05/30 : The Big Business of Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking and Child Labor

Segment 1: A Robust Source of Cheap Labor
Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll Show is Siddharth Kara (www.siddarthkara.com) , one of the world’s foremost experts on human trafficking and contemporary slavery. Siddarth was an investment banker on Wall Street in the late 1990’s but the seeds of his deep interest in modern slavery started in the early 90’s when he volunteered in a refugee camp in Bosnia. While volunteering he heard a lot of stories about genocide and rape camps and the trafficking of women and girls by Serbian soldiers, which prompted him to leave the corporate world and jump into the field of human trafficking to try to research the subject and educate people about the issue as best as he could. Human trafficking, slavery and child labor have morphed into a robust source of cheap labor for a multitude of businesses. Forced labor (or servitude) can be defined as workers who are held 18 hours a day in horrific and dangerous working conditions, paid 10 to 15 cents per hour, and are so poor and desperate that they don’t have a choice to leave. If it involves a minor, it’s child labor, and if someone has has been recruited and transported some distance to this condition, it’s human trafficking. This is happening all over the world, including within the United States. It’s much more broad-based and pervasive than most people realize.

Segment 2: The Research Gap.
We need to close the research gap and understand how human trafficking is functioning, where and why it is functioning, and the scope of the problem. Siddharth and his colleagues are focusing now on detailed analysis that gives them a foundation on which to tackle the issue. The research is fairly dangerous to conduct. The researchers go into the situation and interview the exploited laborers and document the details of the slavery. The fundamental thesis that has emerged from Siddharth’s extensive research is that the enormity and persistence of human trafficking is driven by the ability of the exploiter to generate immense profits at little risk. Siddharth estimates the global profit of slavery exceeds $95 billion. There’s a lot of money to be made.

Segment 3: Bonded Labor and Sex Trafficking.
Bonded labor can be defined as laborers who trade their labor under slave-like conditions for credit to a wealthy land or business owner. This exists even today in south Asia due to poverty and the caste system. Siddharth has documented laborers working for 20+ years to pay a debt as little as $50 or $100. No region of the world is immune from sex trafficking. Siddharth has found and documented forced prostitution and pornography in all areas of the world. Sex trafficking is by far the most profitable form of slavery in the world today. It is easy to take a human and sell them over and over again, and generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit. The numbers are staggering.

Segment 4: Modern Day Abolitionists.
So what can be done? Firstly, raise awareness. Understand the issue and how it touches your life. The things we purchase every day could easily be tainted by child labor and forced labor. Secondly, organize ourselves and create a social movement to abolish these practices. We need to create a robust and informed outcry of modern day abolitionists that puts pressure on corporations and law makers to ensure these violations of fundamental human rights don’t persist.

• 01: A Robust Source of Cheap Labor
• 02: The Research Gap.
• 03: Bonded Labor and Sex Trafficking.
• 04: Modern Day Abolitionists.

05/23 : Human Rights: An Engine for Social Change

Segment 1: Human Rights Education Associates.
Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll Show is Dr. Felisa Tibbitts, Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy and founder of Human Rights Education Associates (HREA), an internationally recognized organization dedicated to human rights education. When Felisa was still a graduate student the Berlin Wall came down, and she decided to go study the implications of this event in Europe. Dr. Tibbitts found herself hired by a Dutch Helsinki human rights group and ended up devoting herself to the work of human rights for the next 20 years. She has worked in human rights education in over 20 countries, including Croatia, Gaza, Romania, Ukraine and the United States.

Segment 2: Universal Declaration for Human Rights.
The Universal Declaration for Human Rights (UDHR) was written by the United Nations and passed in 1948. It is not a well-known declaration. The verbiage “human rights” didn’t come into our vernacular until after WWII. The UDHR is a beautiful document that includes civil and political rights as well as social, economic and cultural rights. Felisa says on one hand the human rights system includes legally binding treaties, but on the other hand it’s also a value system. The heart of human rights is simply human dignity. What does it mean to enjoy your human dignity? And what are the conditions that help to bring that about?

