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International Human Rights Day:
Rally for Economic Human Rights!
Friday, December 10, 2010, 12:00pm (noon) - 2:00pm
Rally at Congress Square in Portland, Maine.
Congress Square is located at the corner of Congress St & High St.

Sponsored by the Maine Poor People's Economic Human Rights Coalition 
For more information, please call Laurel Merchant, at 207-761-7936.

Supporters of economic human rights in Maine will celebrate the 62nd 
anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights with a 
rally at "Congress Square Park" at the corner of High and Congress 
Streets in downtown Portland from noon to 2 PM.

Although human rights advocates have observed the anniversary for 
many years because of the document's promotion of political and 
social rights, the newly formed Maine Poor People's Economic Human 
Rights Coalition (Maine PPEHRC) is also highlighting the 
Declaration's economic human rights provisions as well, especially 
Articles 23, 25, and 26.

The declaration was passed on December 10, 1948, with the strong 
support of political leaders from many countries, including Eleanor 
Roosevelt. However, the US has never ratified the declaration as a 
guideline for its own citizens.

The rally will provide a place to highlight the need for low income 
and underpaid Maine people to be guaranteed a living wage or enough 
income to meet their basic needs. Almost without exception, minimum 
wage jobs are not providing enough for workers to meet those needs, 
and high unemployment in the midst of an economic recession/
depression is creating an even bigger gap between wealthy and the 
underpaid.

Speakers will be talking about how the economy is not set up to 
provide adequate income for all workers, how the wealthy are still 
benefiting while working people are being hurt, and how guarantees 
of economic human rights can solve this problem. They will also be 
telling their own personal stories of economic discrimination. A copy 
of the International Declaration of Human Rights will be displayed 
during the rally.

For more information on the rally, contact Laurel Merchant at 
207-761-7936, especially between noon and 6 PM.

Whose House? Our House!
Moving Forward to Gain Economic Justice!
2010 MAIN Conference
Friday, November 5, 2010, 8:30am - 4:00pm
Maine State House, Augusta, Maine

Sponsored by Maine Association for Interdependent Neighborhoods
www.peacebreadjustice.org
For more information, please call Chris Rusnov,
TOLL FREE, at 1-866-626-7059 ext 204.

MAIN members and those interested in becoming members are welcome to attend.
·       Sliding Scale fee - $0 to $20
·       Lunch provided
·       Nearby child care (register by Oct.28th)
·       Travel & child care reimbursement
Register now! www.peacebreadjustice.org

Join us:
*  to share your concerns and experiences,
*  to help decide MAIN's priorities &
*  to choose MAIN Leaders!

This conference is the first step in choosing the issues - legislative and other - that MAIN will work on over the next two years. To help make our final decisions, join us Thursday, November 18th, 10:00am to 12:30pm at the MEJP conference room, 126 Sewall St., Augusta.

At the conference, you will:
Discuss Issues & Vote on MAIN's Priorities.  Take part in one of the following groups to share your concerns and experiences, and to talk about what we can do together to move forward to gain economic justice and security. The lists of suggestions will be shared with everyone at the conference. You will then vote on the ones you think are most important. This will help MAIN decide which issues to work on-with your help-during the 2011 & 2012 legislative session.

§         Health Care
§         Housing/Heating
§         Safety-Net programs (TANF, General Assistance, Food Stamps, etc.)
§         Education & Training
§         Work related (wages, paid sick time, unemployment insurance, etc.)
§         Economic Human Rights (Right to health care, housing, jobs etc.)
§         Legal Representation

Elect the MAIN leadership team. Consider joining the Team! Nominations Deadline-Wednesday, OCTOBER 20th. Contact a MAIN Leader before October 20th to find out more and to let us know if you want to be considered to be on the MAIN Leadership Team.

Explore the State House by yourself or with friends.

Register NOW!
Go to: www.peacebreadjustice.org or call a MAIN leaders or
Chris Rusnov at Maine Equal Justice, toll-free:
1-866-626-7059, ext 204.

For more information about the November 5th MAIN Conference, go to:
www.peacebreadjustice.org or Contact a MAIN Leader:
Barbara Rankins  513-6292           Tammy Trask   968-2009
Tracey Hair 469-7961                   Vickie McCarty   687-6033
Nikki McLean  772-0074               Dot Treadwell782-4624

Poverty Free Maine Convention:
How Maine can end poverty by
establishing economic human rights!
Saturday, October 30, 2010, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Jewett Hall, University of Maine at Augusta
46 University Drive, Augusta, Maine campus map | directions

Sponsored by the Maine Poor People's Economic Human Rights Coalition.
For more information call Jan: 207-453-2353, or Larry: 207-525-7776.
schedule | registration form | bill of economic human rights

This event is free & open to all, with donations highly appreciated.
Help with travel expenses is available to those who need it.
Advance registration is encouraged but not required; if you
decide to come at the last minute, you can just show up!

If you are low income, we especially want you to come and speak
up. If you are not low-income, we welcome your support as an ally.
For more information or to register, please call:
Jan: 453-2353 or Larry: 525-7776.

The Maine Poor People's Economic Human Rights Coalition works
to inspire and exact change for the betterment of our lives and 
communities by generating a movement that unites the poor and their 
allies. Members share a common vision of a society where all have 
rights to housing, living wage jobs, health care, quality education, 
and other economic human rights.

Maine PPEHRC wants the Maine legislature to adopt and enforce our 
Bill of Economic Human Rights, which we will ratify at the convention.

SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY:
8:30 AM—Registration
9:00 AM—Introductions
9:30 AM—Panel Discussion: “Exercising Your Economic Human Rights”
10:30 AM—Break
10:45 AM—Participant Feedback and Comments
11:30 AM—Ratification of Bill of Economic Human Rights for Maine
12 Noon—Lunch will be provided (with vegan and vegetarian options)
1:00 PM—Workshop #1
2:30 PM—Workshop #2
4:00 PM—Closing Discussions

Workshop topics include: Right to free post secondary education, 
right to earn a livable wage, right to health care, preventing 
homelessness. Attendees will have the opportunity to select which 
workshops they would like to attend during morning registration.

REGISTRATION FORM

Name__________________________________
Address_______________________________
Town/city_____________________________
State/Zip code__________________________
Phone_________________________________
Email _________________________________

Please Check all that Apply:
___I am registering for Poverty-Free Maine Convention, October 30

Registration fee: The event is free; however, donations are greatly 
appreciated.

Childcare
___I need childcare. Please list ages of children.
______________________________________

Ride Share:
___I need a ride from_____________________
___I can offer a ride from _________________

Please note any other special accommodations
required________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________

Return this form to:
Maine PPEHRC
PO Box 105, Fairfield, ME 04937

For registration or other questions:
call Jan at 453-2353 or Larry at 525-7776.

Help send a Maine delegation
to the US Social Forum!
The US Social Forum is from June 22-26, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan.
Donations and help with transportation are needed to help send a 
delegation of low-income Mainers to this amazing event. If you can
help in any way and/or if you would like to join this delegation,
please read below & get in touch with our friends at the Maine
Poor People's Economic Human Rights Coalition (of which POWER
is an organizational member). Thank you! 

Are you planning to go to the US Social Forum from June 22-26, or do
you know others who want to go? A large contingent of people from
Maine would be a wonderful thing.

There are people who want to go but need help with transportation,
either a donation to help them pay for travel, a space in a car if
you are going or know someone who is, or a vehicle that could be
borrowed and used to travel to and from Detroit.

Some important ways you can help are:
1) Send a donation made out to 'Maine PPEHRC' (Maine Poor
People's Economic Human Rights Coalition) and mail to
Maine PPEHRC, PO Box 105, Fairfield, ME 04937.

2) If you have room in a vehicle or know of a vehicle that can be
borrowed for 8-9 days, please contact Jan/Marlene, 207-453-2353.
(Donations are also tax deductible if made out to ROSC.)

What's the US Social Forum? Here are some details below, and there's
a lot more on the web site. As many as 20,000 people are expected!

It won't get much press in mainstream media, but this will be a big
event for peace, justice, and the environment movement in the US. I
hope you can support it in some way.

WHAT IS THE US SOCIAL FORUM?
The US Social Forum (USSF) is a MOVEMENT BUILDING process.
It is not a conference but it is a space to come up with the peoples’
solutions to the economic and ecological crisis. The USSF is the next
most important step in our struggle to build a powerful multi-racial,
multi-sectoral, inter-generational, diverse, inclusive,
internationalist movement that transforms this country, and changes
history.

The US Social Forum is more than a networking bonanza, more than a
reaction to war and repression. The USSF will provide space to BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS, learn from each others experiences, share our analysis
of the problems our communities face, and bring renewed insight and
inspiration. It will help develop leadership and develop
consciousness, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.

THE USSF SENDS A MESSAGE to other people’s movements around the world
that there is an active movement in the US challenging US Policies at
home and abroad.

WE MUST DECLARE WHAT WE WANT our world to look like and begin planning
the path to get there. A global movement is rising. The USSF is our
opportunity to demonstrate to the world Another World is Possible!

People world-wide know that another world is needed. The SOCIAL FORUM
movement has been building for years and believes that it's possible.
 From June 22-26, 2010 in DETROIT, folks from all over the country will
gather to think about what kind of world is needed and how we can get
there.

