For Immediate Release
September 9, 2009
Media Contacts:
The Enough Project
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org
YouTube™
Spencer Crooks, 650.214.1304
press@youtube.com
RELEASE: Enough Announces Winner of “Come Clean 4 Congo” Video Contest
WASHINGTON, D.C., and SAN BRUNO, CA – Enough, the anti-crimes against humanity project at the Center for American Progress, today announced that Matthew Smith of Bend, Oregon has won the Come Clean 4 Congo video contest. The contest, launched in May with YouTube, empowered individuals to create compelling videos that highlight the link between “conflict minerals” used in cell phones and the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – the deadliest since World War II. Enough has called on electronic companies to pledge that they will certify their products are “conflict free” and subject their supply chains to transparent audits.
Smith’s winning video, “Life Should Be Free,” features a creative spoken word piece put to stunning graphics and emotive music. The idea for the piece, says Smith, came from a recent trip to the Congo where he saw first hand the tragic impact that conflict minerals have on the Congolese people. He created the video with a small team of volunteers committed to making a meaningful impact in the Congo. "We entered this contest because we have all been moved by the suffering in the Congo,” said Smith. “We want to use our gifts and creativity to help raise awareness and bring hope to the people in Congo."
In addition to having his video featured on Enough’s RAISE Hope for Congo website and YouTube page, Smith will attend the Hollywood Film Festival (http://hollywoodawards.com/festival.html) in Los Angeles on October 24, where the video will be screened at a human rights symposium at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas. Actress Sonya Walger from ABC’s "Lost," and Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics at YouTube, will present an award to Smith at the symposium, which will feature a panel of expert speakers to address the issue of violence against women in Congo.
Judges for the contest – Ms. Walger, Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling, and Oscar-nominated director Wim Wenders – initially narrowed the entries to three. Then the public viewed the three finalists on www.youtube.com/enoughproject to vote for the winner.
Come Clean 4 Congo marks the first installment of YouTube's new Video for Change program, which leverages the reach of the video-sharing site to spotlight the most pressing social causes that are important to YouTube's nonprofit partners and users. "We're extremely pleased with the caliber of submissions that the contest received," said Grove. "We hope that Matthew Smith's entry will inspire other YouTube users to use their cameras to shine a light on issues that are underexposed."
The video contest is part of Enough’s RAISE Hope for Congo campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the crisis in the Congo and empower the women and girls who continue to be targets of horrific sexual violence in that country. To learn more, visit www.RAISEHopeforCongo.org.
“This contest really raised the profile of one of the world’s worst human rights catastrophes,” said Candice Knezevic, manager of Enough’s RAISE Hope for Congo campaign. “Thanks to the creativity and compassion of YouTube users like Matthew Smith, thousands of people are now aware that their cell phones are linked to violence against women in Congo, and that they have a role to play in ending that violence.”
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ABOUT YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR CHANGE
YouTube's Video for Change initiative highlights pressing social causes that are important to the YouTube community. Partnering with YouTube's top Nonprofit partners, each Video for Change initiative empowers individuals to raise the volume on causes they care about, using video. To learn more about the YouTube Nonprofit Program visit www.youtube.com/nonprofits.
ABOUT THE ENOUGH PROJECT AT THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS
Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To schedule an interview, contact Eileen White Read, 202.641.0779; eread@enoughproject.org.
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Center for American Progress, 1333 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20005-4707 United States.
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May 18, 2009
RELEASE: Enough Launches "Come Clean 4 Congo" Video Contest
Leverages YouTube's New Video for Change Program to Raise Awareness Online
WASHINGTON, D.C., and SAN BRUNO, CA - Enough, the anti-crimes against humanity project at the Center for American Progress, is joining with YouTube today in announcing the launch of the Come Clean 4 Congo video contest, which empowers individuals to create compelling messages that highlight the link between "conflict minerals" used in cell phones and the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - the deadliest since World War II. (www.youtube.com/enoughproject).
The creator of the winning video will be flown to Los Angeles (from within the United States), where the video will be screened at an entertainment industry event; it will also be featured on the Enough Project's websites and YouTube page. Judges for the contest are Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling, actress Sonya Walger from ABC's "Lost," and Oscar-nominated director Wim Wenders.
"Much of the violence in eastern Congo is driven by armed groups competing to dominate the illicit minerals trade," said Enough Project Executive Director John Norris. "These are the same minerals that ultimately end up in our personal electronics devices such as mobile phones, laptops and digital cameras. It seems only fitting that we can use something like YouTube and the huge creativity of its users to help end the scourge of conflcit minerals." Enough has called on electronic companies to pledge that they will certify their products are "conflict free" and subject their supply chains to transparent audits.
Come Clean 4 Congo marks the first installment of YouTube's new Video for Change program, which leverages the reach of the video-sharing site to spotlight the most pressing social causes that are important to YouTube's nonprofit partners and users.
"Activism today doesn't just happen through letter-writing, petitions, or protests in the town square - it also takes place online," said Steve Grove, Head of News, Politics and Nonprofits for YouTube. "We're launching Video for Change on YouTube to highlight the most pressing social causes our users care about, and The Enough Project's Come Clean 4 Congo contest is a great example of an innovative nonprofit using YouTube to empower citizens to raise awareness around the conflict in Congo."
The video contest is part of Enough's RAISE Hope for Congo campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the crisis in the Congo and empower the women and girls who continue to be targets of horrific sexual violence in that country.
For details about how to enter the Come Clean 4 Congo video contest, and about the RAISE Hope for Congo campaign, visit www.RAISEHopeforCongo.org/comeclean4congo.
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ABOUT YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR CHANGE
YouTube's Video for Change initiative highlights pressing social causes that are important to the YouTube community. Partnering with YouTube's top Nonprofit partners, each Video for Change initiative empowers individuals to raise the volume on causes they care about, using video. To learn more about the YouTube Nonprofit Program visit www.youtube.com/nonprofits.
ABOUT THE ENOUGH PROJECT AT THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS
Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough's strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a "3P" crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. To learn more, visit www.enoughproject.org.
For Immediate Release
Media Contacts
The Enough Project
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376Â
eread@enoughproject.org
YouTube™
Spencer Crooks, 650.214.1304
press@youtube.com
Center for American Progress, 1333 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20005-4707 United States
May 18, 2009 Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting: Come Clean 4 Congo YouTube Video Contest
May 18, 2009 Matthew Yglesias on ThinkProgress: Come Clean 4 Congo Video Contest
May 19, 2009 The Scoop on MSNBC: Watch this, read that
May 19, 2009 Social Entrepreneurship on Change.org: Come Clean 4 Congo: Your Next Mobile Phone Could Change the World (For Good or Bad)
