No Word On One Billion Rising Event

 

For several years, February 14 in Second Life not only had numerous Valentine's Day events, but also had the One Billion Rising event, part of a worldwide demonstration in support of women's rights across the globe. There were numerous music events, and many displays by artists. 

Last year however, the event was called off due to a number of the people being "overwhelmed by real life and other commitments." Checking the blog and the group, there was no information about any event for 2024. 

It's likely the event will revive some time in the future. But it seems for now One Billion Rising is closed. 

Bixyl Shuftan

No "One Billion Rising" Event In Second Life This Year

 

For the past several years, there has been a "One Billion Rising" event here in Second Life, part of a worldwide demonstration in support of women's rights around the planet. This year however, the virtual world won't be part of it, at least not to the extent it's been. Checking the blog, Saffia Widdershins announced she was cancelling for 2023.

Although some of the team are very willing and able to stage the event this year, others of us have been overwhelmed by real life and other commitments. In view of this, it seemed best to cancel OBR 2023, and instead look ahead to a magnificent return in 2024.

I apologise to people who may have started preparations – the delay in informing people about this news is entirely my fault, and not anyone else’s.

For me personally, after ten years, the time has come to step back from an organisational role – although I do hope I will be able to attend and enjoy the event in 2024 and beyond.

 

It's possible someone is planning a much smaller event in support of OBR, but if so the Newser doesn't know about it yet. In the meantime,

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

Two Events Today: "Hug/Dunk A Linden" And "One Billion Rising"

 

Today is Valentines Day. And that means the "Hug a Linden/Dunk a Linden" event at the Isle of View. To get there, head to Portal Park (102/157/54), and head to the Isle of View Portal.

The event lasts from 1 to 3PM SL time. There, one can hug various Lindens and Moles in hugging booths, or take a shot at one of the volunteers in the dunking booths. Before and after the event, one could pick up flowers or a teddy bear for a sweetheart. 

For scenes from the 2019 event, Click Here. 

Also going on is the "One Billion Rising" event, part of a global demonstration in support of women's rights across the world. Throughout the day at the four sim area, there are music and dance parties and other events across the grounds. And there are numerous displays of art along the paths. Gemma Cleanslate did a behind the scenes article yesterday, which can be read here.

Aldo yesterday evening, there was a special edition of Lab Gab about the event (click here if the video does not show).

To get to the event, head to OBR Rise (180/167/24).
 

One Billion Rising

 

For the tenth year in a row, One Billion Rising is taking place in Second Life. Part of a global demonstration in support of women's rights, "men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Rise, Resist and Unite as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change." As one of the volunteers, Gemma Cleanslate has been getting a look behind the scenes of this huge event that takes place tomorrow, Monday February 14 (Valentine's Day).

Read Gemma's story in Extra.
 

SL Video: "Break The Chain | Tena Clark - One Billion Rising 2022 by Guerilla Burlesque"

 

(Click here if the video does not play)

By Tristan Lyonesse on February 9, "A Second Life Dance Video for One Billion Rising 2022 , 'Break the Chain' | Tena Clark and Tim Heintz "
 

A Look At One Billion Rising

 

There were a number of events over the weekend, notably many Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras themed ones. One of the bigger ones, while having moments of fun, was a bit more serious: the One Billion Rising. This was a demonstration in support of women's rights. Gemma Cleanslate was there, and wrote some about the exhibits there and what took place.

Read Gemma's story in Events.

A Busy Weekend

 Quite a bit happened this weekend. There were a number of Valentine's Day themed events, such as the Linden one at the Isle of View on Friday February 12. There were also Mardi Gras themed happenings, such as the ones at New Toulhouse on Saturday February 13, and Raglan Shire (above) on Sunday February 14. Also on Sunday was the One Billion Rising, a yearly event in support of women's rights worldwide.

More about these events later. 

