US House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade holding a hearing on proposed rules to protect child farmworkers from the most dangerous tasks

The US House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade is holding a hearing entitled The Future of the Family Farm: The Effect of Proposed DOL Regulations on Small Business Producers on February 2, 2012, on proposed rules to prevent child farmworkers from taking on the most dangerous tasks. The new rules are intended to make paid farm work safer for the hundreds of thousands of children in the United States who labor in agriculture. They would not apply to children working on their parents’ farms.

“Sixteen children died at work in the US last year, and twelve of those were fatally injured while working on farms,” said Zama Coursen-Neff, deputy children’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “The rules need to change to ensure that the most dangerous farm jobs are done by adults, not children.”

On September 2, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would make revisions to existing regulations pertaining to the employment of youths on farming and ranching operations.  Yesterday, February 1st, the DOL announced updates to the parental exemption portion of the proposed changes to better address farmers’ concerns.  The hearing will examine these rules so that members may better understand their potential effect on small business farm operations as well as youths working in or training for occupations in agriculture.

The subcommittee Chairman Scott Tipton (R-CO) issued a statement yesterday saying he believed “the rule altogether should never have been proposed” as it “would change long-standing and proven programs.”  Current child labor laws derive from the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act when agriculture was exempted from the protections given to children in other industries.  Children working in agriculture are permitted to do more work at younger ages than children working in other industries, they suffer more fatalities than they do in non-agricultural industries, and their work-related injuries tend to be more severe than injuries to children working in non-agricultural industries. Clearly something does need to change.

Witnesses include Nancy J. Leppink, Deputy Administrator Wage and Hour Division speaking on behalf of updating current child labor laws and Chris Chinn, Owner, Chinn Hog Farm testifying on behalf of the American Farm Bureau, Bob Tabb, Deputy Commissioner, West Virginia State Department of Agriculture, and Rick Ebert, Vice President, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and others speaking against new child labor protections.  You can read their statements on the Committee’s website.

Success in 2011 and the New Projects of 2012

2011 was one of Shine’s richest yet in terms of artistic production and growth, and we want to take this opportunity to thank all the artists, our professional colleagues, and friends for their contributions.

After four years, we finally released THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA! We are indebted to our Director/Producer, U Roberto Romano, Producer Rory O’Connor, and Executive Producers Eva Longoria, Alonzo Cantu, and Raul Padilla.  We also want to thank all the activists, politicians, and organizations that stepped up to help child migrant farmworkers.  Among the many successes are:

• THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA was released theatrically this summer after winning 2 festival awards. It also aired on EPIX and is now available on DVD.
• Shine Global contributed to the US Department of Labor’s campaign to change the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to better protect child workers.  This began in 2009, when Labor Secretary Hilda Solis screened THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA trailer to members of government to kick off her campaign to crack down on violators of the FLSA.
• Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard introduced the CARE Act to raise the minimum age of child workers on June 16th, the same day she hosted a screening of THE HARVEST on Capitol Hill.
• Shine created free, downloadable curricula to accompany THE HARVEST for Grade 7-12 classes in English, social studies, mathematics, economics, geography, and health and college courses in history, political science, social justice and public health.  We want to thank the many teachers and pre-service teachers who contributed to its creation.  Take a look and let us know what you think.

It’s also been very exciting to reunite with our WAR/DANCE directors and cinematographer, Sean and Andrea Nix Fine, on the short documentary, INOCENTE, that introduced us to Producer Yael Melamede of Salty Features.  The film is now in post-production, and will air on MTV and Epix this spring.  Please watch the beautiful trailer by clicking here.

2011 also gave us the opportunity to work with talented director Hilla Medalia and producers Diane Nabatoff and Neta Zwebner-Zaibert to raise funds for DANCING IN JAFFA, which will be completed in 2012.  We love this film about a Palestinian dance instructor who returns to his hometown of Jaffa, Israel to teach ballroom dancing to Arab and Jewish 10-years olds, asking them to partner in a final competition.

And there is much more to look forward to in 2012!

Very excitingly, EPIX commissioned Shine to explore doing a film about preventing mother to child transmission of HIV.  We did initial filming in South Africa and plan to raise funds to do a feature length documentary.

Shine is also working with Jet Films to make BMX BOYS, now filming in London.  It tells the story of kids in inner-city London resisting gang pressure by racing BMX bikes and hoping to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.  Finally, we’re in early development on two more projects.  Shine and director Hilla Medalia are exploring funding options for a feature documentary on child brides in India.  The other is a possible film/educational project, tentatively called THE GIRLS FROM YAO, with Fulbright Scholar and Professor, Natalie Jesionka, who’s recently returned from 2 years in northern Thailand.  Natalie works with the Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia to rescue young girls from being trafficked as sex workers.

