America’s Promise Alliance Impact Network: 2012 Leadership Opportunities

http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Youth-Engagement/Impact-Network/Youth-Leadership/Leadership-Opportunities.aspx

America’s Promise Alliance promotes youth engagement as part of our Grad Nation campaign by encouraging and supporting our networks and partners to involve young people in community change, and sharing local stories of youth-led action with a national audience to build broader support.  The Impact Network is the umbrella of all opportunities available to encourage 13-25 year olds to engage in the mission of America's Promise Alliance. Below you will find two types of opportunities and four different roles available this July. Be sure to read eligibility and requirements for each. Applicants may apply for one or all of the positions on the same form. To see past participants view some of their youth insight posts.

Applications must be received by July 2, 2012.

• Access the application
• Access the recommendation form

Leadership Bodies

America’s Promise models youth involvement by having two youth leaders on both our Board of Directors and Alliance Trustees. Each youth is a full voting member of the leadership body and plays a valuable role in the strategic direction of the organization. Meet our current members.

Board of Directors - 2 year term (September 2012 – June 2014)
Our Board , which represents leaders from all sectors of America, provides leadership and oversight for the management of the organization.

Alliance Trustees - 2 year term (September 2012 – June 2014)
As leaders of key partner organizations in the America’s Promise Alliance, our Trustees help shape the Alliance’s priorities and initiatives. They serve in an advisory capacity to our Board of Directors.
Serving as a member of an Alliance leadership body is an exciting opportunity. It is also a responsibility.  Before applying, please review the following list and make sure you are able to meet the requirements and expectations.

• Be between the ages of 16-22 on July 30, 2012. Ideally, will not be graduating from college/university prior to June 2014.
• Attend three meetings yearly in Washington, DC (or other location) without a chaperone. The Alliance will cover all required travel costs for individuals chosen as members.
• Share a summary report with the Impact Network after each meeting.
• Have prior experience with an Alliance partner or other America’s Promise Alliance strategy (My Idea Grants, 100 Best, Grad Nation Communities, Impact Network, etc.)

Judging

In addition, we feel that young people should have a voice in all strategies of our work. Through competitions such as 100 Best Communities for Young People and the Journalism Awards, America’s Promise shines a spotlight on communities making a difference and the struggle to build a Grad Nation.  Youth judges will join expert panelist in determining winners of these special awards.

100 Best Communities for Young People Judge - 1 time opportunity (July 2012)
The 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING is a signature initiative of America’s Promise Alliance and an important part of the Grad Nation campaign. Each year, America's Promise and ING celebrate 100 deserving communities who effectively provide their youth with the Five Promises and work to increase graduation rates. Winning communities come from all across the country and are addressing the unique challenges they face.

Journalism Awards Judge - 1 time opportunity (Fall 2012)
These awards, created in partnership with the Journalism Center on Children & Families, recognize the efforts of journalists working to raise awareness about the needs of young people and those that inspire communities to act on behalf of youth.

Serving as a member of a judge is an exciting opportunity. It is also a responsibility.  Before applying, please review the following list and make sure you are able to meet the requirements and expectations.

• Be between the ages of 13-25 on July 30, 2012.
• Review contest materials and applications/submissions. Participate in a panel review call.
• Share a summary report with the Impact Network after each meeting.
• Have prior experience with an Alliance partner or other America’s Promise Alliance strategy (My Idea Grants, 100 Best, Grad Nation Communities, Impact Network, etc.)

Application Instructions & Guidelines

Please read the application thoroughly before completing. Applications must be received by July 2, 2012.

• Applications should be submitted through the online forms provided by America’s Promise Alliance.  Prior permission is required for applications submitted on paper or by other means.
• Membership is currently open only to US Citizens and those young people currently residing in the United States. All submissions should be in English. If an applicant is unable to complete the application in English, please contact the Alliance for assistance.
• Letters of recommendation will be submitted separately. Two letters of recommendation are required for Leadership Bodies. For Judging positions, letters are optional. recommenders should have good, first-hand knowledge of your skill set. Applicants have two options for submitting them:

1. Providing the following link to an online Recommendation Form to caring adults (preferred)
2. Letters of recommendation can be mailed to the address below or emailed to codyr@americaspromse.org.

* Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
* All decisions related to the Impact Network are the sole discretion of America’s Promise Alliance.

Point of Contact

Cody Ruxton
America’s Promise Alliance
1110 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20005
202.657.0624
Fax : 202.657.0603
Email: CodyR@americaspromise.org

Internship Opportunity: Emergency Management. Los Angeles, CA

POSITION    Emergency Management Intern

SALARY        $18.14 per hour or course credit per higher education institution


START DATE:       June 18
END DATE:            August 31


SCHEDULE

30 - 40 hours per week for 10 consecutive weeks with potential for extension based on performance


DUTIES

The City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department (EMD) is currently taking applications for the Summer Emergency Management Intern program. EMD’s highly competitive internship program, in the nation’s 2nd largest city, is open to graduate students interested in emergency management and pursuing a degree in emergency management, homeland security, public administration, strategic planning, or a related field. Interns will receive hands-on learning experiences, as they will be fully integrated into the Department and will be assigned projects related to emergency planning, emergency operations, communications, or community preparedness. Interns may also prepare reports, research, recommendations, and correspondence on behalf of EMD. Interns will have the opportunity to work with representatives from various City of Los Angeles departments, business partners, and non-profit organizations.


All participants in this program will be assigned a mentor who is an experienced emergency management professional. Interns will have access to City hosted emergency management trainings and related meetings, as available and at no cost. 


ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

EMD acts on behalf of the Mayor, the City Council, Emergency Operations Board (EOB), and Emergency Operations Organization (EOO) on all matters of city-wide emergency planning, training, mitigation, recovery, and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) readiness. 


The Department strives to coordinate and manage Citywide emergency management activities with the goals of increasing the preparedness of Angelenos; enhancing the City’s collective ability to plan for, mitigate, and respond to emergencies; and expanding the City’s continuity of operations/continuity of government capabilities. http://emergency.lacity.org

REQUIREMENTS 

All applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Enrolled in or completed a graduate degree program at an accredited university, preferably in emergency management, homeland security, public administration, strategic planning, or a related field 
• Minimum of 3.0 cumulative GPA preferred
• Strong oral and written communication skills; Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision; Detail-oriented; Creative thinker and ability to strategize and solve complex problems
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications

Interested applicants should email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to:   
       Gabriela Noriega, Program Coordinator, at Gabriela.Noriega@lacity.org


       Include “Internship Application” in the subject of your email.


       Applications for the summer cohort are due by June 1, 2012.


       Filing may close at any time without prior notice if a sufficient number of 
       applications have been received.


For more information visit: http://www.laemuc.org/home/Internship

Education: Out of the box thinking.

Endowment Activism: How Students Can Move Big Money

Think broke students have no power to influence Wall Street? Think again.

by Martha van Gelder     posted May 17, 2012

http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/endowment-activism-how-students-can-move-big-money?utm_source=wkly20120518&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=titleGelder

Students are known for having an abundance of ideals, but not much money or power. But student

                          

Middlebury College is know for its focus on social responsibility and sustainability. Members of Middlebury's team attach solar panels to the roof of Self Reliance, their entry in the Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon.

Photo by Katie Romanov courtesy of Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon 

organizations around the country are finding ways to put thousands, sometimes millions of dollars behind sustainable companies.

At Middlebury College, members of the school’s Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) club are working to guide the school’s $900 million dollar endowment towards more sustainable investments.
They’ve joined a growing number of other schools in invoking the kind of ownership rights seldom embraced by the left: the right to influence the world through the tools of Wall Street, using their role as investors to spur change in powerful corporations.