Bixyl Shuftan

One Billion Rising Event Today

 

Friday I was lucky enough to visit the One Billion Rising regions since I was there to train as a greeter for the event. I have been doing this since 2013 on Valentine Day. It is a one day event so very  busy . The builds there are in recognition of the reason for this day all over the world.

"ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS.

Every February, we rise – in hundreds of countries across the world – to show our local communities and the world what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face.  We rise through dance to express joy and community and and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable. And we here in Second Life can be part of this global movement."

Builders were working furiously to get their installations in place. I stopped at one that was nearly finished to talk to one of the builders , my friend , Mrs. Mia Wallace (Mia Quinote). She and Herbie Haven were representing the " Burners Without Borders Second Life (BWBSL) a grassroots, volunteer-driven, virtual community group. We participate with non-profit initiatives in the virtual world to help make a difference! eg: RelayForLife, and OBR." with a thoughtful installation of a family in crisis  called Moments in Time. The other side of the installation though, show the possible future. after Covid.  She gave me permission to use the photos to show an example of the theme of the day. 

There will be parties on the main stage and poetry readings and live performers and four beautiful regions to explore so don' t miss it. There are four  entries where all Kiosks will give you so much more information . It begins at Midnight Sunday and closes at midnight that day. Builds will remain in case you run out of time. 

Here are two entry points in case one region is filled .

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/OBR%20Unite/77/77/24

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/OBR%20Rise/181/181/24

Gemma Cleanslate

"One Billion Rising" Taking Place Sunday February 14

 
For the past several years, the "One Billion Rising, an event to promote the rights of women worldwide, has taken place in Second Life. On Sunday February 14, it will take place once again on a four-sim area.

For the eighth year, on February 14, 2021, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Rise, Resist and Unite as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.

1 in 3 women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. Every February, we rise – in countries across the world – to show our local communities and the world what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face. We rise through dance to express joy and community and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.

To see the announcement in full, check out the OBR blog Here.

Exhibits at the SL17B, "Conversations With A Stranger" And One Billion Rising

The events of the Second Life Birthday, at least the official ones, are over. But the exhibits will be up for a while longer. As busy Gemma Cleanslate was with her volunteer duties, she had the chance to check out two. One was "Conversations With A Stranger" by noted artist Fiona Fei. The other was the one by the women's rights group One Billion Rising.

Read Gemma's story in Places.

A Very Busy Weekend

Saying the weekend was busy would be an understatement. Friday had the Hug-A-Liuden and One Billion Rising events, alongside numerous Valentines Day parties. Saturday had the Kickoff of the Relay for Life in Second Life's 2020 fundraising season (pictured above). On Saturday and Sunday were numerous smaller events by Relay teams. And over all three days was the Home and Garden Expo.

Stay tuned for articles on these, and more.

One Billion Rising

Today, the One Billion Rising in Second Life takes place. This isn't just an inworld event, but part of a global demonstration in support of the rights of women. Gemma Cleanslate took a look at the exhibits of the sims, and talked to some of the women involved.

Read Gemma's article in Events.

One Billion Rising, Hug A Linden, Today

Today is Valentines Day, and the day two events take place in Second Life. The bigger one is the One Billion Rising demonstration inworld in support of women's rights worldwide. The event takes place until Midnight tonight at four sims, OBR Dance, OBR Rise, OBR Resist, and OBR Unite.



(Click here if the video fails to play)


On February 14th, men and women in Second Life will join people across the world to Rise to protest violence against women, as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change. The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can come together to dance, surrounded by an area of art installations, an arena for poetry, a stage for dance performances, informational exhibits and free gifts. For more information, visit onebillionrisingsl.wordpress.com.

Strawberry Linden will be doing her "Lab Gab" show from the four sims of the event, touring them with Kess Crystal.

Join our host, Strawberry Linden, as she tours One Billion Rising with Kess Crystal. On February 14th, men and women in Second Life will join people across the world and Rise to protest violence against women, as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change. The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can come together to dance, surrounded by an area of art installations, an arena for poetry, a stage for dance performances, informational exhibits and free gifts. Kess Crystal will be giving Strawberry a tour of the four regions. 