Make sure to sign up for our newsletter to hear more about all of these projects!

Every one of these stories teaches us about children struggling against very tough odds from an angle few of us would otherwise see.  And every one will potentially change the lives of thousands of other children like them.

From Homeless to Science Champ to the State of the Union

From Homeless to Science Champ to the State of the Union:
Samantha Garvey Doesn’t let her circumstances stand in the way of her dreams

Not one to let her family’s homelessness keep her form reaching for her dreams, New York teen Samantha Garvey was named as a semifinalist for the National Intel Science Competition.  Samantha was over the moon after learning she has a shot at the science competition’s $100,000 prize.

News of her story spread quickly, as many learned the story of the Brentwood High School senior who had been living with her family at a homeless shelter since January 1.   Samantha told radio station WCBS-AM that being homeless motivated her “to do better.” Adding, “I do well, and I pursue my passion because it’s what I have, and it’s a way out, you know, and it’ll lead to better things.”  Long Island Congressman Steve Israel heard her inspiring story and invited the teen to be his guest at the State of the Union address on January 24th.

Garvey is one of 300 teenagers nationwide named this week as semifinalists in the prestigious Intel science competition. She spent more than two years researching the effects of the Asian short crab on the mussel population in a salt marsh on Long Island, east of New York City.  Once sponsored by Westinghouse, the Society for Science and the Public has been running the science competition since 1942. Over the decades, contest finalists have gone on to some of the greatest achievements in science. Seven have won a Nobel Prize.  The finalists for the competition will be announced later this month, but in the mean time, Samantha, along with her two siblings, parents and pets, will be able to move into their new apartment.

Samantha was evicted along with her family from their home on New Year’s Eve. Her mother, Olga, a nurse’s assistant, was out of work for eight months following a car accident in February, and her father, Leo, could not keep up with the bills alone on his salary as a cab driver.  Leo said that after the eviction he took his family to a hotel for a week because he did not want them spending New Year’s in a homeless shelter. But he finally had to contact Suffolk County Social Services for help last week; they were then placed in a shelter.

Housing prices on Long Island are among the highest in the country, even in Brentwood, which has struggled with gang violence in recent years. A three-bedroom home there recently sold for $291,000, according to Lisa Kennedy, a broker with Eric G. Ramsay Associates. A three-bedroom ranch is renting for $1,800 a month, she said.

The Garveys will pay 30 percent of their monthly income to rent the county-owned property, officials said.

Gregory Blass, the county commissioner of Social Services, said the family was already known to officials because they were staying in a shelter, making them eligible to move into the house. He said the county works to place about 30 to 40 homeless families a month from shelters into apartments or homes. He insisted the Garveys received no preferential treatment because of Samantha’s celebrity.

Before the eviction, the Garveys had rented a home for six or seven years, Leo Garvey said. Before that, the family had also lived in homeless shelters from time to time; Leo Garvey described himself as a recovering alcoholic.

Samantha said that she had worried for several months before the eviction, knowing that her mother was ailing and money was tight.

“I ordered a senior picture and I said, `I don’t know where to send it. I don’t know what’s going to happen. What if we move, what if we get evicted,’ which we did,” she said. “You’re out in limbo. You’re like, `What’s going to happen to my mail, what’s going to happen to my college applications. Where are they all going to go?’ It’s scary.”

The teen says she hopes to pursue a career as a marine biologists after attending Brown or Yale.

New Years Auction

Did you miss the Holiday Auction?  Well you’re in luck!  We saved a few items for the New Year’s auction happening now until Jan 19th on CharityBuzz.com

You can have dinner with actor/writer/producer Mike O’Malley and tour the Paramount lot, go to one of your favorite comedy shows, get an interior design consultation from one of the country’s top interior designers, spend a week on the beach in the Hamptons, attend Dancing with the Stars and more!

Check it out at http://www.charitybuzz.com/support/shineglobal

Sold into slavery by her family, now hopes to fight human trafficking

A decade ago, Shyima Hall was smuggled into the United States as a 10-year-old slave, forced to cook and clean inside the home of a wealthy Irvine family and, at night, sleep on a squalid mattress in a windowless garage.

On Thursday, the Egyptian-born 22-year-old stood before a federal judge in Montebello with nearly 900 others and was sworn in as naturalized U.S. citizen. The ceremony capped a hard-scrabble journey that began with Hall’s rescue, wound through the foster care system and ended with her living on her own, working, and with ambitions to become a federal agent.

