CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH AND ANNUAL MEETING JAN 29, 11:30-2:00

KEYNOTE SPEAKER TO ADDRESS CURRENT STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS

We are delighted to be able to give members and their guests a chance to hear from one of the most knowledgeable experts in environmental law in the country.  

Chapman Law Professor Deepa Badrinarayana completed her Doctorate in Environmental Law at Pace University, after which she did research on environ-mental and public health laws as a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Global Legal Studies, Columbia Uni-versity Law School. Dr. Badrinarayana is also a consultant to the United Nations Global Compact, on issues of corporate volunteerism and regulations.

Before coming to the United States, Professor Badrinarayana was a Research Officer for a Government of India/World Bank Environmental capacity-building project at the National Law School of India University.

In addition to research and advocacy, she has also trained government officials and legal professionals in environmental law.  Professor Badrinarayana was part of a team that advised the government of India on its new legislation to manage biomedical waste. She is a mem-ber of the World Conservation Union’s Committee on Environmental Law, and was a delegate to the UN Con-ference on climate change in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Our annual champagne brunch and silent auction is always a highlight of the year for the OC chapter, and this year we hope you will plan to attend—and bring a friend.

The Hacienda Restaurant, at 1725 College Avenue in Santa Ana, is a lovely location. The all-you-can-eat buffet is always spectacular and offers something for everyone.

The silent auction promises to be outstanding this year, with many appealing items including gift baskets with coupons for everything from a personal cooking class to a boat ride on Newport Harbor for two.

The business of the annual brunch meeting includes presentation of the slate of officers for 2012 to attending members for their approval:

President - Carl Mariz

VP Membership - Opal Richardson

VP Programs - Open: volunteer welcome

Secretary - Virginia Bernal

Treasurer - Gerri McNenny

1. 2012 Champagne Brunch Tickets

   Members $30.00 USD Non-Members $35.00 USD Students/Young Professionals/Limited Income $25.00 USD

   

Second film festival a big success    by Kelsey Pennington

The Orange County chapter of the United Nations Association-USA held its 2nd annual Film Festival on October 9th at the Folino Theatre, in Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Last year’s festival focused on the rights of children around the world. This year’s theme was UN Millennium Development Goal #3: Promoting gender equality and empowering women. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez was present to give a few opening remarks about how Congress works in conjunction with the UN to ensure that those people who seek change in the world have that right protected.
The festival opened with “Sarabah,” an upbeat film from Senegal that features Sister Fa, who is trying to reach the people of Africa through her music. Rapping about empowerment and political issues, she is working with considerable success to end traditional Senegalese practices that endanger the lives of women and girls.
Student filmmaker Taylor Capretz was at the festival to answer questions after her documentary “Suffer Little Children” was screened. Capretz was only fourteen years old when she began trying to break stereotypes about AIDS by traveling to the countries with the highest AIDS rates and making documentaries about the endemic problem. She began in Nepal, where she found that the root cause of the problem in that country was sex trafficking.
The Invisible Children organization sponsored guest speaker Nancy Acii, a woman from Northern Uganda, who is currently on scholarship and studying nursing in the United States. Acii lived through much of the 25-year war in Uganda and witnessed countless atrocities, including seeing both her parents killed when she was just seven years old. The trauma of helplessly watching her father die in her arms gave Acii her passion for medicine so she would be able to help her people. She encouraged audience members to “do more than just listen,” because “this war is only going to end if we all do something about it.”
“Fighting the Silence,” a film from the Congo, set out to educate people around the world about the use of rape as a weapon of war. It sends a positive message about the power of speaking up. “Night Bloom,” a short film about sex trafficking made by Chapman graduates Laura Sands and Trent McGee, was screened next. Although not a documentary, the film got its point across by giving viewers a glimpse of what being forced into sex trafficking might be like. That film was followed by a documentary from Ghana, “Giving Women Credit,” about micro-financing and the education of women. Women in Ghana who lack an education cannot work in cities, so they may end up doing manual labor in rural areas. Women’s Trust is a grassroots nonprofit loan program that enables women to buy what they need to get started in small businesses. The women are expected to pay back the loans eventually, not immediately, so they have enough time to stabilize themselves. Thus far, the payback rate has been 100% and Women’s Trust is a real success story for women.
The afternoon ended with closing thoughts from the festival coordinator, Jaclene Roshan, who thanked the audience for coming and being so receptive to the films and ideas presented throughout the day. All films seemed to be well received and during Q&A periods people offered encouragement to the filmmakers who were present and asked how regular people could be more involved in making the necessary changes around the world to empower women. The 2nd annual UNA-OC Film Festival was a successful and enlightening event for all who attended.