Segment 3: Sovereignty and Natural Law.
Regarding sovereignty, Dr. Tibbitts says the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Under what conditions do we justify humanitarian intervention? And how long is the sovereignty going to last? If you think about human rights as a manifestation of social change, we’re not restricted exclusively to having to change laws. Yes, governments are responsible for ensuring the human rights of all those on their territory, but if you think more broadly about social change, those processes are not defined by government involvement. So to what degree does the Western Euro-centric view of human rights have to impose values and beliefs on a culture that does not want to accept them? The philosophy of human rights is that we possess human rights even if they are not reflected in the laws or the practices of our country. This is called Natural Law and it comes from the West.

Segment 4: It’s a Vision.
The United Nations, in promoting human rights, decreed that all human rights are universal, interrelated and indivisible. Dr. Tibbitts reminds us that every culture has values that are at least partially reflected in the human rights framework. Societies do this naturally. Ultimately, in order for you and I to feel that the specific language of human rights rings true for us, we’ve got to break it down. We need to look at it, critique it, internalize it. Human rights is a vision. It’s a utopia and an engine for social change. It requires patience, persistence and introspection.

• 01: Human Rights Education Associates.
• 02: Universal Declaration for Human Rights.
• 03: Sovereignty and Natural Law.
• 04: It’s a Vision.

05/16 : A Climb for Peace

Segment 1: Peace, Teamwork and Cultural Understanding.
Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll Show is Lance Trumbull, founder and executive director of the Everest Peace Project. The Everest Peace Project is a peace organization that consists of individuals from a diverse set of cultural backgrounds and faiths who have come together to promote peace, teamwork and cultural understanding. Their climb to the summit of Mount Everest was a global group effort that touched and inspired millions across the globe.

Segment 2: A Vision of a “Peace Climb”
Lance first had the vision of a “peace climb” while on a trek in India. His vision included Muslims, Jews, and Christians coming together to climb the highest summit on earth to promote peace. After his vision in India, he became a man on a mission. He went back to Katmandu and immediately started planning the peace project. Lance began by creating the infrastructure, making connections, creating a website, and planning the general trip. It took a few years to find the right climbers. They had to have climbing experience and they also had to be people of all different faiths and ethnicities and backgrounds. Then he went to work getting the funding, which was difficult. Their main sponsor was Panasonic and the cost was in the hundreds of thousands.

Segment 3: The Mission.
Lance’s mission was always quite clear: he wanted to promote peace, friendship, and teamwork while overcoming obstacles in the face of danger and great difficulty. To find out more about the mission and vision of the Everest Peace Project, visit http://www.everestpeaceproject.org/.

Segment 4: Actions of Peace.
th , 2006, ten people from the Everest Peace Project successfully summited Everest. One person – May 18 the African teammate - collapsed near the summit. The next 36 hours were spent getting him back down the mountain safely. The climb was professionally filmed, but once they were done with the climb Lance still needed to find funding for the film in order to get it released. He was able to land Orlando Bloom as the narrator and have Dalai Lama endorse it. Lance believes that “it’s through actions of peace that peace is spread.” The Everest Peace Project was a large action of peace, but you don’t have to climb a mountain to promote peace. You just need to do something. It can be something small, but you have to do something.

• 01: Peace, Teamwork and Cultural Understanding.
• 02: A Vision of a “Peace Climb”
• 03: The Mission.
• 04: Actions of Peace.

05/09 : The Olive Tree Initiative: Educating Students about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Segment 1: A Multi-Faith, Multi-Cultural Student Group.
Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll Show is Shannon Thomas, Berkeley Delegate and founding president of Olive Tree Initiative in Berkeley. Olive Tree Initiative (OTI) is a diplomatic and educational program that’s goal is to educate students about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The group is comprised of multi-faith, multi-cultural students from various backgrounds coming together to reach a more holistic understanding of the conflict.

Shannon, raised in a global family and community, came to Berkeley knowing that she wanted to focus her degree on the Middle East. She felt called from an early age to pursue something that would make a tangible difference in the world. Part of that goal was realized last summer when she had the unique pleasure of traveling with 40+ peacemaking students via OTI to Isreal and the West Bank. Shannon stresses that you can’t truly understand the conflict until you experience it for yourself, in person. With OTI she was able to explore personal lives and narratives. She found there was a clear disconnect between the political rhetoric and the personal side of the conflict.