The US SOCIAL FORUM is a very special kind of gathering- one that has
never taken place in this country up to now. It isn't a conference
with an agenda and a program of events; it's a convergence of
movements, communities & cultures whose participants produce our own
agenda and our own programs.

The mere process of planning, organizing and building relationships
will move you, the people you're working with and the rest of us
forward. The moment you think of an idea, you are already
participating in the Social Forum.

Detroit & the Midwest are welcome folks from the US and abroad into
their home. Please join us.

Goals for the 2010 US Social Forum in Detroit, MI, June 22-26, are to:
* To create a space for social movement convergence & strategic discussion;
* To advance social movements' agendas for action & transformation;
* To build stronger relationships & collaboration between movements;
* To deepen our commitment to international solidarity & common struggle;
* To strengthen our capacity to improve local social conditions, organizing, &
   movement building in Detroit

For logistics, details, registration & exciting updates, please visit:
the US Social Forum website at: www.ussf2010.org.

March for Immigration Reform!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
2:30pm march, 3:30pm - rally in Congress Sq, Portland, Maine
We march for unity and dignity for all Maine families and workers!
Sponsored by our friends at Maine People's Alliance & other allies in our community.

We are fighting to:
* Keep Families Together
* Restore Due Process
* Eliminate Racial Profiling
* Demand Worker's Rights
* End Raids and Deportations
* Create Paths to Citizenship

• 2:30 March begins: Groups will be starting from both ends of the city (Union Station Plaza & Kennedy Park) and meeting in Congress Square Park - High Street.
• 3:30 Rally and Concert: Rally in Congress Square Park on High St. followed by a concert
  of local bands from throughout our communities. Activities for children and food vendors will be available.We welcome all families across Maine to join us.
• For information contact:
  Jennie Pirkl, Maine People's Alliance, Office: (207) 797-0967 Cell: (207) 671-2490
  Bangor info and carpooling arrangements, contact PICA at 207-947-4203, or call Charlene at the Maine People's Alliance (951-7479).

PLEASE JOIN US!

It's ANTHEM vs. MAINE, and Maine needs your help!
March 18, 2010, 5:00PM - RALLY & PROTEST!
MARCH 19, 2010 8:00PM - PACK THE COURTHOUSE!
Both events will take place at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland, Maine
Sponsored by our friends at Maine Peoples Alliance and other allies in our community.

The cost of health insurance keeps skyrocketing, and Anthem keeps profiting.
Now, they are suing the State for the right to charge Mainers even more for
the health insurance we ALREADY can't afford. But Anthem and Maine will
square off in court on March 19, and Maine needs your help!

JOIN THE PROTEST:
For the last year, thousands of Mainers have been fighting Anthem Blue Cross
Blue Shield's attempts to jack up their premiums as much as 35% on
individuals. We have worked together to get the state to make Anthem keep
the rate hikes down, but now Anthem is suing Maine for a guaranteed 3%
profit. Dozens of organizations, faith leaders, and hundreds of activists
are calling for a two-day mobilization in Portland right before the court
hearing to show Anthem that Maine will NEVER back down in the fight for
quality, affordable health care for all.

MARCH 18, 5pm - RALLY & PROTEST!
The night before the hearing, join hundreds of Mainers outside the
Cumberland County Courthouse to protest Anthem's greed.

MARCH 19, 8am - PACK THE COURTHOUSE!
Help us fill the courtroom and the park outside to support Maine in its
fight against the greed that hurts our families.

Here's the skinny: Last year, Anthem asked for an 18% rate hike for certain
policyholders. After holding hearings, Maine's Superintendent of Insurance
denied that request but did grant Anthem a 10.9% rate increase. That wasn't
enough for Anthem! They decided to file a lawsuit against the state of Maine
to ensure a guaranteed profit at a time when many Mainers are struggling
just to make ends meet. That case hasn't even been heard yet, and Anthem has
already requested an additional 23% rate increase on the same policyholders
on top of what they are suing for. Wellpoint, Anthem's parent company, made
$2.7 billion dollars just in the 4th quarter of 2009, yet they are now
asking Mainers to pay even more.

We have a unique opportunity. The March 18 rally will have a strong impact
by reminding the public that, without reform, they are left to the whim of
Anthem's greed. Without passing health care reform, our elected officials
will also be letting us down.

Now is the time to take a stand, and every person can make a difference. It
will be exciting, historic and memorable - but it takes all of us standing
together.

NOW IS THE TIME - HELP MOBILIZE - TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

Two Vigils Commemorating National Memorial Day for the Homeless, December 21st, in Portland & Auburn:

Portland, Maine vigil:
Portland’s Homeless Persons Annual Memorial Vigil
Monday, December 21, 2009, 4:00pm 
Meet at 18 Portland Street in Portland, Maine
(home of Preble Street Resource Center, located at the corner of Preble & Portland Streets)
for a procession to Monument Square, where the vigil will take place.
For more information, please contact the Preble Street Resource Center: 775-0026
www.preblestreet.org

Monday, December 21 is a time to remember our homeless friends who have died and to recommit ourselves to the task of ending homelessness.

A candlelight procession will start at 4:00 p.m. at Preble Street and proceed to Monument Square. There will be a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. dedicated to those homeless persons in our community who have died.

All persons who are homeless, who have been homeless, who work with the homeless or who are thankful they are not homeless are welcome to participate.

For more information, please contact the Preble Street Resource Center: 775-0026
www.preblestreet.org/events/Portlands-Homeless-Persons-Annual-Memorial-Vigil/149/

Auburn, Maine vigil:
National Memorial Day for the Homeless
Monday, December 21, 2009, 4:30-6:00 pm
At the corner of Court & Turner Streets in Auburn, Maine
For more information please contact Robert Rowe,
Chair LAASH Vigil Committee 795-4077

The Lewiston Auburn Alliance for Services to the Homeless (LAASH)
will sponsor a candlelight vigil on December 21stin memory of all those
who are homeless, and those who have died homeless. The vigil will be
held on the corner of Court and Turner Streets in Auburn, across the
street from Auburn Hall and the Androscoggin County Courthouse.
The vigil will begin at 4:30pm and last until 6:00 pm.

"The vigil, which has been held for nearly a decade on the Lewiston side
of the bridge, is being held across the river in Auburn this year", said Bob
Rowe, Chair of the Committee. "The cities of Lewiston and Auburn work
very effectively to provide important services to the homeless. Among
these services are a shelter overflow program, and a rent security deposit
program staffed by city personnel and LAASH volunteers.

LAASH and the cities of Lewiston and Auburn have recently adopted a
ten year plan to end homelessness in our communities. John O'Brien from
the United States Interagency Council on Homeless and an advisor to
LAASH worked with the local group as it developed its plans, will
speak about ending homelessness at the vigil.

To learn more about the Lewiston/Auburn plan to end homelessness call
Larry Marcoux at the United Way of Androscoggin County at 795-4000.
To participate in local efforts to assist the homeless the Lewiston Auburn
Alliance for Services to the Homeless meets the first Wednesday of every
month at noon, at Lewiston City Hall.

Robert Rowe, Chair LAASH Vigil Committee tel.
795-4077

Self Development of People Workshop in Portland!
Tuesday, Nov 24, 2009, 3:00-4:30PM
United Way of Greater Portland
400 Congress St, 4th Floor, in Portland, Maine
For more information about the Self Development of People, please visit: 
www.pcusa.org/sdop
Need a grant? Grants for Grassroots Groups are available from The Presbyterian
Committee on the SELF-DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE for groups who:

COME TO OUR FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
To RSVP please contact Mary Lewis: (502) 569-5791 (email address posted on PDF flyer).
...download a workshop flyer... [ pdf ] 

For more information about the Self Development of People, please visit: 
www.pcusa.org/sdop.

Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhood (MAIN)'s Annual Conference
Whose House? Our House! Back to Basics
Friday Nov  6th, 9:00am-4:00pm (lunch provided)
At the State House in Augusta, Maine
For more information please visit MAIN's website: www.peacebreadjustice.org.

Conference fee:  $0 to $20 (whatever you can afford)
Lunch and child care provided.
Some travel and child care reimbursement for those who need it.
Free on-site Child care (across the street at the Maine Equal Justice office:
Register for child care by October 25th

Learn how to speak and write what’s on your mind! Whether you’re dealing with friends,  working with community members or lobbying public policy makers, there are many tools that will help you stand up for yourself and others in your personal life and in your wider community.

Beginners can learn about these tools, how to use them and how to deal with feelings that are now holding you back.

Those with more experience can share their knowledge and try out a new skill. You'll also be reminded of what it was like when you first started and learn how to support others.
 
Schedule for the Day

9:00-10:00   Welcome & Registration – Hall of Flags
10:00-10:15  Welcome by MAIN leaders  - House Chamber
10:15-12:00   House Chamber (small and large group activities)

• Share stories of how you’ve stood up for yourselves in your personal lives or in your community or how you wanted to but didn’t feel like you knew how.
• Look for common threads in these stories. 
• Listen to how some people made their journey from standing up for themselves to taking a stand on public policy issues. 
  

