TEN THINGS YOUNG WOMEN AND MEN CAN DO TO SUPPORT SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1325:
A GUIDE FOR CANADA
Compiled by Sheri Gibbings, Toronto, Canada
November 2003

Here are some ideas for follow-up action with NGOs, governments, the United Nations, the public, and others. They are just the beginning; please add more of your own:

1. Write an article for your student newspaper. Take the most recent event you participated in or that is occurring worldwide and turn it into a newspaper article for your school newspaper or bulletin. It is a great way to spread the word about 1325 to others. If possible, try to make this a regular feature in your paper. For examples see www.peacewomen.org website.

2. Invite someone to come to speak at your school or community on 1325 or hold a brown bag lunch. There are a good number of people who can speak about 1325. If you do research, you could also make a presentation in your community, at school or for a class.

3. Encourage your school administrators to have a course or reading material on conflict prevention and resolution for women or on Resolution 1325.

4. Hold a Film Festival about women, peace and security. There are dozens of documentaries about women’s experiences in war and their peace building activities. Screen five different films for five weekdays in a row, or spread them over a few weeks. Again, this is another, simple ways of generating awareness at your university. Approach other student’s groups to co-sponsor the event – it is an easy way to spread the word about the event and raise awareness.

5. Focus your Essays or other writing assignment on current women, peace and security issues. Almost every student is required to write a paper for a class. The topics you could explore are varied and diverse. For example, you could write about women’s participation in peace negotiations, or the impact 1325 is going to have on the new constitution being drafted in Afghanistan. And if you write such a paper, please let people working on Security Council Resolution 1325 know and they will post it on the website (www.peacewomen.org)!

6. Start a 1325 Group at your campus! If you school is not organizing around these issues already, then start a group. Print & distribute copies of
Resolution 1325 to individuals around campus and organize events.

7. Bring together diverse women's groups to discuss security issues and how they might use 1325 as an advocacy tool. Lobby your parliament for effective legislation on women, peace, and security

8. Send letters to Bill Graham urging his office to work on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Urge other organizations to contact members in parliament asking them about their position on Security Council Resolution 1325 and to support its implementation. Contact your Representative to the UN (see http://www.peacewomen.org/contacts/conindex.html)

9. Translate Resolution 1325 to your own language and send it to post at info@peacewomen.org. In order to improve public awareness about the Resolution, and to mobilize effectively for its implementation, 1325 must be accessible to as many people as possible, and thus in as many languages as possible. Check what languages still need to be translated! (http://www.peacewomen.org/1325inTranslation/index.html)

10. Be Creative! Do something that makes sense for you!