“Colleges have the opportunity to be leaders in socially responsible investing because we combine liberal ideals with a huge amount of money,” says Olivia Grugan, a Middlebury senior and president of the SRI club.

Responsible investing

At Middlebury, a group of students started a Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) club and began working with the administration to set aside a part of the school’s $900 million endowment to be managed in a socially responsible way.

Having ethically managed funds was a priority for the club, and they initially asked that the school allocate 1 percent of its endowment to a fully transparent fund.

Middlebury’s administration was wary of sacrificing too much of the endowment’s money-making potential.
“Our endowment supports some major commitments we’ve made,” says Patrick Norton, chief financial officer of the college. “We have a commitment to future generations of students and can never put our funding stream at risk.”

As the stewards of significant pools of capital, colleges can also use their position as shareholders to influence the way the company operates.

But values and profits don’t have to be mutually exclusive, notes Dan Apfel, the executive director of the Responsible Endowments Coalition, which regularly works with students to incorporate the principles of SRI into their schools’ endowments.

Grugan argues that socially conscious investing is part of the school’s responsibility. “Middlebury has a mission statement that includes language like ‘environmental stewardship’ and ‘global community,’” she says, “and those values are something we want reflected in the entirety of our endowment.”
In 2010, the school created a socially responsible fund of $4 million, to be matched with another $4 million raised through fundraising efforts.

The current size of the fund is $2.5 million, but students and administrators are hopeful that it will grow in the next few years. Although the fund is not managed by students, they were able to provide input on the general direction of the investments.

“When we got this fund, we had a couple of choices in what direction we could take it,” says Grugan. “We could try to make it the greenest fund ever, or we could aim to make it a model for how the entire endowment could someday be run. We chose the latter.”

The fund runs along the same line as a regular pool of investments, but weighs its decisions according to the “triple bottom line” of profit, people, and planet. As a result, its assets are spread among companies that lead their fields on environmental and social issues.

Shareholder activism

Steering money towards sustainable companies is not the only way to encourage the triple bottom line. As the stewards of significant pools of capital, colleges can also use their position as shareholders to influence the way the company operates.

“This is a really powerful type of investment activism,” says Grugan, “some would argue that it’s the most powerful—you’re utilizing your position within a company to change the way it operates.”

When Grugen discovered that a Middlebury-based fund owned shares in Exxon Mobil, she wondered if they could use their position as shareholders to influence Exxon’s position on the proposed KXL Pipeline that would carry the oil across the United States.

The students decided to join a coalition of socially minded Exxon Mobil investors who were attempting to bring a resolution about the risks of tar sands development to vote at the annual shareholders’ meeting. The mere act of holding a vote would signal the importance of the issue, and if the vote were to pass, it would put real pressure on the management to consider the risks of pipeline involvement.

                                       The Bank Vs. America Showdown
                        
In shareholders’ meetings and in the streets, how 99% Power is taking on Bank of America.

“Endowments are leaders in the financial world... We can lead in the shift towards making socially responsible investing the norm.”

Before the resolution could go to vote at the annual meeting, though, Exxon lawyers challenged it through the Securities and Exchange Commission, and it was dismissed.

The SEC dismissal of the Exxon shareholder resolution was a setback, but Grugan was encouraged that the small club had had a real impact on how the school managed its funds. “We had a five-student club, and we got $4 million allocated. What could we do if we had the whole student body on board?” she wondered.

Currently, the SRI club is devoting its energy to getting more students involved in the management of the school’s endowment. “This is a unifying tool,” says Grugan, “because no matter what your issue, you can use shareholder advocacy to further it.”

The potential of socially responsible investing

Values-based investing is a growing trend, and not just on college campuses. In 2010, almost one dollar out of eight was invested in a fund that is ethically screened in some way.

In 2008, the endowments from U.S. four-year institutions totaled over $400 billion. That represents a huge body of influence—if its custodians choose to wield it.