12:00-1:00    LUNCH – Cross Cafeteria
1:00-1:50    Developing your message. Deciding the key points you want to get across. House Chamber
2:00-2:50  Delivering your message. Get some basic information then try out one of these skills. State House committee rooms. Choose a skill you most want to work on:

• Face-to-face conversations
• Public speaking
• Phone calls
• Writing letters
  

3:00-4:00 Local to Global:  Ongoing examples of people working together to make a difference.  House Chamber

• MAIN
• Visible Community
• Maine Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Coalition
  

DIRECTIONS
State House - AUGUSTA:  Take Exit 109 Augusta/Winthrop. On the ramp there is a fork, bear right towards Augusta. This takes you onto Western Avenue.   Take Western Avenue to the 3rd set of traffic lights. (The Armory will be on your left and Fire Station on your right).  Turn RIGHT onto Armory St. which becomes Capitol Street.  Capitol Street bears left around a big corner and down a hill to a set of lights at the intersection with Sewall Street. You will see the State House with the Dome in front on the right.

To park for the Conference: turn LEFT.  You will now see the parking garage on your right.  This is free parking.  After parking, exit the garage so you are back on Capitol Street.  Cross the street to the Cross State Office Building and look for MAIN Conference signs by the side entrance to the building.  To get a map, go to:  www.mejp.org/maps.htm.

GROW New England's
Grassroots Organizing Workshops
September 18-20, 2009 (starts Friday September 18th at 10:00AM).
Tanglewood 4-H Camp, Lincolnville, Maine (near Camden/Belfast)
**Registration form located at the bottom of this post.**

For New and Experienced Grassroots Organizers in Maine, NH, and Vermont to
Learn More about Creating Grassroots Social Change

Why GROW New England?
(GrassRoots Organizing Workshops)

We believe in a better world where there is:

• Respect for civil liberties;
• Commitment to nonviolent conflict resolution;
• Economic justice and rights for all;
• Affordable health care, housing, and education;
• A healthy environment and sustainable living practices;
• Celebration of diversity in age, race, gender, etc.
  

Join new and experienced activists from Northern New England as we:

• Learn and teach about the "big picture" of social change.
• Gain new organizing skills.
• Learn about successful models throughout the region.
• Celebrate successes.
  

Comments from past GROW weekends:

• "It was the best experience of my life.  The weekend felt like a community-building utopia."
• "Wonderful. Took away exactly what I was hoping to gain from the weekend"
• "It was nice to be around like-minded folks who are looking to make progressive changes in the world."
• "I've made several contacts for future projects and allies for my life's mission. GROW made me grow."
  

GROW Weekend Schedule

Friday September 18th 10:00 am - 4:30 pm

In addition to workshops (see list), GROW will use interactive methods to help attendees develop their skills in planning actions/events and becoming better organizers.

Some Scheduled Workshops Topics (Our theme this year is "Organizational Development:")

• Grassroots Fundraising
• Overcoming Oppression in Grassroots Groups
• Coalition Building
• Media Strategies for Grassroots Groups
• Leadership Development
• Consensus
• Meeting Facilitation
  

Logistics

• Event date & times: GROW starts on Friday, September 18th at 10:00AM, and ends on Sunday, September 20th at 3:30PM.
• Cost: $10 - $80 (pay what you can/all welcome) includes housing (bring bedding), meals, all workshops, use of facilities and nearby outdoor environments.
• Accessibility: Facilities are accessible.
• Child Care: IF YOU NEED CHILDCARE, PLEASE CONTACT ONE LARRY DANSINGER: 207-525-7776. Childcare will be available at no cost, during workshop times only. Those bringing children must register by September 7th.
• Food: Meals will emphasize local food sources and will offer meat, vegetarian and vegan options. We can make individual adjustments as needed. Meals are included in the registration costs. Attendees will be asked to help with meal preparation or cleanup.
• Travel Costs:  If you need help with travel costs, please contact us. Call a contact person for ride sharing options.
• Registration:  We encourage people to register by September 7th to help with meal and travel planning, though last minute registrations will be accepted. Registration materials and directions will be e/mailed after you register.
  

Registration Form

Name__________________________________
Address________________________________
Town/city_________________________ Zip code_________________
Phone___________________________ Email _________________________________

Please Check all that Apply:

___I am registering for the September 18-20 weekend

Enclosed is $_____  Check payable to:
'Resources for Organizing and Social Change' (ROSC). Address is below. Partial payment is OK. Remainder due when you arrive. Paying the entire amount when you arrive is also an option, but paying some before the weekend is helpful.

Childcare
___I need childcare. Please list ages of children.
______________________________________

Ride Share:
___I need a ride from_____________________
___I can offer a ride from _________________

Please note any other special accommodations required (diet, health, sleeping, etc.)
________________________________________________________________

Return this form to:
GROW New England/ROSC,
161 Stovepipe Alley, Monroe, ME 04951

For registration questions:
Iggy: 207-415-4458, Larry: 207-525-7776, or Jacqui: 207-934-1911

In order to create a world
that provides for the well-being
of everyone, we have to ORGANIZE!

In order to take back our power
we have to ORGANIZE.

In order to ORGANIZE
we need to gather, learn, share and
plan with each other.

For a more complete schedule and updated workshop offerings, please call Iggy: 207-415-4458, Larry: 207-525-7776, or Jacqui: 207-934-1911. Information will be added when confirmed, especially in September.

Maine Assoc. of Interdependent Neighborhoods (MAIN) Statewide Monthly Meeting to be held in Portland!
Thursday, Sep 10th, 10:00AM - 2:00PM. (lunch provided)
Woodford's Congregational Church, 202 Woodford St. Portland, Maine
For more information please visit MAIN's website: www.peacebreadjustice.org.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
MAIN leadership team contacts: Barbara Rankins: 513-6292; Heather Curtis: 899-9671; Tammy Trask: 968-2009; Tracey Hair: 843-7847; Vickie McCarty: 546-7569; Dot Treadwell: 782-4624;
MAIN website: www.peacebreadjustice.org.

Some travel & childcare reimbursement available at the meeting. Each year in
September & October, MAIN travels to different parts of the state to hold our
monthly meeting. We hope you'll join us to tell us about:

• What's going in your life and community; 
• What you'd like to work with us on to make life better for people with low income.
  

Members & non-members are welcome!

• Introductions/Networking: 10:00 Time to share a bit about yourself, and what's going on in your life, your community, or in groups you work with. This is a great time to share announcements about events and actions. It's also a good time to talk about what's going on in your community or group to work on problems or issues that affect the lives of people with low income!
• Maine Equal Justice Partners (MEJP) Update: 11:00 Maine voters will be voting on several issues on the ballot Tuesday, November 3rd:the taxpayers' bill of rights (TABOR); repeal of the excise tax on cars and trucks; and possibly the repeal of the tax reform package that was passed by the Maine legislature in June. MEJP will talk about how these issues affect people with low income. MAIN will decide if they want to take a public position on any of these issues. MEJP will also talk about the Maine Property Tax Abatement program. How do you think this program is working?
• Lunch 12:00: Provided by MAIN and Maine Equal Justice
• MAIN Leadership Team Report: 12:45
• Fall Conference
• Fundraising & membership work
• Economic Human Rights Campaign in Maine
• Maine Poverty Council 1:15 Several members of the Maine Poverty Council who are also MAIN members will update us on the Council's work.

Poverty Scholars Program: Leadership School
Augugst 9-15, 2009 in Charleston, West Virginia
Organized by the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary & Direct Action Welfare Group.
For more information: www.povertyinitiative.org/leadershipschool2009

School a huge success!  On August 9th -15th, more than 160 leaders from across the country and around the world gathered for a week in Charleston West Virginia to study together, teach one another, and to work towards Reigniting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign today.

The Poverty Scholars Program Leadership School was hosted in Charleston, WV by the Direct Action Welfare Group (DAWG). Applicants from more than forty grassroots organizations were selected to attend the Leadership School.

• Information Packet (PDF)
• Goals
• Schedule (PDF)
• Participating Organizations (PDF)
• Core Curriculum Sessions (or download printable version as a PDF)
• Skills and Organizing Workshops (or download printable version as a PDF)
• Pre-Leadership School Study Materials
  

Press:

• National Anti-Poverty Groups Convene in W.Va., Associated Press, August 6, 2009: CNBC, Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston Gazette, Forbes, Herald Dispatch (West Virginia), WSAZ TV (Charleston), WTAP TV (West Virginia), WVVA TV (West Virginia), Yahoo Finance
• Organizers Gather to Fight Poverty, The Charleston Gazette, August 9, 2009
• Anti-Poverty Groups in W.Va. to Discuss Strategy, August 10, 2009: WCHS-TV, WSAZ-TV
• Anti-Poverty Groups Target Job Loss, Homelessness, The Associated Press, August 10, 2009: Charleston Daily Mail, Daily Press (Virginia), Examiner (Indianapolis), Forbes, Herald Star (Ohio), Philadelphia Inquirer, PressConnects (Alabama), Times Leader (Pennsylvania), Truthout,  Washington Examiner
• A New and Unsettling Force: Poverty Scholars Meet in West Virginia, Lisa Gray-Garcia, Examiner, August 14, 2009.
• The Poverty Scholars Program, Change.org, August 15, 2009.
  

