Two weeks ago, on July 18th, Atlas was launched! The launch was an enormous success and fortunately, Atlas teams were well-prepared to act because a lot has happened in the world since then.
Massive floods took place in China, Central Europe, Nigeria, Uganda, and India, and temperatures reached all-time highs in northern America, fueling wildfires that are destroying lives and property. More than a million people are dying in the worst drought in four decades in Madagascar. Five people were arrested and accused of sedition in Hong Kong over children’s books about sheep. Yes, about sheep, you read that correctly! That is how extreme the crackdown on human rights has become. Finally, as of July 26, only 1.1% of people in low-income countries had received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
But we have hope. ✊
Because in those two weeks at Atlas, people from all over the world decided not to wait on the sidelines of history but to act now and make changes for a better world. Hundreds of volunteers started working on campaigns. 🏥 From health initiatives already kickstarted in Tunisia to internal virtual events where members learn from one another and exchange perspectives on timely topics such as how to counter nationalism, our volunteers are rocking it 🎸. Do you want to take up the torch and help us expand further?
Please read important updates about our activities below, how you can impact change, ways to get involved, and our plans for the future!
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION - TIME FOR NEW LEADERSHIP?
The fact that only 1.1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine is shocking. The Covid-19 pandemic has been bringing the world to its knees for the last year and a half. Countries fought over personal protective equipment, hoarded vaccine doses 💉, and failed to demonstrate solidarity to work our way out of the pandemic.
Besides this short-sighted national approach, the World Health Organization (WHO) 🏥 failed to declare the global pandemic in timeand proved to be unable to lead a proper global response from the beginning. Part of the reason for this failure was a lack of competencies, resulting in a lack of trust in the institution. This must change. We must give the WHO the tools to adequately deal with global health crisesand support a strong campaign to elect a trusted leader backed by the people.
As such, Atlas will launch both:
🗳 an electoral campaign to get a people-backed candidate at the head of one of the most important organizations in the world, and
✊ an activism campaign aimed at pushing the next WHO leader to champion critical competencies and reform.
Right now, our Elections Team is contacting potential candidates for the job, and our Policy Team is all-hands-on-deck to produce proposals to get the WHO to the level required to successfully manage global health emergencies.
Are you interested in the topic? We need support:
FREEDOM, FOR ALL, EVERYWHERE!
A famous civil rights activist once said, “Freedom is never given; it’s won.” As activists, politicians, writers, and business people are being arrested from Hong Kong 🇭🇰 to Venezuela 🇻🇪, this statement is clearer than ever. At Atlas, we believe that we indeed need to win freedom: to protect it in democratic countries and promote it in authoritarian ones. Our movement is embedded with this conviction, and we are working very hard to build an international organization to push this forward: a Union for Democracy. We believe that by uniting forces across the world, we will be able to protect freedom fighters, hold countries accountable for democratic backsliding, and innovate democratic practices, to strive for a new utopia.
To raise awareness about this work, we are organizing some very cool events that might be of interest to you:
🏃🏾♀️ Freedom Marathon – Sept. 15th to 18th, 2021
From September 15th to September 18th, 2021, we will host our 2nd Freedom Marathon, a 4-day long event to celebrate Democracy. No, it's not a run, but it will definitely be a long-ranging effort to come up with new ways to protect, promote, and innovate democracy! The first three days will feature digital workshops on how to create a Union for Democracy, while the last day will be an in-person Democracy Celebration in London! Do you want to be part of this?
📌 And spread the word!
We are also inviting all members that can to join us in London to attend an additional day of team building and a strategy session on Sunday, the 19th of September. Save the date!!!
📣 Fridays For Freedom protests
We have been organizing “Fridays For Freedom” protests for more than a year to raise awareness about different democratic struggles and to push world leaders to impose sanctions on authoritarian rulers. ✊ The next protest will take place on August 6th, across the world. Are you interested in participating or hosting one in your location? Rsvp to receive all the information.
If you cannot make it to a protest because of restrictions in your country, take a picture of yourself with a sign saying #FridaysForFreedom in front of a government building (or in your living room) and ask your country to act. Then, share it on social media, tagging 5 friends and Atlas!
🌏 SOME FINAL GOOD NEWS: ATLAS IS GOING TO COP26!
Climate change is plaguing countries, rich and poor alike. As a global political movement, we are among the few that can really do something to counter this threat. We have just been accepted in principle as observers at 🌏 the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). Each year this Conference meets to push countries to take significant actions for our planet. If all final bureaucratic steps go through, we will head to Glasgow in early November to contribute to this effort.
We also intend to unveil our first Atlas climate campaign by then. Are you into saving the world? Join our activism team and help us push this forward!
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
👉 Do you want to become a member? Follow this link to subscribe!
👉 Are you a NOW! member transitioning to Atlas? Check out our members-only area to get up to speed with our work (if you do not know how to log in, input your email and press “forgot my password” to receive it again)
👉 Do you want to volunteer and access our internal forum? Log into the members' area and book a slot for our onboarding calls!
MEET OUR TEAM: JONATHAN, 🇨🇦 CANADA TEAM LEADER
In every newsletter, we will introduce you to a key member of the movement. Who better to get started with than the person pushing for one of our first electoral bids? Meet Jonathan, our awesome Canadian leader!
👋 Jonathan, can you tell us a bit about you? Hello! My name is Jonathan Tanguay and I am working to build the Atlas movement in Canada. I grew up in the Quebec City region and have always been involved in politics in my country.
🧐 Why did you join Atlas? I know that diversity makes us stronger and that no matter where we live in the world, some issues cross borders and require us to unite. I joined Atlas because I believe it is important to collectively fight the climate crisis and defend human rights.
💬 What would you like to tell the world? It's all a global adventure that begins for Atlas! To rethink today's world and build a better future for all, we need you, your hard work! Don't hesitate to become a member and invite your friends to do the same. It is by strength in numbers that we will be able to change the world, one step at a time 🚀
Thank you for your trust and support. We will change the world, together.
All the best,
Andrea Venzon & Colombe Cahen-Salvador
On behalf of the Atlas team
