Join the Brite Revolution

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There’s a really cool new site called Brite Revolution that have recently reached out to us and we think you should check out what they’re doing! They’re a subscription-based music download site that gives away a portion of the proceeds to various causes, like Compassion International, Blood:Water Mission, Save Darfur, and Invisible Children.  

That means when you subscribe for $4.99 a month, you can get unlimited downloads and access to videos, blogs and exclusive content from their community of artists. Check it out- support good music, philanthropy and find your new favorite band.

Biffy Clyro reps IC at the MTV Australia Awards 2009!

This past Friday, the MTV Australia Awards celebrated some our of favorite musical acts, hosted by one of our biggest supporters- Pete Wentz! The show featured Backstage Jams with two incredible acoustic sets by Scottish band- Biffy Clyro, wearing an IC tshirt! Biffy Clyro is one of those bands that has maintained musical integrity throughout the years, “We’re not dressed crazily, people stood up and took notice because we were making great music” says Simon Neil. That seems to be the common ground among all of the artists that have supported our mission, and we continue to be blown away by the artists that have come alongside us. Thanks for showing your support, Biffy Clyro! Check this band out if you haven’t already.

Watch the sets:

Umbrella (Rihanna cover)

Mountains

Speaking of Australia- you guys continue to amaze us. This is our first tour in Australia, and we’ve discovered that we definitely have a movement that’s growing bigger than we could’ve ever imagined. Australia Event Co-ordinator (and resident New Zealander) Timmy Harris raves daily about the feedback he gets from our friends down under. (Do people still use that term?) So keep up the great work Aussie friends, you are still our favorite ‘rescuers down under’. Ok, I will stop now.

The Rescue House Party Today: Unveiling of the Rescue Plan

Today, the official Rescue Plan launched on our RESCUE website. This means: House Party. For those fo you who don’t know, today is the Official March 25th House PartyDay. It’s an open invitation to have a house party, get your friends together, make some food, and take note! It gives you a run-down of what you need to do and how you can prepare for the RESCUE in one month.

Can you believe it? The RESCUE is only one month away. So we’ve all got a lot to do. We need you, yes YOU to help us get the moguls, the culture makers, the celebrities there. How will you do that? Easy. Youtube. Check out this sample video, and make your own right now. In fact, I think I’ll invite Brad Pitt right now…

You are our word-of-mouth, so buy the tees, wear them, blog about it, post it on your facebook status. We only have a month to make history.

Watch the RESCUE Plan and get pumped. What better reason to have a house party? Party on, friends!

The LRA on Primetime

Alright everyone, get your TiVo’s ready. Our good friend John Prendergast at Enough has been working with the people at NBC on a special episode of “Law & Order: SVU” that will feature a back story of Child Soldiers abducted by the LRA. The episode will air on Tuesday, March 31st.

As a part of the preparation for the episode the good people at Enough put together a comprehensive webpage about the LRA and the situation in northern Uganda. It would be a great resource for you to give to your friends who want to learn more about the situation. Hey! You could even show them at the house party you are going to host on March 25th.

Come Party and Watch The Rescue

Alright folks, after you have hosted your house party on March 25th to watch the reveal of The Official Rescue Plan on our website (we’re all doing this right? ok. good.), if you’re in the San Diego area come party with us. If you’re not in the San Diego area, you should be. We’d love to see you.

On Thursday, March 26^th our friends at 6 Degrees of Transformation are hosting a party for the RESCUE at Thin/Onyx in San Diego. The evening will begin at 6pm, with a screening of The Rescue of Joseph Kony’s Child Soldiers followed by a birthday celebration, with all proceeds going towards Invisible Children. Donations are suggested at the door ranging from $10-$20 or higher. A $10 donation gets you a raffle ticket. So if you’re looking for something to do next Thursday in the San Diego area, check out this RESCUE party and watch the new film!

The Details:

Thursday March 26^th 2009

6pm at Thin/Onyx

825 5^th ave. San Diego

Donation at the door- $10-$20 min

IC at SXSW tomorrow!

Hey friends, 

Our crew is about to head to Austin, TX for one of the biggest music festivals in the country- South by SouthWest! We’re so excited to spread the word about the RESCUE. If you’re heading there this week, be sure to look out for us at the Mustache March- where we’ll be parading through the streets with staches, courtesy of our friends at Causecast.  We’ll meet this Thursday at the SE corner of Brazos and 6th, for more info check out our Facebook Event.

We’ll also have booths set up at some very cool showcases- come find us at:

Sleepercar at Club Deville on Thursday at 8:30pm

Delta Spirit at Cedar Street Courtyard on Thursday at 8pm

AAM showcase at Habana Calle from 12pm-6pm

Favorite Gentlemen Showcase (featuring Manchester Orchestra) from 12pm-5pm

Third Eye Blind at Stubbs on Saturday at 6pm

Pompeii at Spiros on Saturday at 8pm

Can’t wait to see you out there!

Want to be in a RESCUE Video?