Press Releases:

• July 30, 2009 (or download printable version as a PDF)
• August 15, 2009 (or download printable version as a PDF)
  

Blog:

• Read the Leadership School blog for multimedia reports from the school

Photos:
Blair Hyatt: Kayford, Matewan Friday, Graduation, Friday Night
Amy Hendrick photos
NESRI photos

Sermons:

• “From the Ashes of Our Hopelessness Rises the Flame of New Hope” - a sermon by H. Mitchell Watson
• "Space for Grace" - notes for a sermon by Mary Ellen Kris at Park Avenue United Methodist Church, New York City, Sunday, August 16th.

Help organize Economic Human Rights
for everyone in Maine!
Local Report on Nat'l Conference to Abolish Poverty!
Saturday, July 25, 2009, 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Pleasant Street United Methodist Church
61 Pleasant St., Waterville, Maine (directions posted below)
Preceded by Housing Committee meeting from 10-11 AM, same date and location, to work on plans for the right to permanent housing for everyone in Maine.

For more information please contact:
Jan or Marlene, 453-2353 (after July 20th), or Larry Dansinger: 525-7776
Also, for more info & updates, please visit: www.peacebreadjustice.org.

Please come to hear a report on the National Conference to Abolish Poverty (see below for more information) by several low-income people and others who attended. Come share and learn about new ideas and strategies to end poverty in Maine and beyond. Below are the current updated version of the Mission Statement of the Maine Poor People's Economic Human Rights Coalition and the current updated version of the Maine Bill of Economic Human Rights. Comments? Questions? Contact Jan or Marlene, 453-2353 or Larry, 525-7776

**NOTE: Money for travel reimbursement will be available at the meeting if you need it. If you want to come but need a ride or travel money ahead of time (or can give a ride to others from your area), please contact Larry Dansinger: 525-7776.**

Directions to Pleasant Street Methodist Church: From I-95, take interstate to Exit 130. At bottom of ramp, turn right (if coming from south) or left (from north) onto Main Street heading to downtown Waterville. Go thru 2-3 traffic lights (Elm Plaza shopping Center), then another light (corner of Main and Eustis Parkway), then down a hill toward downtown. Just AFTER railroad tracks (before downtown), make a half right turn onto Pleasant Street (New Moon Rising food store on the right, Railroad Square Cinema sign on the left). Once on Pleasant Street, go one block to stop sign, go straight thru, then another block to a corner (Gilman Street) with Sacred
Heart church on right and Pleasant Street Methodist Church just past that corner on your left. Turn left into parking lot next to the Methodist church. Meeting will be in the Fellowship Hall. (The whole church has been rebuilt and is fully accessible--no steps to worry about). If you get lost, one person with a cell phone who should be there is Vicki, 207-687-6033.

Mission Statement:
The Maine Poor People's Economic Human Rights Coalition works to inspire and exact change for the betterment of our lives and communities by generating a movement that unites the poor and their allies. Members share a common vision of a society where all have rights to housing, living wage jobs, health care, quality education, and other economic human rights.

**Let it be known, the words and civil rights from the US Bill of Rights, the Maine Constitution, & the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, required to enforce, or bring to life these rights, as set out in the Maine Bill of Economic Human Rights is deemed as if contained, within this document.


Bill of Economic Human Rights for Maine:

1. Every individual has a right to have her/his basic needs met, such as:
1. food and clothing
2. permanent housing
3. health care 
4. child care
2. Every individual has a right to income to provide the basic needs of
   her/his family, through productive employment and/or through entitlements.
3. Every individual has a right to:
1. freedom from discrimination in obtaining their basic needs
2. seek one's choice of employment
3. productive work with equal pay for equal or comparable work at a livable wage
4. protections against the ill effects of unemployment
5. standard of living that is adequate for security and well-being.
4. Every individual has a right to:
1. form and join labor unions and other groups which protect their interests
2. bargain collectively on issues such as pay and working conditions
3. work in businesses or cooperatives which provide maximum opportunities for economic democracy
4. strike without fear of reprisals.
5. Every individual has a right to education or training to obtain the skills that allow her/him to participate in and contribute to the Maine economy.
6. Every individual has a right to access financial services, including, but not limited to, savings or checking accounts, loans and IRA's.
7. Every individual has a right to access quality legal services regardless of the ability to pay.

Health & Justice: March for Healthcare Reform!
Saturday July 18, 2009, 1:00PM
Monument Square, Portland, Maine
For more info, to help out, or to RSVP:
http://action.seiu.org/page/s/healthandjustice
Organized by: SEIU Change that Works, Health Care for America Now,
AFSCME, Maine People's Alliance, League of Young Voters, & MSEA-SEIU 1989.

*ps: BRING YOUR SINGLE PAYER SIGNS!

IMPORTANT:
To RSVP & say you are coming, and/or to sign up for a ride on one of
the many buses traveling to the rally from across the state, please visit:
http://action.seiu.org/page/s/healthandjustice - for more information or if
you can help out, please call Ali at Maine People's Alliance: 207-797-0967.

HEALTH & JUSTICE: March for Healthcare Reform
Join us this July 18th at 1:00 PM in Monument Square, Portland and become a part of the largest march and mobilization for health care reform in Maine's history. Join SEIU Change that Works, Health Care for America Now, AFSCME, Maine People's Alliance, the League of Young Voters, and MSEA-SEIU 1989 as we all come together to support this historic reform.What happens the next four weeks of July will determine whether we will bring the change that working families, small businesses and our economy needs, or whether we will let the insurance and pharmacuetical companies determine our destiny. Failure is not an option. The cost of doing nothing is a financial burden that no Maine business or family can afford. This year, let's make our voices heard. We will have buses leaving from all over Maine the day of the march. RSVP for the bus location nearest you, and a member will call and confirm your seat on the bus. PLEASE be aware that we have a limited number of seats available, so it is important that your attendance is confirmed.

Building the Unsettling Force:
A National Conference to Abolish Poverty
From July 16 - July 19, 2009 at Spaulding University in Louisville, Kentucky
Organized by the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC)
and the Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA).

Contact Information for this event:
If you would like to participate and/or would like more information, please contact the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign at: (612) 821-2364 or visit their website at www.economichumanrights.org. On the website you will find a flyer & a registration form. 

***NOTE: TRAVEL FUNDS MAY BE AVAILABLE FOR MAINERS WHO WANT TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE & NEED HELP COVERING TRAVEL COSTS - PLEASE CONTACT LARRY DANSINGER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: 525-7776.

Building the Unsettling Force: A National Conference to Abolish Poverty
Join residents of homeless encampments, social workers, families fighting foreclosure, Katrina victims, low-wage workers, immigrants, people without health care, members of the religious community, the unemployed, artists, representatives of the labor movement, and friends from the International Community as we come together to confront the economic crisis and to build a massive movement for Economic Human Rights for all.

"There are millions of poor people in this country who have very little, or even nothing to lose. If they can be helped to take action together, they will do so with a freedom and a power that will be a new and UNSETTLING FORCE in our complacent national life."
     -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from "Trumpet of Conscience," 1967
 
Abolish poverty in these times of increasing homelessness, hunger, and unemployment? We say "yes" and turn to the wisdoms of Martin Luther King Jr., who envisioned a movement led by an organized "unsettling force" built across racial lines that would spark a "revolution of values" to reorganize our society.  As we confront the life and death struggles in our communities, the daily Katrinas of hunger, homelessness, downsizing, the denial of the rights to health care, heat and water, and the destruction of our families simply because we are poor, we will come together to envision, strategize and organize for “Another United States” and “Another World.”

Join us!  See www.economichumanrights.org for more information.

Organized by the Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA) and the Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC)

Meeting to help organize the
Maine Economic Human Rights Coalition!
Saturday, Jun 27, 2009, 9:30AM - 12:00PM
Maine Equal Justice office, 126 Sewall St, Augusta, Maine
This information comes from an email sent out by Larry Dansinger &
our friends at Maine Association for Interdependent Neighborhoods
(MAIN), of which POWER is a member.

Contact Information for this event:
If you would like to participate &/or would like more information,
PLEASE CONTACT LARRY DANSINGER:
207-525-7776 | 161 Stovepipe Alley, Monroe, ME 04951
Also, more info is posted on MAIN's website: www.peacebreadjustice.org.
 
Help Organize the Maine Poor People's Economic Human Rights Coalition
A small group met on June 6 to put together a mission & 'Bill of Economic Human Rights for Maine' (see below). We want to finalize this Bill of Economic Human Rights & add to it
at a meeting on Saturday, June 27th, 9:30am-noon, at Maine Equal Justice office, 126 Sewall St., Augusta. Also, we can start working on how to get economic human rights on everybody's agenda in Maine. Please come to this meeting. If you have additions, contact Larry Dansinger (contact info above) so we can send them out before the 27th. If you can't attend this meeting but have ideas or want to be active on some part of an economic human rights campaign, contact Larry.
**NOTE: If you want to come but need transportation, or are coming and can take riders, contact Larry so we can hook each other up.**
 
Attend the national conference on abolishing poverty on July 16-19 in
Louisville, Kentucky that the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign
(PPEHRC) and the Social Welfare Action Alliance are sponsoring. Three people
from Maine are planning to go so far. Look for more information on the
www.socialwelfareactionalliance.org web site. IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO
GO AND NEED MONEY TO GET THERE, WE HAVE SOME AND
SO DOES PPEHRC. CHECK WITH THEM AT (612) 821-2364.