“I went through something terrible, but right now I’m in a great place,” Hall said after Thursday’s citizenship ceremony at the Quiet Cannon Country Club. “I can’t imagine anything greater than having my own life.”

Hall’s Egyptian parents sold her into slavery when she was 8 for $30 a month, according to authorities. The Cairo couple who bought her moved to Irvine two years later, smuggling Hall into the U.S. where she toiled for them and their five children until she was 13.

Hall said she worked 16 hour days, scrubbing floors, cooking meals and cleaning house, and was rarely allowed outside the spacious home. She was forced to wash her own clothes in a bucket and was forbidden from going to school. She never visited a doctor or dentist and didn’t speak a word of English.

Her captors, Abdel Nasser Eid Youssef Ibrahim and his former wife, Amal Ahmed Ewis-abd Motelib, berated her and occasionally slapped her around, authorities said.

“I didn’t know anything about what America was about. My only hope was to go back home and live a normal life with my family, my brothers and sisters,” she said. “That’s all I wanted.”

read the rest of Shyima’s amazing story at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1216-shyima-hall-20111216,0,1583100.story

The Harvest/La Cosecha Companion Curriculum now available!

As the producers of THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA, we have always believed in the film’s potential classroom and service organization use in middle schools,

high schools and universities. With many years experience both teaching personally as well as working with middle school teachers, however, we knew that the film had to be accompanied by excellent curricula. Collaborating with educators who volunteered their time and experience, Shine Global feels confident that educators at all three school levels will be able to create meaningful classroom and after-school experiences for their students.

The curriculum covers 5 subjects, most for grades 7-12, and incorporates viewing the film with discussion and homework exploring the themes of the film:

• English/Language Arts

• Social Studies

• Economics (Grades 11-12 only)

• Health

• Geography (designed for grade 9 but can be easily adapted for other grades)

We wish to acknowledge the college instructors, middle school and high school teachers, pre-service teachers and students who contributed to the development of these curricula. Without their help we would not have been able to offer these unit plans in Social Studies, English, Economics, Geography, and Health.

We hope that THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA will make a vital contribution to both the cognitive and affective learning of students nationally and internationally for many years to come. We welcome your feedback and that of your students to these lessons.

Shine Global Annual Holiday Auction

It’s that time of year!  Shine Global’s annual auction is here with one of a kind experiences and gifts you can’t find anywhere else.  And these gifts are extra special– not only are you getting that once in a lifetime experience but you are helping Shine Global fulfill our mission of ending the abuse and exploitation of children worldwide through the production of inspiring films and media that shine a light on unknown stories and share the voices of unheard children.

This year’s auction takes place on CharityBuzz.com from now until Monday, December 19th – so hurry!  You can win one-of-a-kind experiences with your favorite celebrities, luxury travel, access to VIP events, exclusive set visits and much more!

This auction is made possible by the generous donations of companies that support Shine Global’s mission.

To view all the items go to:  http://www.charitybuzz.com/support/shineglobal

Homelessness and the Arts – Using Media to Raise Awareness of Youth Homelessness in the UK

By Elizabeth Tornheim

Most of Ralph John Perou’s photographs show celebrities living the high life. Bright lights, fancy cars, extravagant dresses. Yet, in his latest project, Perou focuses on homeless youth living in the United Kingdom.

Perou was asked to photograph for the campaign, “Homelessness and the Arts,” a project led by 20-year-old James McNaughton. At age 16, McNaughton found himself living on the streets, and he reflects, “I thought I was going to be homeless for the rest of my life.”[i] He slept in churchyards and tunnels for six months until a police officer offered him help.  The experience inspired McNaughton to lead the “Homelessness and the Arts” project, which is backed by O2’s Think Big youth program.  The campaign seeks to raise awareness about youth homelessness and change the stereotypes associated with homeless people through the campaign’s slogan, “Admit I exist.” The project examines the reasons behind youth homelessness, and the most cost effective ways to support homeless youth.

McNaughton reflects that while he was homeless, he felt that he no longer mattered to the point where he was invisible to society. Ashamedly, I know I can recognize the truth in McNaughton’s words, as I have walked past homeless people without giving them a second glance.  “Homelessness and the Arts” aims to address this stigma associated with homelessness and encourage society to not “succumb to convenient stereotypes, but instead treat young homeless people with respect and dignity.”[ii] Perou, explains how the project has exposed him to the realities of and challenged his perception of homelessness. He says, “I feel embarrassed…in the past, I’ve looked in the opposite direction…”[iii]

Perou spent time with homeless youth in Liverpool and Machester, getting to know them as people, talking about their ambitions, and understanding their struggles. His photographs show meaningful places to the individuals, and are on the “Homeless and Arts” online exhibition. Perou’s work will be displayed alongside photographs taken by homeless youth themselves.