“Endowments are leaders in the financial world,” says Apfel. “We can lead in the shift towards making socially responsible investing the norm.”

And students aren’t the only ones who can participate in the direction of endowments; as a major source of donations, alumni can have a major influence. Says Apfel, “just sending a letter to your school asking where they invest and expressing your desire to donate to a socially responsible fund can be influential.”

“Where socially responsible investing is great is in its potential, which is largely untapped,” says Grugan. “Colleges are not doing all they can. This isn’t a solution story yet, but it could be. There is a lot of potential."

---

Martha van Gelder wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. Martha is a freelance journalist based in Washington DC. She tweets about sustainable investing and the tar sands at @marthavangelder.

Educational. U.S. State Department.

http://exchanges.state.gov/programs/secondary-school.html

For U.S. Participants

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX)

The CBYX program is for German and American high school students, vocational students, and young professionals.

National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)

American students learn less commonly taught languages in overseas immersion programs.

Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad) Program

American students study in Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Oman, Thailand, or Turkey.

Youth Leadership Programs

Students from various countries study topics that include civic education, leadership development, and community service. Programs include: Youth Leadership Programs, Youth Ambassadors, Benjamin Franklin Summer Institutes, American Youth Leadership Programs. 

Educational. International Students. U.S. Department of State. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

http://exchanges.state.gov/programs/secondary-school.html

For non-U.S. Participants

American Serbia and Montenegro Youth Leadership Exchange (A-SMYLE)

Serbian and Montenegrin students have the chance to live with a host family and attend a U.S. high school.

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX)

The CBYX program is for German and American high school students, vocational students, and young professionals.

English Access Microscholarship Program

The English Access Microscholarship Program provides a foundation of English language skills to talented 14–18 year-olds from disadvantaged sectors through after-school classes and intensive summer sessions.

Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program

Students from Eurasia have the chance to live with a host family and attend a U.S. high school.

Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program

The YES program allows students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the U.S..

TechGirls

TechGirls, a U.S. Department of State initiative, is an international exchange program designed to empower young girls to pursue careers in the science and technology sectors.

Youth Leadership Programs

Students from various countries study topics that include civic education, leadership development, and community service. Programs include: Youth Leadership Programs, Youth Ambassadors and Benjamin Franklin Summer Institutes. 

"Generations of Power" 8th Annual NAACP Leadership 500 Summit May 24-27, 2012

8th Annual NAACP Leadership 500 Summit
"Generations of Power"

Leaders are not born, they're developed.

 Either because of opportunity or necessity, someone takes charge and leads the way. Effective leadership is a destination achieved through careful thought, consideration and action.

TEXT L500 to 62227 (NAACP) to receive updates and announcements about the 2012 Leadership 500 Summit. (Standard message & data rates may apply)


          Hotel Registration   Welcome from the Chairman   Schedule-At-A-Glance

               
Register here for the Sandestin   
Please be sure to make your hotel reservations for the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort Village of Baytowne  Wharf  Grand Complex.  The complex consists of the Grand Sandestin (main building), The Lasata, The Bahia, The Elation.


Resort Amenities include: Complimentary on-property resort transportation; two bicycles per unit for up to four hours of usage daily; fitness center usage; one hour per day of tennis court time (based on availability) one hour per day usage on either a canoe, kayak or boogie board.


  Roslyn M. Brock
Chairman, NAACP Board of Directors
Chairman & Founder, Leadership 500 Summit
The NAACP Leadership 500 Summit offers a venue for corporate, business, academic, community, and civic leaders to participate in leadership development seminars and forums that provide the opportunity for the NAACP to directly engage them in its current civil rights agenda. I look forward to your participation in this year's Summit.


 

Get a detailed view of all the events planned for the 2012 NAACP Leadership 500 Summit.

For general questions regarding the 2012 NAACP Leadership 500 Summit, please contact the Chairman's Office at (410)580-5102  

http://www.l500.org/index2.html

Gathering will set agenda, create continuing network of nation’s emerging leaders

No Ties!

