Issue XXX – December 2014

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

In these last weeks of December, the streets are filled with the sights and sounds of the holidays — salvation army bells, Christmas trees and menorahs, carols, colorful lights and the smell of pine trees abound. As you hop from party to party, do your shopping and get ready for some well-deserved time off (hopefullly!), take a moment to check out our Love, Unity & Passion (#LUP) campaign and reflect about what the powerful forces of LOVE, UNITY and PASSION mean to you. At TDN, LUP means tirelessly reaching out to young people through our RIPPLE program and the BOLD Initiative internship, as the number of newly diagnosed HIV infection among young people continues to grow, and supporting the United Nations’ 90-90-90 plan, unveiled by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) earlier this year to halt the spread of HIV by 2020 and end the epidemic by 2030. Ambitious goals, all requiring Love, Unity and Passion! We encourage you all, this holiday season, to commit one act to manifest your LUP to make the world a little better — how about attending a march against police brutality; switching to green power and help reduce your impact on climate change; or supporting an organization you believe in like Transdiaspora Network? With your contribution today, our possibilities are endless. Yes, it is a busy time of year for everyone, but for us, it is a very critical time of year. You can donate $3, $10, $25, $100, or more.

Making a difference in the world may seem like a daunting task, when it is in fact the collective action of many people. Remember you don’t have to feed 100 people…you can try to help just one. And sharing a smile and a little happiness will go a long way too. As Buddha said: “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Thank you for your support and commitment to our youth. And thanks for helping us to keeping alive our groundbreaking programs.

Best wishes of the season!!!

Ariel, Sophie, Anil, Jasmine, Jonathan, Kimberly, Richard, Elkhair, Sherrill-Marie, Casey, Angela, Halima, Grettel and Sara

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Historic Meeting at the Brooklyn Borough President Office

On December 10th, our President/Founder Ariel Rojas met with Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna to introduce our organization’s programs, to explain how we are connecting UNAIDS global discussion to New York City’s local communities, and to learn how TDN could benefit from attending City Hall meetings regularly. On the other hand, Ms. Reyna encouraged our organization to establish a mutually benefitial linkage with a city-wide non-profit agency named Generation Citizen.

Millions March NYC – #BlackLivesMatter

Supporting the movement Millions March NYC, our President/Founder Ariel Rojas marched along tens of thousands of protesters who poured through the streets of Manhattan on December 13th. So far, this rally has been New York City’s largest demonstration since a grand jury decided not to indict an NYPD officer in the death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner. #BlackLivesMatter