Dates: Friday, August 1, 2014 – Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Website: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-taiwan-free-rally-2014
Join us as we spread and create awareness for Taiwan! The “Keep Taiwan Free” Rally, formally commonly known as the United Nations for Taiwan Rally, has become a well-known event for many residing in the Greater New York Area. This movement originally started in hopes of gaining UN membership for Taiwan through the Committee for the Admission of Taiwan to the United Nations (CATUN). The Keep Taiwan Free Rally envelops a number of themes , ranging from the right of self determination, to peace, security, democracy, to right of sovereignty and human rights. This movement has been ongoing for more than 20 years, with the hopes of promoting Taiwan’s position in the international community, as well as increasing awareness about Taiwan among individuals from all walks of life.
For the Keep Taiwan Free Rally this year, we hope to make it bigger than ever by having a number of Taiwanese American organizations involved. For 2014, Outreach for Taiwan (OFT) will work closely with the Taiwanese American Association of New York (TAA-NY) , Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York (TAC-GNY), and a number of other passionate individuals in the Greater New York area. As the rally takes on Times Square – iconically known as the “Crossroads of the World”, we hope to let our voices be heard and have some fun while we’re at it.
How to Help
The time is now for us to speak up and to make a difference…but we need your help! With your support, we hope this rally will engage everyone – both young and old – to help make a difference with us. We greatly appreciate any donation. Every cent, 100%, will go towards the planning, promotion, and execution of the Keep Taiwan Free Rally 2014.
Planning: Planning funds include paying for our dear videographer to help promote the Keep Taiwan Free movement, applying for the permit to have our rally in Times Square, and paying for our flags & banners.
Promotion: We will be hosting a number of events leading up to the rally to serve as promotion! In addition, we plan on printing our Keep Taiwan Free shirts into multiple styles – fitted tees, v necks, bro tanks – you name it, and we hope to get it printed! Wear your shirt around to help promote the cause. We are also in the process of getting teddy bears made.
Execution: Execution funds include costs of stage & audio systems, performers & speakers, and transportation for us to help bring everything and everyone we need to Times Square! We also would like to provide food and water for our performers, speakers and volunteers. Another one of our ideas is that we would also like to have a Taiwanese-food food truck on site during the rally!
The Impact
Taiwan is more than just bubble tea and nightmarkets. We want to encourage young people to not shy away from learning more about Taiwan. In addition, the impact of this rally in NYC will also hopefully empower and motivate many other individuals to speak up and help make a difference for Taiwan.
Other Ways You Can Help
Loving the idea of what we’re doing? Passionate? Want to help in more ways than one? No problem! Here is how:
Please share this link to anyone who may be interested! Even if you choose to not donate a monetary amount, sharing this link will help because it helps us increase awareness about not only the rally, but also, most importantly, the Keep Taiwan Free movement.
Join us! We are always looking for fresh people to join our planning team. We can figure out what your strengths are together, and we’ll find the perfect role for you.
Talk about Taiwan to anyone who will listen, or outreach for Taiwan using your unique skills – whether it be through art, music, or dance. Feel free to share your story with us!
History of the Movement
In 1992, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan proposed that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration of Taiwan (Republic of China) should recognize the political reality and end the international isolation by considering re-entry into the international community by applying for United Nations membership using the name of Taiwan. Since New York is where the United Nations headquarters is located, it motivated the Taiwanese Americans living in the Greater New York area to organize the “Committee for Admission of Taiwan to the United Nations” and start an annual rally, along with a number of activities, during the United Nations assembly session in September. For the first several years, we promoted the theme of “UN membership for Taiwan”, emphasizing the legality of Taiwan as a sovereign state in the international community.
In 1996, after receiving the first official letter from the UN which responded to the movement, it opened up a series of questions regarding the ambiguity of Taiwan’s international status and also served as the wake-up call for the Taiwanese to face the chaotic and confusion of her national identity and sovereignty. The theme of the movement has evolved to a broader name of “Keep Taiwan Free” in recent years, to reflect the anxiety most Taiwanese feel while dealing with the current crisis.
Please note that Keep Taiwan Free is not strictly an Outreach for Taiwan project. Outreach For Taiwan is delivering KTF as a movement that belongs to everyone and OFT is simply the group that is facilitating organization and planning behind the rally.
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