The NAACP 8th Annual Leadership 500 Summit will be held May 24 – 27, 2012, at the Sandestin Resortin Destin, Florida. Participants will attend 2 ½ days of thought provoking,  interactive panel discussions, strategy sessions, and facilitated general sessions led by prominent private sector, non-profit, corporate and community leaders.
“Leadership By Design; Ensuring Our Legacy” strategy sessions will address the NAACP “Game Changer” Initiatives that strengthen our ability to be effective advocates individually and collectively effecting  real social change in our communities. Throughout the weekend, economic development and entrepreneurship; civic engagement and voting rights; criminal justice; education; health advocacy and environmental justice are topics for discussion. Professionals in finance, education, political leaders, lawyers, healthcare providers, environmentalists, and leaders in the civil rights and social justice arena, will lend their knowledge to help create innovative and effective strategies for advancing positive change for our families, communities and our society.
Since its inception in 2005, Leadership 500 has served as a fertile training ground for leadership development, professional networking, partnerships and effective civil rights and social justice advocacy for more than 3,500 mid-level professionals who have attended the Summit.  They have returned to their respective professions in the public and private sector, empowered as leaders, to contribute in a meaningful way to their place of business and to their respective community.
Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. With more than ½ million members in state/area conferences, branches and youth units, throughout the United States and abroad, the NAACP is the paramount voice of advocacy for civil rights, social justice, and equal opportunity for all in communities throughout the world.

National Guard: Command post helps National Guard respond to possible disasters

By Army National Guard Spc. J.p. Lawrence
New York National Guard

UTICA, N.Y. (5/17/12) - The scenario is as horrific as it is potentially tragic: what if terrorists attacked the United States with chemical weapons?

About 1,000 National Guard Soldiers, Airmen and New York Guard volunteers trained to respond to such a scenario at the Utica National Guard Armory as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency II Homeland Response Force validation training, May 16.

The FEMA II Homeland Response Force - which is a robust, specialized, rapid-response task force made up of National Guard Soldiers and Airmen to reinforce first responders in times of disaster - included members of the New Jersey, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands National Guards.

The organization supports civil authorities in response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) or Hazardous Material incidents that requiring the evacuation, decontamination and medical triage of casualties.

Army Maj. Aron Sacchetti, executive officer of the Command and Control Element of the HRF, helps the unit coordinate with civilians in the response to national disaster.

Army Spc. Louis Cesario, focuses while training as a liaison officer for the Homeland Response Force Tactical Operations Center in Utica, N.Y. May 16, 2012. Cesario helps the TOC provide important information to the civilian first responders in the event of an emergency situation. (Army National Guard photo by Spc. J.p. Lawrence)(Released)
download hi-res photo

“We’re working as the primary command and control unit here to ensure that we are able to recommend to the commander what our current status is here, how long we can continue to operate, and if we need anything,” Sacchetti said.

If a disaster hits the FEMA area of New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands, the HRF command post would be responsible for keeping track of the military units that would respond. This includes hourly reports on the supply, equipment and personnel levels of the military response. That information would go to the civilian in charge of the total efforts of the military and civilian first-responders.

“We provide that information to the civilian first responders who are controlling the overall response to make sure that he’s got the information he needs to coordinate the efforts of the civilian and the military folks to deal with the situation as efficiently as possible,” Sacchetti said. “The goal is to save people’s lives.”
Components of this response have been tested in the world, but the process of combining disaster response with a traveling central command hub is brand new.

“This is all brand new, which helps with the excitement and the enjoyment – the fact that we’re building this program now,” Sacchetti said. “We hope that we never have to use it in real life, and so far, we have not had to.”
Sacchetti said the exercise has already helped them build relationships with civilian first responders, but he hopes to continue building relationships in the future in order to respond to the unthinkable.