Here's the mission and list of rights so far:

[Proposed] Mission Statement:
The Maine Poor People¹s Economic Human Rights Coalition works to inspire and
exact change for the betterment of our lives and communities by generating a
movement that unites the poor and their allies. Members share a common
vision of a society where all have rights to housing, living wage jobs,
health care, quality education, and other economic human rights.

[Proposed] Bill of Economic Human Rights for Maine

1. Every individual has a right to have her/his basic needs met, such as:
   *adequate food and clothing
   *secure, warm, affordable, permanent shelter
   *accessible and affordable health care
   *accessible and affordable child care
   *a standard of living that is adequate for their security and well-being.
2. Every individual has a right to income to provide the basic needs of her/his
   family, through productive employment and/or through entitlements.
3. Every individual has a right to:
   * freedom from discrimination in obtaining their basic needs
   * seek one¹s choice of employment
   * productive work with equal pay for equal or comparable work at a livable wage
   * protections against the ill effects of unemployment.
4. Every individual has a right to:
   * form and join labor unions and other groups which protect their interests
   * bargain collectively on issues such as pay and working conditions
   * work in businesses or cooperatives which provide maximum opportunities
      for economic democracy
   * strike without fear of reprisals.
5. Every individual has a right to education or training to obtain the skills that
   allow her/him to participate in and contribute to the Maine economy.
6. Every individual has a right to access financial services, including, but not
   limited to, savings or checking accounts, loans and IRA's.
7.  Every individual has a right to access quality legal services regardless of the
   ability to pay.
   

For more information contact Larry Dansinger (contact info listed above) and/or visit: www.peacebreadjustice.org. 

National PPEHRC Organizer Cheri Honkala
comes to Maine April 2-8th!!!
 
Cheri Honkala is the National Coordinator of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC), of which POWER is a member organization. Cheri will be in Maine from April 2-8, 2009 for an economic human rights speaking tour! See below for more details.
 For more information contact Larry Dansinger:
(207) 525-7776 | www.peacebreadjustice.org.
more about Cheri | PPEHRC | what are economic human rights?
 
Schedule of Events
Cheri is scheduled to speak in the following cities & towns in Maine during the week of
Apr 2-8, 2009. All events are free (donations are always welcome) & open to the public!
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Larry Dansinger:
(207) 525-7776 | or visit www.peacebreadjustice.org.

• Thursday, April 2nd -- Orland & Orono:
• 8:30-9:30am: Talk with members of H.O.M.E. Inc. & the public,
  H.O.M.E. Learning Center, Route One, Orland, ME.
  www.homecoop.net | Contact Tracey Hair: 469-7961.
• 12:30-1:45pm: Talk on Economic Human Rights,
  Bangor Room, Memorial Union, University of Maine, Orono, ME.
  Contact Larry Dansinger: 525-7776.
   
• Friday, April 3rd -- Brewer:
• 6:00-9:00pm: Potluck Supper, Talk, & Discussion, with Food & Medicine,
  Eastern Maine Workers Center, 20 Ivers St., Brewer, ME
  www.foodandmedicine.org | Contact Larry Dansinger: 525-7776.
   
• Saturday, April 4th -- Augusta:
• 9:00am-4:00pm: Special day-long workshop -
  “Action Plan for Economic Human Rights Organizing in Maine,”
  Pine Tree State Arboretum, 153 Hospital St., Augusta, ME 
  ...more details, schedule, & how to register... 
  Contact Larry Dansinger: 525-7776.
   
• Sunday, April 5th -- Portland:
• 12:00 Noon-1pm: Live interview on "Mama Africa" radio program,
  WMPG Community Radio, 90.9FM & 104.1FM, Portland, ME.
  To listen to live streaming audio online: www.wmpg.org.
   
• Monday, April 6th -- Portland:
• 10:00-11:30am: Save Our Homes! Rally in Monument Square.
  Monument Sq. is located on Congress St. across from the Portland Public Library
  on Congress St. between Preble St. & Elm St., Portland, ME. Rally will be followed by visits to nearby Congressional offices. Contact Heather Curtis: 899-9671.
• 1:00-1:30pm: Discussion with The Amistad Community
  Amistad, 66 State St., Portland, ME. Contact Heather Curtis: 899-9671.
• 3:00-4:00pm: Discussion on homelessness at Preble Street Resource Center,
  located at the corner of Preble St. & Portland St., Portland, ME. 
  Contact Heather Curtis: 899-9671.
• 5:00pm: March for Economic Human Rights
  March begins at Portland's Congress Square (corner of High St. & Congress St.)
  & ends at the Immanuel Baptist Church (156 High St.), Portland, ME.
  Contact Heather Curtis: 899-9671.
• 6:00-8:00pm: Common Ground Supper, followed by a talk & discussion.
  Immanuel Baptist Church, 156 High St., Portland, ME.
  This event is FREE & open to all. Contact Heather Curtis: 899-9671.
   
• Tuesday, April 7th -- Lewiston: 
• 10:00-11:00am: Interview on “Through the Ism Prism” radio program,
  WERU Community Radio, 89.9FM & 102.9FM, E. Orland, ME
  To listen to live streaming audio online: www.weru.org
• 12:00 Noon: Brown bag lunch public talk,
  Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St., Lewiston, ME.
  Contact Barbara Rankins: 513-6292 or Kate Brennan: 782-7876.
• 6:00-8:00pm: Meeting with the Visible Community & other low-income groups.
  B-Street Community Center, 57 Birch St., Lewiston, ME.
  Contact Barbara Rankins: 513-6292 or Kate Brennan: 782-7876.
   
• Wednesday, April 8th -- Augusta & Waterville:
• 12:00 Noon-2:00pm: Meeting with legislators & the public,
  Welcome Center, State House, Augusta, ME.
  Contact Larry Dansinger: 525-7776.
• 5:30-8:30pm: Community supper followed by a talk & discussion,
  Kennebec Valley Community Action Program,
  Shirley Damren Room, 97 Water St., Waterville, ME.
  Light supper proved at 5:30pm; talk & Discussion at 6:30pm.
  www.kvorg.org | Contact Chris Rusnov: 873-0878.

Questions??
For more information and/or to register, contact Larry Dansinger:
(207) 525-7776 | or visit www.peacebreadjustice.org.

More about Cheri Honkala
As a single mother of two sons, Cheri experienced raising a child while moving in and out of homelessness. She is a former history teacher and social worker. In 1991, she started the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) with a group of mothers on welfare.  KWRU leads poor Philadelphia families in the struggle for living wage jobs, health care, housing for everyone and daily survival. In the past decade, Cheri and the KWRU have secured housing for more than 500 families by taking over abandoned housing, pressuring city agencies to address people’s housing needs and building homeless encampments.

Cheri has spoken around the world about the struggle against poverty in the U.S. She has been arrested dozens of times for non-violent civil disobedience and for attempts to prevent the poor from being ‘disappeared’ in the richest country in the world. Cheri also helped found the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, a broad coalition that unites poor people across the country against economic injustice.

To learn more about the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, please visit:  www.economichumanrights.org

Action Plan for Economic Human Rights
Organizing in Maine
Saturday, Apr 4th, 9:00AM - 4:00PM
Pine Tree State Arboretum, 153 Hospital St., Augusta, Maine
               
                  Cost: $0-15 sliding scale (any or no donation is fine).
                  Free childcare available: please register by March 28th.
                  Accessibility: The location & bathrooms are fully wheelchair accessible.

CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information and/or to register, contact Larry Dansinger:
(207) 525-7776 | www.peacebreadjustice.org.

"Action Plan for Economic Human Rights Organizing in Maine" is a day long workshop and strategizing on how to bring Economic Human Rights to Maine. This day is part of a week of talks and discussions about economic human rights with Cheri Honkala around the state of Maine, including Portland (April 5-6), Lewiston (April 7), Augusta & Waterville (April 8), Bangor (April 2-3), and other areas. For a complete schedule of her talks, contact Larry Dansinger (525-7776).

Join us as Cheri Honkala, a national organizer & activist with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign helps us to understand the economic human rights crisis in our nation and how we can develop strategies and connections to create a state and national movement led by the poor people of this country.

We welcome both poor people and their allies to this action planning day.

What Are Economic Human Rights?

Economic Human Rights include the RIGHT to:
     - Quality health care,
     - A job or income, living wages, equal pay, and the ability to join a union
     - Affordable housing,
     - Adequate and nutritional food
     - Free education, and
     - A decent standard of living.

Just as we have a right to free speech, to practice our religion, to trial by jury, and to other political rights, the right to participate actively in our economy and to have our basic needs met ought to be a right as well. It is in most European and other industrialized countries.

We work hard, but many of us get paid very little. We are told it is our fault if we don't make lots of money. Making an adequate wage is a privilege, not a right. But, we are not at fault. It's a bad economic system that's the problem! Countries where people have economic human rights have much less poverty and a higher standard of living for lower income people. Let's end poverty in the US by claiming our economic human rights for everyone! Join us on April 4th to plan how to promote economic human rights in Maine!

