Ideas for Young Activists
Transparency International, 2014 Philippines: A Million New Inspectors About 1 million boy and girl scouts in Philippines have counted textbooks and conducted quality inspections throughout the country. Working hand-in-hand with government and non-government agencies, the programmer discourages theft of textbooks and helps promote long-term transparency in the country schools.
The Department of Education provided an open door to programmer organizers, including access to budget information, contracts, and delivery points, as well as providing inspection sites. Local organizations and volunteers that include schoolchildren also carry out the monitoring – including surprise inspections – during the textbook production process. The programmer has proved successful at reducing corruption In the textbook distribution process. India: I Paid a Bribe On www. Liberated. Com. Citizens can report their experiences of corruption.
The site received almost 22,500 reports between 2010 and 2012, some of which were kicked up by the media and resulted in arrests and convictions. On the flipped, citizens can also report positive experiences they’ve had with honest officers. Solomon Islands: Comics against Corruption The Solomon Islands government, in partnership with Transparency Solomon Islands, ran a programmer that used comic-style posters and comic strips in newspapers to increase awareness of corruption in the country. It encouraged Solomon Islanders to say “Nap Ana! To corruption by reporting anyone they believe to be involved In corrupt practices. The comic was timed to coincide with International Ann-corruption Day on 9 December. Each comic told the story of average Solomon Islanders In everyday situations, and how their lives can be deeply affected by seemingly simple acts of corruption. The campaign covered the topics of bribery, favoritism, misuse of funds and what you can do to stop corruption. The series of anti-corruption comics ran in all three of Solomon Islands’ major newspapers – and was even available as a pull-out poster insert in the Solomon Star.
Afghanistan: Kabuki’s Corruption Marathon Afghan youth Atari Equatorial uses marathons to fight corruption. He sees sport as the best way to spread awareness among Afghan youth, so he organized his first big marathon against corruption. The team was able to gather around 500 young Afghan boys and girls In one of Kabuki’s many dusty streets. Their message was loud and clear: “Don’t pay or accept bribes”. The participants did not run a long distance, but a large crowd noticed the group. Strider also involved local radio stations in his outreach helped them convey their message to an even larger audience.
India: The “Zero Rupee” Movement The “zero rupee” note was created by an Indian physics professor who was harassed by endless extortion demands. He handed out the “zero rupee” notes as a polite way of saying “no” to officials who held out their hands. Printed on the note was “Eliminate Corruption at all levels” and “l promise to neither accept nor give a bribe”. When a corrupt official suggests to a citizen that they should pay a bribe to get something done, the citizen can hand over the “zero rupee” note and its effects have taken hold.
The Indian MONGO 5th Pillar has now distributed more than 1 million bills in five languages since 2007. Solomon Islands: Clean Election Pledge A group of young volunteers established the “Clean Election Campaign” in the Solomon Islands. Their approach was to gather voter pledges, each being a promise to not take part in corrupt activities during that year’s election. Their pledge states: “l pledge that I will reject all bribes. I will not accept any false promises. I will not sell my vote. I will not involve myself in any corrupt activities during, before and after the elections.
And also I pledge that I will use my full conscience to decide on my vote and ask God to help me to decide my vote. And I pledge that I will only vote for an honest leader. ” Kenya: Mapping the Election Jacuzzi is an open-source platform designed to courseware information via SMS and online messaging and appears on an interactive map. Pioneered in Kenya after the fall-out of the deadly 2008 elections, the website had 45,000 users in Kenya reporting on both instances of electoral fraud and acts of integrity during the following presidential elections.
Activists launched the platform to courseware data via Twitter, SMS, Android, e-mail and the web. More than 4,500 reports were cast – and a staggering 58 per cent of these claims have been verified. The findings were referred to by Jenny’s electoral commission and international media. Venezuela: Tweeting the Election Twitter is a simple way to monitor elections with your friends and community. Use or create a credible twitter name so that fellow tweeters know whom to contact for details on election monitoring. Design a washrag so that voters tweeting claims of election fraud are streamlined (e. #Pomegranate or #Cafeteria). In Venezuela, civil society organizations came together to cast a watchful eye on the national elections via Twitter. They received tweets – including photos – from around the country to gather data on election violations at the polling stations through several hostage. They received more than 1,000 tweets claiming electoral fraud. These strategies do you think be the most effective in dealing with corruption? Choose two and explain why. 3. What other strategies do you think local people could use to deal with corruption in their government?
