Human Trafficking is Modern Day Slavery: Greater New Orleans, United States, and Global Manifestations

From:

Saturday, December 8, 2012*

Featuring:

Lindsey Boettinger

Case Manager for the Catholic Charities Refugee Services Program, and an Outreach Specialist for the Rescue and Restore Human Trafficking Program

and

Sue Weishar

Migration Specialist, Jesuit Social Research Institute of Loyola University

Lindsey Boettinger has worked with the refugee population from various countries since she lived in Cairo, Egypt in 2006.  After returning to the United States in 2007, she has worked in differing capacities with survivors of foreign conflict, natural and man-made disasters, and survivors of human trafficking in Washington, DC, Silver Spring, MD,  and New Orleans, LA.  She is a member of FreeNola and the New Orleans Human Trafficking Working Group, and is dedicated to spreading public awareness about human trafficking in order to engage the community on ways to identify and prevent it. 

In the recording, Lindsey will be leading the discussion about disturbing current trends in human trafficking with the assistance of Sue Weishar who is currently a Migration Specialist/Fellow with the Jesuit Social Research Institute. 

Sue previously spent fourteen years as Director of Immigration and Refugee Services with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans (1991-2005) and earlier worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa and as a teacher in Guatemala. Most recently, in the years since Katrina, she served as project manager for the Louisiana Refugee Services Collaborative to implement a new state-wide refugee services collaborative, administrator for the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance (MIRA), Gulf Coast Coordinator for the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits, and Director of Development for UNITY of Greater New Orleans.

Also, Sue and programs which she directed have been honored by Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (for Alternatives to Detention), the National Crime Prevention Council (for the Asian Youth Services Program), and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (for the Immigrant Domestic Violence Services Program). 

*Ben Gordon of Pax Christie facilitated the presentation for the Community Breakfast.

"2012 Post Election Roundtable Forum"

From:

Saturday, November 10, 2012:

Moderated by:

 Maureen Shea 

Associate Professor at Tulane University

A discussion of the 2012 elections in a moderated, roundtable format. We welcomed all political persuasions, all parties, the unaffiliated, and the conscientious abstainers. Many differing opinions were shared, compared, and analyzed. Give a listen to the lively discussion!

"TimeBanking in New Orleans: the Nola TimeBank Community -An Alternative Economy"

From: 
Saturday, September 8, 2012

Featuring:

Gretchen Zalkind

Coordinator, Nola TimeBank

Originally from Portland, OR, Gretchen spent 20 years in Los Angeles before moving to New Orleans last summer. According to her, she "was a very happy member of the Echo Park Time Bank in Los Angeles and (is) happy to be helping the NOLA TimeBank get up and running."

Timebanking is an alternative economy which has no monetary basis and instead values all labor equally so that an hour of any service is valued the same as any other service, which is then "banked" upon completion into a pool of service hours from which one can withdraw when necessary.  

Listen to Gretchen elaborating on this concept as well as on the local chapter in New Orleans, and informing us of how to become a member and where and when upcoming workshops will be held. 

"Pax Christi's Role in Opposing the Current Trend of U.S. Militarism"

From Saturday, July 14, 2012:

Featuring:

Kevin Cahalan

Former Peace Corps Volunteer and U.S. Marine, 

now a  Pacifist with Pax Christi

Listen to Kevin's discussion about how Pax Christi's endeavors to end war and nurture peace among nations contrasts with current U.S. militaristic policies, or, in his words, 

"...the folly of current American military adventures in light of their guarantee of failure, their cost when weighed against what we must sacrifice in terms of human lives destroyed and the economic trade-offs we must make, and our dismal current economic situation." 

"Solidarity Economy Committee of New Orleans Explores Local Alternatives to the Dominant Economic Model"

Our presentation from Saturday, June 9, 2012

Featuring:

Jordan Bantuelle

Member, 
Solidarity Economy Committee of New Orleans


Listen to his talk about the available alternatives to traditional economic models, including cooperative businesses, timebanking, and housing co-ops.   

For more info, you can visit the Solidarity Economy Facebook Page HERE 

"Big Oil in Louisiana: Make ‘em Pay!"

From Saturday, February 12, 2012:

Featuring: 

Anne Rolfes

Founding Director

Louisiana Bucket Brigade

Iris Brown Carter

Community Liaison

Louisiana Bucket Brigade

Hear about Iris's own experiences with Shell Oil and her exodus from Norco, plus ongoing campaigns of the Bucket Brigade in its efforts to force oil companies to be more accountable and responsible to their neighboring communities, while holding the EPA and DEQ accountable for enforcing their mandates.

"Voice of the Ex-Offender: Challenges and Opportunities"

From Saturday January 14, 2012:

Speaker:

Norris Henderson
 Executive Director, V.O.T.E.

(Voice of the Ex-Offender)

Long time activist and advocate for ex-offenders, listen while Norris talks about the difficulties facing people after being released from prison, and the programs and efforts to help them make the transition. He also discusses the role politics and other agendas play in the perpetuation of obstacles and prejudices facing ex-ofenders.