Segment 2: Peace First.
Shannon says (all opinions are her own) that the top priority of all the policy makers in the Israeli region needs to be PEACE FIRST instead of personal goals and national interests. She thinks one thing that is overemphasized in the media is the intractability of this conflict. Of course there are clear issues are around water, which territories are included, and Jerusalem. However, the technical issues have been worked out and the outline is already there. What they need now are politicians who can pull it together and have the courage to follow through with open dialogue and peace building at the forefront.

Segment 3: Reflection and Transformation.
The word Shannon uses to describe her trip to Israel and the West Bank is transformative. However, it was also very difficult, as the students were in a constant state of cognitive dissent. They had different opinions and different narratives thrown at them daily. Their own beliefs were constantly challenged. It was tiring physically, emotionally and mentally. One of the most meaningful outcomes was recognizing that this was not just a conflict to be studied on paper; it is a human conflict. At the end of each day they engaged in a reflective discussion about what they experienced during the day. Reflection was where they tied everything together, academically and personally. Sometimes it was difficult to find common ground, but being forced to actively listen and respect other people’s opinions and viewpoints was really an amazing growth experience for someone trying to grapple with the multiple dimensions of this conflict.

Segment 4: Person-to-Person.
Shannon knows the most immediate and effective means of resolving conflict is usually person to person. There are many different directions she can go with her career, whether it’s on the ground or higher up in an organization. This summer Shannon is honored to lead another OTI group to Israel and the West Bank, and she wants to keep the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the top of her career agenda.

• 01: A Multi-Faith, Multi-Cultural Student Group.
• 02: Peace First.
• 03: Reflection and Transformation.
• 04: Person-to-Person.

05/02 : 05/02/13 - Demystifying Teen Anger

Segment 1: LifeWorks Counseling.
Our guests on this edition of The Doug Noll Show are the founders and staff of LifeWorks Counseling, LLC. http://www.lifeworksnj.com/ . LifeWorks was started 2 years ago by Ingrid Burke and Gina Unger, as a response to an increased need to help teens with anger issues. Their goal is to help kids resolve issues in more compassionate, constructive ways. When teens’ boundaries get crossed there is usually one of two reactions: extreme anger or withdrawing from friends, family and peers. At LifeWorks, they start by prioritizing the issues. They make sure the basics, like food and shelter, are covered, then the go on to discuss and teach self-actualization, which brings about a better quality of life. This process is called Strength-Based Counseling.

Ingrid is quick to point out that anger is an important, fundamental emotion. It’s a response to boundary violation and it’s a natural feeling. It’s a defense response, and historically we need it when we feel threatened and need to take action.

Segment 2: Causes of Teen Angst.
The staff at LifeWorks often gets contacted by guidance counselors or principals. LifeWorks starts by introducing themselves, acknowledging that the child might not be happy to be there, and then suggests working on the issues together to forge a sense of trust.

The LifeWorks counselors believe the increase in teen anger stems from a number of different factors: family stress such as finances, an increase of single-parent families with have limited income and time, and a breakdown of the family unit are some of the causes.

LifeWorks facilitates teen groups. The counselors start by teaching the kids the ways in which they think: Constructive vs. Limited. Then they move on to brain education. If they know how the brain works, they will be more interested and better equipped to make changes in their behavior.

Segment 3: Demystifying the Anger Response.
It’s important to look at anger triggers and automatic responses, and teach the kids to develop different responses and choices. The kids are invited to map out the thought process, slow it down, ask themselves what the underlying issue is. Once the kids are able to understand their thought process, it demystifies things and they realize that there are physiological and biological reasons behind what they are experiencing. Once they understand something, they gain the ability to change and control it.

Segment 4: Family Support is Crucial.
Incorporating families is important to the healing process. When a parent just drops off a kid to a group and leaves, it gives the impression that “this is the identified patient, that this is the offender, this is the problem.” However, the child is a reflection of the issues that are going on in the home. Parents need to take responsibility and be part of the solution. A lot of time the child is acting out because they want attention from their parents or from their peers. Open communication is also a big piece.

• 01: LifeWorks Counseling.
• 02: Causes of Teen Angst.
• 03: Demystifying the Anger Response.
• 04: Family Support is Crucial.