The show starts at 8AM SL time, and can be viewed on Youtube.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/OBR%20Dance/77/176/24/

Also going on is the "Hug a Linden" Linden event at the Isle of View

Party with us at the Isle of View on February 14th from 12pm to 2pm (Pacific). Meet your Valentine, enjoy music, and don’t miss the Dunk-a-Linden and Hug-a-Linden booths! 

Head to the Isle of View via Portal Park or head to http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isle%20of%20View%202/84/79/107

Update: the event with the Lindens takes place from 12 to 2 PM SL time

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: Join Us for One Billion Rising in Second Life 2020!

For the seventh year, on February 14, 2020, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Rise, Resist and Unite as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.

1 in 3 women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. Every February, we rise – in countries across the world – to show our local communities and the world what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face. We rise through dance to express joy and community and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.

We call on you this year to be braver, go deeper, reflect, study, listen, learn, awaken to what you don’t know, ask the difficult questions, engage, take actions, and push yourselves out of your comfort zones physically and intellectually. We call on you to commit to resistance and solidarity.

Because Rising is no longer a campaign – it is a way of life.

RISE! RESIST! UNITE!

The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can come together to dance, surrounded by an area of art installations, an arena for poetry and dramatic productions, and informational exhibits. A variety of amazing live performers and DJs will play over the 24-hour period and poetry and dramatic events will be held at different times, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.

This year, One Billion Rising in Second Life is especially saluting the work and courage of female heroes from across the world. We’ll be posting more details over the coming month.

If you would like to volunteer to support the event, go here to find out how you can join in.

If you would like to report on the event as a member of the press, go here.

If you would like to create an art installation for the event, go here.

The objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however, information about real-world organizations will be available for those wishing to donate.

We will be announcing the sponsors for One Billion Rising shortly. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, go here. Please note, as we are not a fundraising event, we have a limited number of sponsorship spaces to cover costs of the 4 regions used for the 24 hours of music, dance, poetry, literature, art installations and shows.

To read more on One Billion Rising, Click Here.

Reminder: One Billion Rising, Hug A Linden Today

Today, two big events are taking place in Second Life. One is the One Billion Rising. Part of a worldwide demonstration in support of womens' rights, the event is taking place all day until Midnight SL time tonight. It is at four sims, OBR Dance, OBR Rise, OBR Resist, and OBR Unite.

"We're really excited to be supporting the world-wide event of One Billion Rising with our special 24 hour event in Second Life," Saffia Widdershins, whom is one of the women at the event, told me, "It's an event that men and women from around the world can attend, even if they can't attend a local event in the real world. One Billion Rising in Second LIfe has now been running since 2013 and this year we are once again occupying 4 regions, with amazing art works, a huge central stage, and separate theatres for poetry and dance events.

"This year, we are particularly celebrate the two Nobel Peace Prize winners for 2018, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, who were awarded the Prize “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”. We're doing this with a special pavilion in their honour, with information about their inspiring work. And this year's Rose Challenge is also a celebration of their work.

"All around the four regions of One Billion Rising, our region designers have set out lovely white rose bushes (kindly donated by Lilith Heart of Heart Botanicals). You might find them spread across the corner parks, the landscaped spaces between the art installations and the central stage, and in the #MeToo Forest. We are asking you to travel around the regions and count the number of white rose bushes (not white roses) that you find. Then post that number by clicking on the mailbox that you will find at each of the landing areas at OBR Dance, OBR Unite, OBR Rise and OBR Resist. A box will open where you can post your number – your name will be automatically recorded."



(Click here if the video does not play)

* * * * *

Also today is the Linden Lab Valentines Day event, "Hug a Linden, Dunk a Linden." You can get there by heading to Isle of View 2 (84/79/107), or from it's entrance in Portal Park, which is now open.

