2011 in review - GSN goes to the Oscars, Pakistan and beyond!

Dear Friend,


2011 has been an important year for Global Survivors Network. What was once an idea of a diverse group of survivors of terror has become a global call to speak truth to terror. From the red carpet of the Oscars to the hallowed halls of the House of Commons and the United Nations, while leading terrorists were targeted and silenced, GSN members around the globe have stood up and spoken out.

Oscar-nominated documentary film, Killing in the Name
Short films
Events
Appearances
Our impact in the press

Killing in the Name

Killing in the Name was created to confront widely held misconceptions about who the real victims of terrorism are, and to start a conversation about what steps every day citizens can take to help eradicate extremist beliefs.

In January of this year Killing in the Name received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The film, available in three languages, screened in 10 film festivals, and was shown to audiences in the United Kingdom, Indonesia, the UAE, France, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, and The Netherlands. Killing in the Name made its US broadcast premiere on HBO where their 41 million subscribers could access the film on-air, through HBO On Demand, or HBO Go. We are hopeful to find international distribution for the film to spread its message around the globe.

Short Films

As a part of our commitment to empower victims of terrorism with a platform to share their experiences, GSN produced 12 short films featuring survivors from Pakistan, Jordan, Indonesia, Spain, Uganda, Northern Ireland, Turkey, India, Columbia, and the United States. Chilling and moving, one of the films, Five, was accepted to the Cannes International Film Festival, bringing the experiences of five Pakistani survivors to an audience of film goers and buyers for TV and theatrical placement.   

Another GSN film, Hear Our Voices, was invited to take part in the opening ceremony of the first Global Counterterrorism Forum, which brought together foreign ministers and diplomats from 30 nations to coordinate counterterrorism efforts. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Hear Our Voices "moving" and said it renewed her resolve "to ensure that there are not more victims anywhere in the world". To ensure that all of the stories of survivors are accessible to audiences around the world we created a Global Survivors Network channel on YouTube, one of the largest video discovery platforms in the world.

Events

Through GSN-sponsored events, we unite with survivors around the globe to speak out against terrorism. In March, GSN partnered with the the International Conference of Islamic Scholars to screen Killing in the Name at religious schools throughout Indonesia and bring a message of collaboration against terrorism to school-aged children. The events inspired debate and exposed students to terrorism victims from their own region to learn firsthand how international terrorism affects their neighbors and community.

GSN also developed a partnership with Scream Against Terrorism, a campaign that asks Pakistani university students to reflect on the roles they can and should play in countering extremist violence. Seven seminars have already taken place in October and November throughout universities in Pakistan, with more being planned. The events are organized by GSN members and survivors of the 2009 bombing of the Islamic University in Islamabad.

Over the summer we conducted our first week-long media training in coordination with the United Nations to grow survivors' ability to effectively engage with local, national and international press. Participants in the training have carried the spirit of GSN to their home countries and have been working tirelessly to ensure that what happened to them never happens again.

Jeremiah Othin (Uganda) wears a t-shirt that he created as a part of his campaign to build awareness for those who suffered during the attacks during the World Cup in Uganda on July 11, 2010.

Students in Pakistan listen during a "Scream against terrorism" seminar- a campaign created by survivors of the 2009 attacks at the University of Islamabad to empower university students throughout Pakistan to speak out against terrorism.

Appearances

During 2011, GSN members were invited to events around the world to lend their voice in discussions about counterterrorism efforts. Co-founder Carie Lemack spoke on panels for the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, which hosted a Terrorism Symposium in Vienna to look into the growing connections between terrorist acts and global crime, and at a recent event highlighting the launch of the UN Response to Support Victims of Acts of Terrorism. Carie Lemack also spoke on panels for the Aspen Security Institute, Wired 211 Conference, VII European Day on Remembrance of Victims of Terrorism, and the 9Ten11 Conference hosted by London First.

In Dublin, Gill Hicks, Febby Isran, Carie Lemack and Tahir Wadood Malik all participated in Google's Summit Against Violent Extremism, where they collaborated with former extremists, activists and other survivors to maximize their role in the process of deradicalization and engaged in dialogue about the factors that both cause and dismantle violent extremism.

Impact in the press

One of the best lessons we have learned is that when survivors speak the world listens. GSN's films, events and members have been the subject of headlines in press outlets like USA Today, The Washington Post, The Jordan Times, The Guardian, The Examiner, Der Spiegel and The Telegraph, and featured on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Sky News, MSNBC, and NPR.  Access all of GSN's press around the world.

Survivors of terrorism have a story to tell and though painful, they are a necessary reminder of the human lives that are at stake if we fail in our efforts to prevent future acts of terrorism. As we move into 2012, please remember the stories you have experienced firsthand from survivors around the globe and make a pledge to share your terrorism story with us or invite one other person into our network who can share their own story. With your support we can continue to create the kind of world we all seek, one free of violence against innocents.

Best wishes for a peaceful close to 2011.