Schedule for the Day

8:30-9 AM: Registration
9-9:30 AM: Introductions (who's here and why?)
9:30-10 AM: What Is Economic Human Rights (EHR)--A Human Rights Framework
10-10:30 AM: EHR film shown
10:30-10:45--Break
10:45-11:20: Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign model
11:20-noon: Connecting the Organizing Model to Maine

noon-1:30 PM: Lunch--Bring a potluck food item to share & a chance to network & meet others

1:30-2 PM: Small Groups doing problem solving for EHR in Maine
2-2:30 PM: Building Leadership
2:30-3 PM: The Role of Allies
3-3:30 PM: Obstacles to Organizing in Maine
3:30-4 PM: What next? and future organizing/action efforts

(Some of these 30 minute time blocks may be a little longer or shorter)

You don't need experience with EHR or organizing to attend this day, just an
interest in getting economic human rights out there to the people in Maine!

Registration Form

Name________________________________
Address______________________________
City/St/Zip___________________________
Phone________________________________
Email (if any)_________________________
Organization (if any)___________________

___Enclosed is $0-15 (any or no donation is fine) for the day $_______
___Enclosed is a registration to hold a space (make payment, if any, on April 4th)  
___I need a ride; contact me re: carpooling
___I can offer a ride; have riders contact me
___I need childcare, please register by March 28

Directions and handouts will be sent to pre-registrants. The location and
bathrooms are fully wheelchair accessible. For special needs/requests,
please state below or on a separate sheet:

Return this registration form to:
Resources for Organizing and Social Action,
161 Stovepipe Alley, Monroe, ME 04951
Questions? Call Larry Dansinger, 525-7776.
 

POWER members participate in the
Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary's
Strategic Dialogue #3

Thursday Mar 26 - Sunday Mar 29, 2009
At Union Theological Seminary, New York City
For more information: www.povertyinitiative.org 
POWER members joined the more than seventy community and religious leaders who gathered for four days at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Together with other Poverty Scholars participants, they studied, exchanged lessons, and helped plan for the August 2009 Leadership School. More information & updates are available at www.povertyinitiative.org.

More about the Poverty Scholars Program, from the Poverty Initiative website: "The Poverty Initiative nominated 45 veteran & emerging low-income leaders to participate in our first 2008-2009 class of “Poverty Scholars” & the three Poverty Scholars Program Strategic Dialogues. The Poverty Scholars Program has developed & continues to expand upon an innovative, intellectually rigorous, human rights based, popular education program/curriculum for grassroots activists towards building a movement to end poverty."

2nd Annual Maine Symposium on 
Poverty & Economic Security
Monday Oct 27th, 9:00AM - 4:00PM
At the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Maine
Organized by Maine Community Action Association: www.endingpovertyinmaine.org

IN THE NEWS:
> Poverty symposium targets 'chronic' symptom: hunger - Kennebec Journal --10/28/08
> Economic Symposium - WABI TV5 News Desk --10/28/08
> POWER member speaks at Maine Poverty Symposium - Joe Public Films -- 10/27/08
 
In the year 2008, in a nation with the largest economy in the world, there are more than 37 million people living in poverty and far more unable to make ends meet. We have the highest child poverty rate of all industrialized nations. Here in Maine, there are more than 130,000 people living in poverty including more than 14 percent of all children. Poverty exacts a human and financial toll that has become too great to bear. It is a condition that hinders human and community development. It constrains budgets and stilts economic growth. To better our communities and labor force and to allow all Maine people the opportunity to flourish, we will have to rethink the way we fight poverty. Join us at this year’s poverty symposium as we evaluate past policies, ponder underutilized resources, and propose new ideas for ending poverty.

Sound Ecology Host Karen D'Andrea
Interviews POWER members
Wednesday June 11, 2008, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
On WMPG Community Radio: 90.9 FM & 104.1 FM / www.wmpg.org
For more information about Sound Ecology, please visit: www.soundecology.org
Sound Ecology Radio host Karen D'Andrea talks with fellow POWER members
about our recent Healthcare Truth Commission! Broadcast on WMPG -- home of Greater Portland's Community Radio: to listen to the program, tune in your radio to 90.9 or 104.1 FM,
or listen to live streaming audio on WMPG's website: www.wmpg.org.

POWER members invited to attend
special worship service & conversation
Sunday Apr 13th, 10:00 AM 
First Congregational Church, UCC, South Portland, ME
FCC UCC's Community Crisis Ministries have invited POWER members to attend
a worship service designed in part to reflect upon POWER's work to end poverty.
Following the service, there will be a conversation where we can meet with members
of the congregation to share more about our work & experiences.
Read Scott Berry's sermon: http://www.fccucc.org/church/sview.asp?rn=302

POWER participates in CTN's Annual Begathon
Sunday Apr 6, 2008, 8:00 - 9:00 PM
Community Television Network Studio, 516 Congress St, Portland, Maine
POWER to hosts live 50 minute program for Community Television Network's "Begathon,"
an annual pledge drive to help encourage community members to join & donate to CTN.
PLEASE DEMONSTRATE YOUR SUPPORT FOR LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS: 
BECOME A MEMBER OF COMMUNITY TELEVISION NETWORK TODAY!
For more information visit www.ctn4maine.org or call 207-775-2900.

POWER member Faith "Nikki" McLean
appointed to Maine State Housing Authority's
Board of Commissioners!
Wednesday Apr 9th, 2:00 PM 
Room 208, Cross Building, 58 State House Station, Capitol St, Augusta, ME
At a public confirmation hearing before the Maine Senate Committee on Business, Research, & Economic Development (BRED), committee members voted unanimously (11-0) to confirm Governor Baldacci's appointment of POWER co-founder & Leadership Council Representative Faith “Nikki” McLean to the Maine State Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners!!! Among her many, many other roles, Nikki is currently serving a 5-year term on Portland Housing Authority's Board of Commissioner, and she is also a long-time board member & active member of Maine People's Alliance. Congratulations Nikki!!!

Rally to Stop the Budget Cuts!!!
Wednesday, March 12th, 11:30 AM
Hall of Flags, State Capitol, Augusta, ME
Organized by the Maine Can Do Better coalition: www.mainecandobetter.org
In addition to attending this rally, visit www.mainecandobetter.org website & Take Action!
          > SIGN THE PETITION in support of a fair budget.
          > SEND A LETTER to your legislators.
          > Click here to learn more about what kinds of services would be affected.
          > Click here to read some of the stories of those who would be affected.
 
Thank you for taking action to stop the cuts!
On March 12, 2008 over 1,000 Mainers gathered in the State House in Augusta to tell our legislature NO MORE CUTS: MAINE CAN DO BETTER! The rally was one of the biggest ever to be held at the state house. Together the people of Maine stood up and prevented some of the very serious cuts to services recently proposed by the legislature to offset a $190 million hole in the state budget. These cuts were prevented thanks to Maine people who stood up, spoke up, & demanded that Maine can do better, that we must not balance its budget on the backs of our state's most vulnerable people, including those of us who are barely getting by as it is. However, while we prevented some of the deepest cuts, unfortunately some harmful cuts were made.

More info: www.mejp.org/supp_budget.htm | www.mainecandobetter.org

News coverage & related articles (links courtesy of MCDB & MEJP)
> WGME News 13 Video: "Day 2 of State Budget Public Hearings"
> WCHS 6 - "Hundreds Crowd State House to Voice Views on Budget Cuts"
> WMTW 8  - "Panel Resumes Hearing on Budget Cuts" (includes video)
> Portland Press Herald - "Hundreds at State House protest cuts"
> PolitickerME.com - "Crowd: Maine can do better"
> Paid sick days a workplace standard for all, Bangor Daily News 3/19/08 
> Medicaid program invests in our community health, Bangor Daily News 3/15/08 
> Protesters decry budget cuts, Portland Press Herald 3/13/08 
> Survey: 1 in 5 Mainers under 5 in poverty, Kennebec Journal 2/29/08 
> Domestic violence programs may face budget cutbacks, Portland Press Herald 2/29/08 
> Vulnerable population feels brunt of budget cuts, Portland Press Herald 2/24/08
 

NO MORE CUTS! Maine Can Do Better Rally 3/12/08 (Watch it on YouTube)
To continue to stay informed about this and many other legislative issues, please visit Maine Equal Justice's website: www.mejp.org. Also visit www.mainecandobetter.org.
And remember - our representatives are supposed to represent us. That's what 'we the people' hired them to do. So don't forget to pick up the phone and tell them where you stand and how you want them to vote on the important issues that affect your life.
 
To leave a phone message for your State Representative call:
1-800-423-2900 (TOLL-FREE)
To leave a phone message for your State Senator call:
1-800-423-6900 (TOLL-FREE!)
These calls are TOLL FREE. You'll be leaving a brief message. Be sure to state your
name & the town you live in, & leave your phone number if you want a call back. 

Public Hearing on US Free Trade
Agreement with Columbia
Wednesday Feb 21st, 6:00PM, 
South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road, South Portland, ME
More about the Citizen Trade Policy Commission: http://maine.gov/legis/opla/citpol.htm
More about the Maine Fair Trade Campaign: http://www.mainefairtrade.org
If you can attend, please contact Sarah of the Maine Fair Trade Campaign: 777-6387
Directions at http://maps.google.com/maps and type in the address listed above.