“We’re all very proud to be part of this mission,” Sacchetti said. “We realize the seriousness of this and we take our training very seriously.”

http://www.nationalguard.mil/news/archives/2012/05/051712-Command.aspx?src=rss

Wells Fargo & 100 Black Men of America, Inc. Present the Procurement Summit at the 26th Annual Conference - An Opportunity For Your Business!

   

    

WEBINAR: UNDERSTANDING THE EEOC’S NEW CRIMINAL RECORDS GUIDANCE: EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance

Webinar: Understanding the EEOC’s New Criminal Records Guidance: Education and Enforcement Opportunities

On April 25, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a new enforcement guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The new guidance reaffirms the core principles present in earlier guidances, while updating and clarifying the EEOC standards regulating criminal background checks for employment. A New York Times editorial described the new guidance as “must reading for all employers.” Sponsored by the National Employment Law Project (NELP), Community Legal Services (CLS) of Philadelphia, and the National Reentry Resource Center, this webinar will provide advocates, workers, employers, workforce development specialists and policy makers with critical information on how to apply the new EEOC policy to their daily decisions when navigating criminal records for employment.

The webinar will feature a conversation between CLS's Managing Attorney, Sharon Dietrich, and Carol Miaskoff, Assistant Legal Counsel in the EEOC Office of Legal Counsel, as well as a discussion between NELP's Policy Co-Director, Maurice Emsellem, and Pamela Paulk, Vice President for Human Resources for the Johns Hopkins Health Systems and the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Phoebe Potter, Policy Analyst with the National Reentry Resource Center, will provide introductory comments describing the significance of the issue across constituency groups.

  In addition to detailing the key elements of the new EEOC guidance, the webinar will highlight best practices for employers, helpful implementation strategies for worker advocates, and key considerations for state and local policymakers to explore.

Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Time: 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET

To register for this webinar, click here. Space is limited.


System Requirements

• PC-based attendees: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
  
• Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS®X 10.5 or newer 

Haitian Military? NO!

Haiti's wannabe soldiers say they met with leader

Originally published: May 14, 2012 5:27 PM
Updated: May 14, 2012 7:18 PM
By The Associated Press  TRENTON DANIEL (Associated Press)

Photo credit: AP | A member of Haiti's dissolved army gestures after a press conference at an old army barracks on the outskirts ofPort-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, May 14, 2012. The leaders of the band of armed men gave a news conference to press Haiti's President Michel Martelly to honor his campaign pledge of restoring the army, which was abolished in 1995 because of its abusive record. Today Martelly marks his one year anniversary as president. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

Photos

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - (AP) -- The leaders of a band of armed men pressing for the return of Haiti's military met with President Michel Martelly while he was a candidate in hopes that he would bring back the army, a former sergeant said Monday.

Jean Fednel Lafalaise gave few details about the meeting, but said Martelly reassured members of the group that the army would be reinstated if he was elected president.

"This is what we are fighting for, this what we wanted," Lafalaise told reporters at an old military base outside the capital. "This is why we asked all our families to vote for Martelly."

A spokesman for the president couldn't be immediately reached for comment Monday.

The hopeful soldiers spoke with reporters on the same day that Martelly marked his first year as president.

Also on Monday, the Chamber of Deputies approved the Cabinet and government plan of Laurent Lamothe, making the former businessman Haiti's new prime minister. Martelly's first prime minister, Garry Conille, resigned because of disagreements with the president over priorities.

Several groups of armed men have been pressing Martelly in recent months to honor his campaign pledge of restoring the army, which was abolished in 1995 because of its abusive record. They've pressed their case by parading around Haiti's capital and the countryside while wearing military uniforms and sporting side arms.

The Haitian government has ordered the groups to clear out of several old army bases that they quietly took over in February but they have refused to leave.

Their paramilitary-like presence has come to embarrass Haiti as well as the country's United Nationspeacekeeping mission. The U.N. and Haitian National Police arrested two members of the group last week for carrying illegal weapons.