While McNaughton recently launched this project, he plans to eventually establish the campaign as an independent charity.  He plans on using the media to raise awareness and challenge society’s perceptions of homeless youth.  In the future, McNaughton plans to work with other organizations in developing peer education programs within schools and hostels.

McNaughton and Perou’s work ask each of us to stop and think about our perception of homelessness. Ultimately, Perou explains that he hopes that his photographs make people realize “we do have a social responsibility to people who are less well off than ourselves” [iv]

To check out “Homelessness and the Arts” go to  :http://www.o2thinkbig.co.uk/Projects/Project-Home/?ClubID=103

To check out Perou’s photographs for the campaign got to:

http://www.perou.co.uk/

---

[i] http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-arts/2011/11/23/celebrity-photographer-perou-turns-his-lens-on-liverpool-young-homeless-92534-29823399/3/

[ii] http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/11/16/photographer-perou-launches-youth-homelessness-campaign_n_1096728.html

[iii] http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-arts/2011/11/23/celebrity-photographer-perou-turns-his-lens-on-liverpool-young-homeless-92534-29823399/

[iv] http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-arts/2011/11/23/celebrity-photographer-perou-turns-his-lens-on-liverpool-young-homeless-92534-29823399/

Shine Global submits comments on the DOL’s proposed changes to child labor regulations

Shine Global is dedicated to ending the exploitation and abuse of children worldwide and in this pursuit we make films that raise awareness and effect change on behalf of their well-being.  It was for this reason that we recently released our documentary, THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA, which told the stories of 3 of the estimated 400,000 American child migrant farm workers who work as many as 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, at below minimum wage salaries.  They work legally from the age of 12 in all weather extremes in what is the most dangerous occupation extant for minors.  They earn no overtime and no sick days.

This is legal in America because the Fair Labor Standards Act, enacted in 1938, excluded agriculture and thus left thousands of children unprotected.  Shine applauds US Labor Secretary Hilda Solis for the changes the Department of Labor proposes to make that will close this gap and provide equal protections to minors, whatever their occupation.  We encourage all Shine supporters to educate themselves about the existing legislation and pending revisions and to demonstrate their support for the health and wellbeing of our children.

The proposed rules maintain the current parental exemption and would not apply to children working on their parents’ farm.   They would prohibit hired workers under age 16 from working with certain animals, handling pesticides, working in timber operations, and working in or around manure pits and storage bins. Further, the new rules would prohibit farm workers under the age of 16 from participating in the cultivation, harvesting and curing of tobacco (which causes severe tobacco poisoning) and from operating power driven equipment. The department is also proposing a new non-ag hazardous occupations (non-ag HO) order that would prevent children under the age of 18 from working in grain elevators, feed lots, stockyards, and livestock exchanges and auctions. The DOL is also soliciting comments, and may institute regulations, limiting hired youths’ exposure to extreme temperatures, as well as whether the payment of piece rates to young farm workers impacts their prolonged exposure to potentially harmful conditions.

The full document of proposed changes and the DOL’s justifications can be read at:  http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=WHD-2011-0001-0001

Comments can be made electronically at the above website or by mail to: Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. Comments should be identified by Document ID: WHD-2011-0001- 0001, RIN 1235-AA06

Inocente – Film In Production

INOCENTE tells the story of a young Latina striving to find her artistic voice despite having no home, no role models and no legal status.  The only constant in her precarious life is her art and her determination to express herself through it.

INOCENTE is an intensely personal and vibrant coming of age documentary about a young artist’s fierce determination to never surrender to the bleakness of her surroundings.  At 15, Inocente refuses to let her dream of becoming an artist be caged by her life as an undocumented immigrant forced to live homeless for the last nine years. Color is her personal revolution and its extraordinary sweep on her canvases creates a world that looks nothing like her own dark past – – a past punctuated by a father deported for domestic abuse, an alcoholic and defeated mother of four who once took her daughter by the hand to jump off a bridge together, an endless shuffle year after year through the city’s overcrowded homeless shelters and the constant threat of deportation.  The challenges are staggering, but the hope in Inocente’s story proves that the hand she has been dealt does not define her, her dreams do.

Learn More About the Issues >>Learn More About Homelessness in the US >>Learn More About the Importance of Arts Education

Shine Global is currently seeking finishing funds for this beautiful documentary.  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation now and become a filmmaker with Shine Global.  CLICK HERE

Next Page »