Please come Thursday February 21st at 6pm to testify or show your opposition to NAFTA-style trade deals! Come add your voice to the collective cry: WE NEED A NEW MODEL FOR TRADE! NO MORE NAFTA TRADE DEALS! The Citizen Trade Policy Commission, which analyzes and makes recommendations on trade policy, is holding this public hearing to take the public's testimony. Based on their findings, the Commission will be taking a position on the pending free trade agreement with Colombia which could come up for a vote. This FTA would be devastating to the small farmers of Colombia & would continue the failed NAFTA model of off-shoring jobs and handing rights over to corporations instead of people. Help us send a loud and clear message to the commission: we want FAIR trade, not more NAFTA! 

11th Annual National Homelessness Marathon
7:00PM Wednesday Feb 20th through 9:00AM Thursday Feb 21st 
For more information: www.homelessnessmarathon.org
Broadcast locally on WMPG Community Radio 90.9 FM & 104.1 FM,
Streaming audio available online at WMPG's website: www.wmpg.org
The National Homelessness Marathon is a 14-hour radio broadcast featuring the voices & stories of homeless people from across the US. The broadcast begins at 7PM (EST) on Wednesday 2/20/08 & continues until 9AM (EST) on Thursday 2/21/08. Listeners can call into the program all night long via a national toll-free number. The mission of this marathon is to help raise consciousness about homelessness in America in order to ignite the change that is needed to put an end these human rights violations. Because everyone needs & deserves a place to call home.
   --More info: www.homelessnessmarathon.org | Local broadcast: www.wmpg.org 

POWER Members on Sound Ecology Radio Program!
Wednesday Feb 20th, 7:00 - 9:00PM;
On WMPG Community Radio 90.9FM & 104.1FM www.wmpg.org
In honor of the 11th Annual Homelessness Marathon, Sound Ecology host Karen D'Andrea presents a special live 2-hour program dedicated to issues of class & classism, with featured guests from the groups No Class, POWER, & the Southern Maine Labor Council.
   --More info: www.soundecology.org | Local broadcast: www.wmpg.org

Homeless Persons Memorial Vigil
Friday Dec 21st, 4:30PM 
Meet at the Preble Street Resource Center:
Located at the corner of Preble St & Portland St in Portland, Maine
Organized by Preble Street & Homeless Voices for Justice: 775-0026.

The City of Portland Health & Human Services Department, Preble Street, & Homeless Voices for Justice invite you to join us at Portland's Homeless Persons Annual Memorial Vigil. The vigil will begin at Preble Street Resource Center, on the corner of Preble and Portland Streets. A candlelight procession will leave from Preble Street and end at Monument Square, where there will be a ceremony dedicated to homeless persons who have died and to recommit ourselves to the task of ending homelessness. All persons who are homeless, who have been homeless, who work with the homeless, and who are thankful they are not homeless are welcome to participate. As the late Joe Kreisler, who founded Preble Street, remarked during the long cold days of December, "Two thousand years ago, there was no room at the inn. And there is still no room at the inn" for many of our neighbors. Please join us on the eve of the longest night of the year.

Southern Maine Advocacy Conference:
"Inspiring Effective Advocacy"
Thursday Nov 8th, 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM,
Sheraton Hotel, 363 Maine Mall Road, South Portland, Maine
Sponsored by Maine Equal Justice Partners & Nat'l Assoc. of Social Workers, Maine Chapt.
 
The conference fee is $30 but this fee can be waived if needed. Lunch is provided.
To register: Download & print the brochure [in PDF format] or
contact Crystal Bond (toll-free) at 1-866-626-7059, ext 205.
Also contact Crystal  if you'd like more information about this conference. 

Morning workshop topics include: Legislative Advocacy/Systems of Change: The Mechanics; TANF, ASPIRE, PaS; Employment: Issues for Maine Workers; Family Law; Housing: the Rights of Tenants in Maine; Health Care - MaineCare and Prescription Drugs;

Afternoon workshop topics include: Legislative Advocacy: Rules of the Game; TANF, ASPIRE, Parents as Scholars; Family Law; Asset Development and Protection; Health Care - Services Available to Vulnerable Populations; "Immigration 101" for Service Providers.' 

1st Annual Maine Symposium on Poverty
Monday Nov 5th, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM,
Augusta Civic Center, 79 Community Drive, Augusta, Maine
Organized by Maine Community Action Association.
Conference is free, with lunch provided.
Reimbursement for travel and/or childcare available (see registration form).

Space is limited & will fill up fast, so please register now!
on-line registration form  |  printable registration form [PDF]  |  poster [JPG]
Or contact Susan Richards at Western Maine Community Action: 645-4287.

On November 5, 2007, over 200 people will be invited to come together at the Augusta Civic Center to look at poverty in Maine for the 2007 Community Action Program (CAP) Symposium on Poverty. This conference is an important step in our quest to end poverty in our state. Ultimately, we will develop an action plan for moving forward.

MAIN's Annual Conference:
"Whose House? Our House! Finding Our Legislative Voices Together!"
Friday Nov 2nd, 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM, at the State House, Augusta, Maine
Organized by Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods

No conference fee, lunch is provided, free childcare (please pre-register),
Travel & childcare reimbursements available for those who need it.
more information  |  register online  |  printable agenda/registration form [PDF]  |  poster [PDF]

This year's MAIN Annual Conference will focus on learning how we can use our voices more effectively in the Legislature and at the State House. We want to get comfortable with the building and with how we can be involved. There will be two sessions of each workshop/presentation, one in the morning and another in the afternoon; the topics include: I. Mock Public Hearing, II. Tour of the State House & Office Building, III. There Ought to Be a Law,  IV. Relationships & Legislative Success, and V. Economic Human Rights: A Foundation for Our Work.

POWER members will be hosting a workshop called: "Economic Human Rights: A Foundation for Our Work." There will be 2 sessions for this workshop, so if you miss the morning session you can catch it in the afternoon. The morning session is from 10:35-12:00 & the afternoon session is from 2:10-3:30.

The conference will also be featuring "There Ought to be a Law," a film about how an average Maine woman, passionate about an issue, gets involved in the legislative process.
For more info:  www.thereought2bealaw.com 

For more info, to find out about car pooling, or to pre-register after 10/25, call Chris Rusnov (toll-free) 1-866-626-7059 ext 204 & visit MAIN's website: www.peacebreadjustice.org.

NEW: Read Hillary Lister's article about this year's MAIN Conference: http://abilitymaine.org/news/ourhouse.html (posted on Ability Maine's website).

Discussion Session: Economic Realities &
National Discord, Part 2 of 1st Parish's
October Peace Series
Tuesday Oct 9, 2007, 5:30 - 7:30 P.M.
First Parish Congregational Church, U.C.C.,
12 Beach Street, in Saco, Maine
For more information: www.firstparishsaco.org
POWER members have been invited to participate in the 2nd of a 3 part Peace Series being held at the First Parish Congregational Church in Saco. POWER members will be leading this session together with Senior Minister Doug Nielsen. In this session we'll examine the discord present in our national dialogue & within our national community, evident by such realities as homelessness & economic insecurity. Preceded by an "add to the stone salad" dinner from 5:30-6:00PM, this discussion session will take place from 6:00-7:00PM & is open for all those from high school on up, with childcare & youth peace programming (including games, crafts, & stories) taking place in the church's lower level. After the discussion there will be a brief closing prayer service in the sanctuary. If you'd like to attend, please contact POWER to sign-up (or for more information). 

"SiCKO" Movie Opens in Portland, Maine!
Tuesday July 3rd: RALLY at 6:00 PM! MOVIE at 6:40 PM!
at the Nickelodeon/Patriot Cinemas, on 1 Temple St. in Portland, Maine
More information about this film: www.sicko-movie.com
  
SiCKO is Michael Moore's powerful new documentary exposing the ravages of the US health care crisis & what we can do about it. POWER will be joining members of Maine State Nurses Association and other local organizations to rally around the opening of this important new documentary & pass out leaflets. For more information visit: http://www.calnurses.org/sicko/. POWER members interested in joining us are encouraged to call Stacey: 650-5092.
More information about SiCKO posted on POWER's home page.

"SiCKO" is now available on dvd.
This incredible new documentary on the US healthcare crisis is now available at your local video store. Watch the trailer for SiCKO!

More information about SiCKO:
Sicko investigates and exposes the devastating human costs of the health care crisis in America, focusing on the corruption, complicity, and the relentless drive for profits on the part of the health care industry's many players, including health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, managed care companies, the U.S. Congress and other government officials, healthcare lobbyists, and even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In an effort to get to the heart of the matter, Moore requested "Health Care Horror Stories" from the public. The response turned out to be overwhelming. When asked about this movie, Michael Moore said, "If people ask, we tell them 'Sicko' is a comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on Earth." Sicko was selected for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival where it had its world premiere on May 19, 2007. In the film, Michael Moore accompanies a number of rescue workers and first responders  injured while responding to the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks to the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detainment camp (an American territory), to seek the medical treatment they needed, which they could not get at home in the United States. When unable to receive care there, they move on to Havana, Cuba, where they finally received the treatment they need, and at no cost. The New York Post quoted John Feal, head of the Fealgood Foundation which raises money for 9/11 first responders as saying that “From what I hear through the grapevine those people who went [to Cuba with Moore] are utterly happy." In an interview with Time Magazine, Moore states "I’m not trumpeting Castro or his regime. I just want to say to fellow Americans, "C’mon, we’re the United States! If they can [provide high quality care for all] we can do it."  The film also covers Moore's travels to Canada, France and the United Kingdom, investigating their health care systems and comparing them to those provided in the United States. Treasury Department probe: In a May 2, 2007 letter, the Office of Foreign Assets Control informed Moore that he was the subject of a civil investigation stemming from the filmmaker's March trip to Cuba. In the letter to Moore, a Treasury official noted that the department had no record of Moore obtaining a license that authorized him to "engage in travel-related transactions involving Cuba," alleging that Moore violated the United States embargo against Cuba.  A master copy of the film is being held outside the U.S. in case American authorities attempt to seize the film as part of the criminal investigation against Moore that arose from taking American 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba for medical treatment.