Invisible Children needs your help! We are filming a promotional video for The Rescue (if you haven’t heard about it yet, check it out on our website at therescue.invisiblechildren.com) and we need you to be in it! Here are the details:

Date: Tuesday, March 17th 

Time: 1pm-6pm 

Location: Balboa Park - West side (6th Ave. & Laurel St., San Diego 92103) 

What to Bring: Most importantly, yourself! If you already have the event t-shirt (the green one with the AK-47 on it) or the “I heart the LRA” shirt, PLEASE wear it…this would be a huge help to us! We are pre-enacting the event that will take place on April 25th so bring a sleeping bag, pillow, 2 family photos, enough food for the night, a pen, and paper. 

R.S.V.P.: If you plan on coming, please reply to this email or email kvandivort@invisiblechildren.comwith your name and the number of people you will be bringing. 

Look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!

New Track from Afrikan Boy and Bamboozle Festival!

“A son of a continent where warriors and leaders are born, third world might be in debt but we’ve have more wealth than everyone” – Captain Afrika

Hey everyone,

Cool news to share. Afrikan Boy, a huge supporter of Invisible Children, has posted a new track on his MySpace called ‘Captain Afrika’ that drops a line about Invisible Children! The song talks about his deep connection to his African roots (he’s Nigerian), even though he has a ‘UK passport’. Something a lot of us relate to, that’s why we feel that the children caught in this conflict need to be heard in creative ways in order to influence culture.

Afrikan Boy has teamed up with M.I.A in the past with songs like Paper Planes and Hussell- the soundtrack of so many Invisible Children films and podcasts. We wanted to give a shout out to him for his commitment towards our mission and we’re really excited to have him at our April 25th RESCUE event in London, England.

Check out his latest single available on Itunes called ‘Lagos Town’ from his album The Rise of Captain Afrika.

BAMBOOZLE ‘09

Also- Bamboozle Left is fast approaching! On April 4th and 5th in Irvine, CA at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, with an awesome lineup featuring some of our biggest supporters like Fall Out Boy, Thrice, and Saosin. We’re really excited to spread the word about how you can help RESCUE child soldiers on April 25th. Hope to see you out there!

And we’ll be at it again with Bamboozle in New Jersey on May 2nd and 3rd at the Meadowlands Sports Complex with Fall Out Boy, No Doubt, Third Eye Blind and more. We’ll have a booth set up, so come out and hang with us.

Bracelet Campaign Beneficiaries Celebrate!

Culturally, the people of Uganda tend to sing and dance very often—it is how they celebrate; how they praise. And experiencing an Invisible Children Bracelet Campaign beneficiary graduation celebration was nothing but cultural, filled with such joyous activities.

After finishing the Savings and Investment Training Initiative (SITI) curriculum, 102 beneficiaries completed the program and are now able to begin their own income-generating activities, setting them on the path to becoming self-sustainable. This is beneficial to those graduating, since they can now handle their own businesses and finances. However, it is also beneficial to others in the IDP camps because Invisible Children will now hire more individuals to become bracelet makers, learn the SITI curriculum, and earn wages to apply that training.
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200 Students from 15 African Countries Unite in Uganda

One Voice, One Continent

Imagine bringing together students from countries all over the continent of Africa…

Then think about those students as representatives of nationalities from all over the globe…

Then put them all together for three days of idea-sharing, student-led workshops and service activities…

And you are bound to have something big.

Five of our beneficiaries of the Visible Child Scholarship Program (VCSP) were given the chance to participate in an extraordinary opportunity at the end of last month. Service Summit Africa 2009, an initiative held by the International School of Uganda, brought together over 200 students from 15 countries in Africa for a multiple-day conference that centered around the idea of youth doing their part in giving back through service to improve the world they live in.

As the conference declared: “Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders” and it is in our best interest, as the next generation, to recognize the challenges ahead and lead the way to sustainable contributions to our collective community. Some of the most important goals of the Summit were to “provide an enriching and interactive experience during which students and service leaders discuss the problems and strategies associated with addressing local and global needs” and “establish and build partnerships by acknowledging community and volunteer contributions”. Every activity of the summit revolved around accomplishing these ideals. Topics such as climate change, conservation, HIV/AIDS awareness, poverty eradication and universal education all fell under the umbrella theme of service.

(Photo of IC beneficiaries at exhibition and Erica D’Alessandro, Communications Officer in Uganda)

Invisible Children was invited to attend and give a presentation to all the participants on the first day. We decided to show GO to an audience that misses out on the Roadie Tours (which have invaded North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, but have yet to reach Africa…maybe someday). Unsure of how students in Africa would respond to a piece of media so geared toward rousing American youths to action, we watched alongside with anticipation. After many laughs and tears, in the end we found they were just as motivated, if not more taken aback, by the events students their own age, on their own soil, were experiencing.

The reaction was huge. On the final day of the Summit, during reflection of the events of the conference, students collectively chose IC’s presentation as one of the most inspirational things they took away. It just shows how students, no matter their race, background, or culture can relate and unite towards a common cause.

The Summit showed our participants just how alike they truly are with youth from all over the continent. Our own beneficiaries, coming from completely different environments and upbringings than most international students, recognized that despite their differences, they are all still faced with the same challenges for the future.

For more information and photos on the activities and outcomes of Service Summit Africa 2009, visit the website here.

Written by Erica D’Alessandro, Communications Officer in Uganda