The email I sent to everyone with our September 22, 2020 Groundswell News Journal is below. After I sent it out we got one more Country Rep in Nigeria and another State rep in Pennsylvania USA:
Dearest Global Family of Activists,
We are starting an exciting and vigorous outreach campaign with Country Representatives. Jussa Kudherezera in Zimbabwe (one of our Board members) was the first to think of this idea and I loved it. When I asked him to tell me what he had in mind, he wrote: “I would be very happy to represent my country and contribute fully to this enchanting idea and being a country representative I grow our networks, share Grassroots Coalition works. Also find other like-minded organization to share their news with us for publications. Let’s hit the ground running together we can do it.”
I put Jussa’s idea on our Agenda for the September 19th Zoom meeting and others agreed to help with outreach. My interpretation of how this might look is this:
- Jussa is going to reach out to other environmental groups in Zimbabwe and start networking with them. Bigboy Musemwa also volunteered to represent Zimbabwe so they will be a team.
- Jussa and Bigboy will also look for important environmental news stories which are being addressed in Zimbabwe.
- I would love to give one full page to each country (or state) where we have a rep for News Briefs — not entire stories — just a few briefs. But I will continue to give Jussa, Bigboy, and our other representatives a page for his own work. This idea is not to replace our normal writers’ articles but to add more depth and strength to our international movement.
- Once our paper is ready with those stories, Jussa and Bigboy can send Groundswell News Journal to the people they have contacted when we have News Briefs for their area.
- The dream is that we will gather and unite more grassroots activists on specific campaigns (such as saving forests) and thereby increase our chance of really playing a significant role in healing Earth.
We now have representatives in 4 countries and 2 states:
Jussa Kudherezera, Zimbabwe (Manica Youth Assembly)
Bigboy Musemwa, Zimbabwe (Repair Earth Projects)
Ngo Banfogha, Cameroon (Hope for a Better Future)
John Machiaria, Kenya (SCOPE, Schools and Colleges Permaculture Programme)
Prince Kitumaini Kamundala, DR Congo (Action for Environment Care and Business and Ecosysteme Management)
Jeannette Bartelt, Maryland USA (Green Earth Goods)
Doug Davis, New York State USA (Adirondack Council)
The beauty of this outreach is that we can build a larger and stronger grassroots network to save and protect the environment and all life.
Please let me know if you have enough extra time and energy to become a country representative or, in the U.S., a state representative.
As Jussa says, “Let’s hit the ground running together we can do it.”
For the Earth Always,
Iona Conner
Director of the Grassroots Coalition for Environmental and Economic Justice
Publisher/Editor of Groundswell News Journal
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Groundswellnewsjournal/
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The mission of Groundswell News Journal is to be a beautiful, inspiring, uplifting publication, which educates and enlightens people about the climate crisis through scientific articles and stories by and about activists who are working to protect life on Earth and preserve natural resources, especially in Africa.
Our Motto: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!
Our Slogan: THE WAY FORWARD: CYCLE BACK TO BASICS