The Lindens themselves will be there from 10am-12pm SL time, at both the hugging booths and dunking booths. But before and after regular residents can have some fun of their own their themselves. But people can ride the swan boats, walk around the sims, or buy a gift for a friend any time.

See you at the events.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Join us for One Billion Rising in Second Life 2019!"

(Click here if the video does not play)

By Saffia Widdershins on Feb 2, "ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. One Billion Rising in Second Life 2019 For the 7th year, on February 14, 2019, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Rise, Resist and Unite as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change."

Scenes from One Billion Rising

Last week, the One Billion Rising event took place in places around the world, Second Life being one of them. The event is an annual demonstration in support of women's rights and against violence on women, and the virtual world has been a part of it from the first. Gemma Cleanslate and Bixyl Shuftan were both there, and took a number of pictures.

Read the story in Events.

Press Release: Join Us for One Billion Rising in Second Life 2018!

For the fifth year, on February 14, 2018, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Rise, Resist and Unite as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.

One Billion Rising first began in 2013 with the fierce struggle against sexual and physical violence – taking on the advocacy against rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sex trafficking that V-Day campaigns over 18 years have been at the forefront of. Over the last five years, as One Billion Rising has grown and the local campaigns deepened, it has also brought in economic violence and the violence of poverty, racial violence, gender violence, violence caused by corruption, occupation and aggression, violence caused by environmental disasters, climate change and environmental plunder, violence impacting women in the context of state sponsored wars, militarization, and the worsening internal and international displacement of millions of people, and violence created by corporate greed, among so many others.

RISE! RESIST! UNITE!

This year, One Billion Rising Revolution is giving sharper focus and visibility to the exploitation of women, and to harnessing even stronger global solidarity to demand an end to violence in all forms.
The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can come together to dance, surrounded by an area of art installations, an arena for poetry and dramatic productions, and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period and poetry and dramatic events will be held at different times, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.

If you would like to volunteer to support the event, go here to find out how you can join in.

If you would like to report on the event as a member of the press, go here.

The objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however, information about real-world organisations will be available for those wishing to donate.

We will be announcing the sponsors for One Billion Rising shortly. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, go here (please note, as we are not a fundraising event, we have a limited number of sponsorship spaces to cover costs of the 4 regions used for the 24 hours of music, dance, poetry, literature, art installations and shows).

Additional links:
Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Billion-Rising/493344827375934
Our Second Life Group: One Billion Rising
Our Twitter Stream: https://twitter.com/OBRinSL
Our Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2169739@N23/
Main One Billion Rising page: www.onebillionrising.org/

Scenes From One Billion Rising

On Tuesday February 14, many residents were at the Isle of View's "Hug a Linden/Dunk a Linden" or other Valentines Day themed happenings. But the event that most likely got the largest attendance was not a romance-themed one, but one that was part of a worldwide demonstration against violence on women and in support of women's rights globally: the One Billion Rising. Gemma Cleanslate was one of the volunteers for the event. Bixyl Shuftan dropped by briefly and took a few pictures of his own.

See the pictures in Events.

One Billion Rising in Second Life

A wonderful place to be on Valentines Day in Second Life is at the One Billion Rising Event. This is the 5th year of the event in our virtual world which coincides with the real-life event held all over the world on that day. “The Rising continues as a demand to end ALL forms of exploitation of women and girls.”

 

To read about the event check the Second Life website  https://onebillionrisingsl.wordpress.com/  and see the explanation of the statement above. This is not just a women’s event. All men who recognize the issues are definitely invited. 

“The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can come together to dance, surrounded by an area of art installations, an arena for poetry and dramatic productions, and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period and poetry and dramatic events will be held at different times, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.”

 

The artists who exhibit always do a wonderful job with their installations and I am looking forward to seeing them and to the great parties on the stages. 

 

I stopped over at the offices of the OBR to pick up my t shirt. 

Saturday I hope to participate in the filming of the new "Break the Chain video. It will be my third film working with all the other dancers .  I will be greeting again this year so will see you there.

 

Gemma Cleanslate