There has been much public speculation over who's financing the groups, with some lawmakers accusing them of receiving money from the government. Lafalaise said they are self-supporting.

"Nobody is financing us. We finance our own self," Lafalaise said. "We are the ones who fought to put it together."

The armed men say they plan to organize marches throughout the country on Friday, a national holiday.

In the first year in office, Martelly's government has cleared and closed several major camps for people dislocated by a killer 2010 earthquake, and has paid the school tuition for 1 million children.

But the first 12 months of his presidency have also been marred with political infighting and dysfunction that has slowed the post-quake recovery. His first prime minister resigned after only four months on the job.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Security: Personal Security. Kidnappings.

Personal Security: Express Kidnappings

The Book: International Security: http://www.risks-inc.com/books.html

Express kidnapping is a crime which has boomed over the last decade with incidents taking
place globally from Caracas to Vladivostok. There have been cases in London where victims have been snatched from the street and kept in captivity for several days until their bank accounts have been emptied via ATM machines etc.

One classic example of an express kidnapping that I know of happened to a businessman
visiting a Central American country. When he arrived at the airport he went to the taxi rank and
got a taxi to take him to his hotel, about 10 minutes into the drive the taxi pulled over and in
jumped two men with guns. The victim was handcuffed, threatened and robbed to start with. He
was driven to numerous ATM machines until he could not take out any more money on his bank
cards. As he was being driven around one of the kidnappers was making phone calls trying to
sell him to other groups, luckily for him no one wanted to buy him. The criminals had his
passport and took his picture on a cell phone, then told him if he reported anything to the police
they would find out, as they worked with them, then they would come and kill him. The man
went to his Embassy and they told him he was lucky, everything he lost could be replaced and
not to report the incident to the police.

The chances are that the fact this man was a foreigner could have saved him from being sold
on and into a ransom situation. These were not sophisticated criminals who had the skills and
resources to be able to handle a high profile kidnapping. As I have stated before criminals don’t
want attention and the kidnapping of foreigners usually brings attention from the international
media and the Embassy of the victim, which means embarrassment for the government and
pressure on local law enforcement to do something.

Express kidnappings are safer and more convenient for criminals, who do not need to be highly
skilled and connected to pull them off. In a typical kidnapping the criminals will usually go to a
wealthy area and look for a suitable target, someone who looks like they have some money and
then snatch them. Once they have the victim they’ll be robbed, taken to ATM’s, sexually
assaulted etc. If the victim has a cell phone the criminals may use it to contact their family for a
ransom, the amounts requested in express kidnappings tend to be low. This is where locals
make better targets than visitors; In say, Venezuela it would be easier and quicker for a resident
businessman in Caracas to get and deliver a ten thousand dollars ransom to kidnappers than it
would be for the family of a kidnapped student who may live in Helsinki.

The main problems with express kidnappings are that the kidnappers are generally not what
could be classed as high end criminals. This means they tend to be more violent and
unpredictable than groups that target higher profile victims for large ransoms.

One tactic that criminals are using throughout South America is to contact the families of people
who they have just stolen cell phones from or they know to be in places like cinemas etc. where
cell phones are usually turned off. The criminals then claim to have kidnapped the owner of the
cell phone or the person in the cinema and demand a ransom of a few thousand dollars, that the
family needs to pay within a couple of hours. Now consider how you would react if you received
a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped a close family member and telling you
to drop off two thousand dollars at a location in two hours or they’ll be killed. You would want to
contact your family member but if they don’t have or are not answering their cell phone, what
are you going to do?

If you have any questions on kidnapping prevention feel free to contact me!

Regards,

Orlando Wilson
Risks Incorporated
E-mail: wilson@risks-inc.com
Website: www.risks-inc.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/risksinc

The Book: International Security risks-inc.com

The Book International Security Personal Protection in an Uncertain World by Orlando Wilson covers personal security - counter terrorism - self defense - travel security and kidnapping...