Portland Speaks Out! FCC Public Hearing
Thursday June 28th, 4:00 - 11:00 PM
Portland High School Auditorium, 284 Cumberland Avenue, Portland, Maine
Download the flyer [pdf]
 
Do you think the media could do a better job covering your community and the issues you care about? Do you want more quality journalism? Are you hearing diverse and independent viewpoints on local television and radio stations? These were some of the issues & concerns addressed at the recent FCC Hearing here in Portland, Maine. On June 28th, from 4-11pm at Portland High School the FCC Held a public hearing to gather information from consumers, industry, civic organizations, and others on broadcasters' service to their local communities. Along with competition and diversity, promoting localism is a key goal of the Commission's media ownership rules. The hearing format enabled members of the public to participate via an "open microphone" session. Further details to be released as they become available. Learn more:

Sound Ecology celebrates 10 years on the air!
Wednesday May 23rd, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
At Luther Bonney Auditorium, USM, Portland, Maine
Sound Ecology | WMPG Community Radio: 90.9 / 104.1FM
 
ANNIVERSARY PARTY, with food, fun, and more! DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED
Join host Karen D'Andrea & special guests (including fellow POWER members) for live broadcast from Luther Bonney Auditorium, at the University of Southern Maine, in Portland;

POWER Member awarded at
Maine People's Alliance Rising Tide Dinner
Saturday May 19th, 6:00 P.M., 
at Woodfords Congregational Church, in Portland
For more information: www.mainepeoplesalliance.org, or call Jenny at 797-0967. Flyer [pdf]
We are very pleased to announce that fellow POWER member Nikki McLean will be honored with an award at this year's MPA Rising Tide Dinner!

Attention POWER members: Tickets are $20 (this is a fundraiser), but as in the past, MPA is generously offering us complimentary tickets to make sure POWER members can be there. If you're a POWER member & cost is an issue please contact us as soon as possible (by May 11th please) so we can reserve your complimentary ticket. Or, if you can afford to buy a ticket, please do so-thanks!

Special Event:
POWER members on Sound Ecology Radio
Wednesday Mar 14, 2007, 7:00 - 8:30PM;
On WMPG Community Radio 90.9FM & 104.1FM | www.wmpg.org
Sound Ecology: www.soundecology.org
Radio host Karen D'Andrea interviews fellow POWER member

Public Hearing on LD 1538
Friday May 4th, 10:00 A.M. At the State House in Augusta
For more information, please contact MSNA: 1800-207-8611 / www.mainenurse.org
POWER is submitting five testimonies on behalf of our members, and in addition, two POWER members be will testifying in support of this legislation.

More about LD 1538: An Act to Increase Safety of Hospital Patients
Sponsored by the Maine State Nurses Association [MSNA], if passed this legislation will:

- Mandate Safe Staffing by setting direct-care nurse-to-patient staffing ratios necessary
  for safe nursing care and for retention and recruitment of qualified direct-care RNs.
- Recognize direct-care nurses’ duty and right to be a patient advocate.
- Provide effective protection against retaliation for reporting unsafe patient care
  and for refusing unsafe patient care assignments.
- Please use any of the resources below & visit MSNA's website: www.mainenurse.org 
  to help protect Maine's patients & nurses!

 
Additional resources & information:
> State should set nurse-patient ratios - Portland Press Herald --05/04/07
> Bill sets ratios for nurse staffing - Portland Press Herald --05/03/07  
> Talking points [word]
> Fact Sheet [pdf]
> Document your story [word]
> Patient Protection Squad [word]

Community Forum to discuss patient health issues
Monday April 23rd, 6:30 - 8:30 P.M.
At Reiche School, 166 Brackett St, in Portland
Sponsored by the Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA), Maine Peoples Alliance (MPA), Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights (POWER), the Southern Maine Labor Council, & Council for Senior Citizens. FMI contact MSNA: 800-207-8611 | www.mainenurse.org

An Act to Increase the Safety of Hospital Patients would mandate safe staffing necessary for safe patient care and provide effective whistle blower protection for those who report unsafe conditions. Area organizations are sponsoring a community forum to discuss patient and health care issues and how this legislation would provide safety for patients in our hospitals around the state.Please come to share your story and find out how to make this legislation happen!
 
Additional resources & information:
> Talking points [word]
> Fact Sheet [pdf]
> Document your story [word]
> Patient Protection Squad [word]

POWER members participate in the
Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary's
2nd Poverty Truth Commission!
Thursday April 12 - Saturday April 14, 2007
At Union Theological Seminary, New York City
For more information: www.povertyinitiative.org
 


Inspired by Truth Commissions held in South Africa, Peru & other countries around the world, the Poverty Truth Commission is organized to hear the stories of those whose lives are in jeopardy due to poverty including the lack of health care, housing, adequate food, education or living wage jobs. Prominent religious, academic & community leaders will hear & respond to these testimonies
For more info, please visit the website of the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary www.povertyinitiative.org. - General overview of this event - List of participating organizations
- More background information on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights & the historical context, significance, & use of Truth Commissions as an important tool to uphold human rights & hold governments accountable for violating these rights.

Benefit for the Peace & Justice Center
w/ Ethan Miller & Kate Boverman
Saturday Nov 11th, 6:30 - 9:30pm; Open House: 6:30pm; Two sets: 7:00pm & 8:15pm; 
1 Pleasant St., 4th Floor, Portland, Maine
Suggested Donation: $5.00 - $20.00 (please pay what you can afford)

A special benefit for the Peace & Justice Center of Southern Maine.
Featuring ETHAMILLER & KATE BOVERMAN of the Riot Folk Collective.
For more info on the Peace & Justice Center of Southern Maine:
Call: 207-772-6714, or Visit www.peacejusticemaine.org, & *Download the FLYER!
For more info on the Riot Folk Collective: www.riotfolk.org;
Click HERE for examples of KATE & ETHAN'S songs & lyrics.

Acoustic Music & Wine Tasting:
Benefit for the Peace & Justice Center
w/ Christopher Teret & Chriss Sutherland
Thursday Aug 31st, 8:00 P.M. Admission: $5 - $10 
1 Pleasant St, 4th Floor, Portland, Maine
For more info, please visit: www.peacejusticemaine.org

A special benefit for the Peace & Justice Center of Southern Maine.
Featuring the local musical talents of fellow POWER member Christopher Teret,
of the band Company, & Chriss Sutherland, of the bands Threads, & Cerberus Shoal!
Proceeds benefit the Peace & Justice Center of Southern Maine, which is home to
several organizations including POWER!!!! Peace and justice begin at home: come out
and support your local Peace & Justice Center!! For more info, please visit: www.peacejusticemaine.org

To make a donation to the Peace & Justice Center of Southern Maine,
please call Melissa: 207-772-6714.

Maine Social Forum: Another Maine IS possible!
Friday Jul 28th - Sunday Jul 30th *event endorsed by POWER.
At Bates Mills & Kennedy Park, in Lewiston, Maine
Maine Social Forum website: www.mainesocialforum.org

The Maine Social Forum is an open and democratic space where activists, organizations, and interested members of the general public have the opportunity to gather to consider some basic questions concerning Maine and the region.
www.mainesocialforum.org / Directions / Schedule / FAQ / Film Festival / Contact

POWER Presentation at the Maine Social Forum:
"Learning as we lead: Building a low-income led movement to abolish poverty"
Saturday, July 29th, 4:30-6:00pm
In the Porcupine Room, at Bates Mill, in Lewiston.

POWER participates in
PPEHRC's National Truth Commission
From Jul 15-17, 2006
Lincoln Park, in Cleveland, Ohio

Thank you to all who helped make POWER's Delegation possible!
This summer poor & low-income people & our allies from across the nation gathered in Cleveland, Ohio for a first-ever National Truth Commission to expose, document, & protest the economic human rights violations in the USA. Here we testified & witnessed testimony of the conditions of poverty & economic hardship we & countless others have experienced here in the richest nation on earth. Together, we put poverty on trial in the USA!  

Testimonies / Commissioners / Report / Schedule / Basic Info / Press

• See our PICTURES page for photos of POWER's Delegation!
  THANK YOU to everyone who helped make our delegation possible!
  WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU!
• Have a story to tell? It's never to late to tell your story: CLICK HERE!
• If it's within your means to do so, it's never late to make a contribution: CLICK HERE! 

POWER Participates in
PPEHRC Delegation to World Social Forum!
From Jan 23 - Feb 3, 2006; Caracas, Venezuela
 
100 members of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign - including four members of POWER from Maine - traveled to Caracas, Venezuela as part of this unprecedented delegation to the World Social Forum. For more information, please see a campaign report on the delegation and WSF events: www.economichumanrights.org.