I remember the a special quote by Gandhi, 'where there is love, there is life', and truly, the courage and determination i was fortunate enough to witness on this camp proved to me that there will always be life in the Tibetan Freedom movement, as long as it is led by the shared love for this vision. So as a non-Tibetan supporter, Action camp taught me that sometimes space is the greatest thing you can bring to the movement; space to learn, space to grow and most importantly, space for this Vision to come about; after all, this is what we are all fighting for.
And if you like the sound of Action camp, get your own activist training at...
SFT UK national training conference 2013!
Get ready for an engaging and energy packed weekend, coming soon! If you missed out on this years Action Camp in Germany, now is the time to brush up on some training and meet some amazing like minded activists in the country.
The annual action packed SFT UK conference is fast approaching! This year we're heading to University of Sussex on the 2nd and 3rd November!
Get ready for an engaging and energy packed weekend, coming soon! If you missed out on this years Action Camp in Germany, now is the time to brush up on some training and meet some amazing like minded activists in the country.
The annual action packed SFT UK conference is fast approaching! This year we're heading to University of Sussex on the 2nd and 3rd November!
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