AFF FIVE Interview - 5 Questions from Christina Seibold

2. What do you think is the biggest challenge for Artists for Freedom (AFF) at this time?

5. What in your life are you really proud of?

Thanks Catherine, wish you much success with all your plans!

5 Questions to Aashika Damodar
Founder and Director of Survivors Connect, Fair Oaks, CA
www.survivorsconnect.org

1. Aashika, in your own personal opinion what is the difference between the Artists for Freedom (AFF) project and other projects concerned with global human trafficking and human rights?

Over the past two decades, we have seen a mass proliferation of organizations working on human trafficking and modern-day slavery. It has become a great issue of urgency for non profits, governments, businesses and other multinational entities. Despite the significant increase in involvement on the issue, the anti-trafficking movement still faces the critical challenge of raising awareness. There are still many people who are not aware, or have limited surface-level information about human trafficking. AFF is different than many of organizations working on trafficking, in that they are using the creative energies, talents and expertise of the artistic community to raise awareness, and engaging non-traditional actors in the effort.

2. Is there anything about the Artists for Freedom (AFF) that you feel is unique or different?

As mentioned before, AFF is unique because they are using different forms of art and media to build an awareness movement against slavery. Art, film, poetry and other forms of artistic media reach people on a very spirtual level. Human trafficking is often a very difficult and depressing issue to talk about. Rather than focusing on the deep and dark of trafficking, AFF is using art to bring a positive spin, in effort to exemplify the hope, energy and spirit needed to bring this issue to an end.

3. What do you think is the biggest challenge for Artists for Freedom (AFF) at this time?

Once you have raised awareness, it is important that you find ways for people to get involved. Finding proper channels, both small and large for your newly-recruited supporters will be the biggest challenge. Human trafficking is a topic that is pretty easy to become passionate about so you want to make sure that you have something in mind for your supporters. Consider all the groups/resources available in any given town where you have an awareness event. Create a list and offer it to your supporters.

And now two personal questions from me to you, Aashika.

4. What was the most difficult challenge that you had to master in your life?

Managing my graduate degree, part time work and running my non profit organization, Survivors Connect!

5. What in your life are you really proud of?

I am proud of my family for how far they have come over the past 20 years. Both my parents are immigrants to the US from India. Growing up, we struggled financially and lived a difficult life. Through a lot of hard work and scrupulous saving, our family now owns a home, have put myself and my brother through college and are living the "American' dream.

Thank you, Aashika! You do a fantastic work with survivors connect. It's a honour for AFF to work together with you!

5 Questions to TOM Merilahti,
Founder and sole owner of SICU
(Synergy Integrated - Connects the Unconnected)
and the SICU Synergy Solutions Group (SICU SSG)

1. Tom, in your own personal opinion what is the difference between the Artists for Freedom (AFF) project and other projects concerned with global human trafficking and human rights?

Unfortunately, I don’t know enough of other projects concerned with global human trafficking and human rights to be able to compare them reasonably with AFF. Generally I see that there are thousands of (non-profit) organizations having similar projects and working as concurrents for the same cause, overlapping one anothers work and investments. Most of these actors are trapped in “box-organizations” I call creativity killers. In these org’s they are jealously fighting for the same money, publicity and attention, staring only at their own navel. In many cases projects are started only because it’s the duty of the organization.

The starting point of AFF is exemplary. By having had the freedom to think creatively without boundaries and by integrating several parties (artist), working with similar projects worldwide under a mutual “AFF sunshade” has offered an excellent total view of the project to start with. This has activated comprehensive thinking, and the understanding of creative collaboration, which make it much easier and faster to develop and implement the project in different environments.

The elements mentioned above, builds-up a great platform to create cost-effectivity, and to increase the opportunities for added value and multiplicative effects. Creative collaboration offers also better chances to find external funding, and other money worth benefits, such as media space and time.

2. Is there anything about the Artists for Freedom (AFF) that you feel is unique or different?

I find AFF different as it represents a multi-disciplinary project in where every single discipline within arts focuses globally on a mutual goal. This has already caused positive effects. There are many people representing other professional disciplines and organizations who have commited themselves to AFF as well.

In essence, this is an application of the virtual organization. It’s a fluid grouping of people and organizations in order to optimally address the task at hand.

3. What do you think is the biggest challenge for Artists for Freedom (AFF) at this time?

I see clearly a snowball effect ahead. This should be fostered continuously by building optimal work groups and to compile professionals from various business areas, such as marketing communication, in order to solve problems and to fulfil the specific needs of AFF and its sponsors and collaboration partners.

The biggest challenge for AFF is to increase the awareness of the project a.s.a.p. among all thinkable target groups worldwide in order to create AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) even among potential sponsors. The central messages should be communicated globally through all the marketing communication methods and channels available, and updated continuously.

The most important thing is to get the eventual sponsors, co-marketers and the media involved in a way that they use AFF as a part of their own marketing, and as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. The aim would be to create an effective co-marketing concept, and a basic sponsorship program, to get the sponsors tells about their involvement in AFF to their stakeholders, employees, clients and potential customers, and vice versa. An ART, CSR & MEDIA sponsorship program should be created to meet the basic needs of potential sponsors.

And now two personal questions from me to you, Tom.
4. What was the most difficult challenge that you had to master in your life?

The most difficult challence in my life was to recover from a serious Burnout in 1998, which took almost a year. I thought I die, but it ended-up with to two articles I wrote in the leading business magazines in Finland, “Work Exhaustion as a Project” and “Burnout and Back to Business”.

The general superintendent of the Helsinki City Unversity Central Hospital had read my articles, and invited me to lecture about my experiences in a yearly Congress for more than 800 Medical Doctors in the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki. More than 50 daily newspapers and many magazines wrote about my case and about my prominent opinions about how doctors treat, and how they should treat, their patients.

After this process I became guaranteed that I’m back in business and can do whatever I want again. Burnout and back to business was even the starting point to a new way of thinking, and the Synergysophy, the philosophy behind SICU (Synergy Integrated – Connects the Unconnected) was born.

5. What, in your life are you really proud of?

I’m really proud of my two sons born in 1989 and 1991, and even surprised that I’m still alive.

In my professional life I’m proud about that I was able to break the border between art and commercialism in Finland in 1994-1996, through a musical production and an international contemporary art exhibition by utilizing a multilateral marketing communication concept I created and launched in the mid 90’s.

I thank you very much for your time, especially for your honesty, Tom!

5 Questions to Bill Liao;
Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, Hunger Project Volunteer,
Founder of Neo.org, Humanitarian, Father

1. Bill, in your own personal opinion what is the difference between the Artists for Freedom (AFF) project and other projects concerned with global human trafficking and human rights?

This I cannot answer as I do not know enough.


2. Is there anything about the Artists for Freedom (AFF) that you feel is unique or different?

I think that art is the doorway to the soul and so an alliances of souls is a unique way to tackle a terrible human affliction that we all suffer from as when one person suffers we are all in a world of that suffering.


3. What do you think is the biggest challenge for Artists for Freedom (AFF) at this time?

To gain awareness in the global consciousness and the media.


And now two personal questions from me to you, Bill.
4. What was the most difficult challenge that you had to master in your life?

Listening


5. What, in your life are you really proud of?

I am proud of many things and I am humbled by peoples generosity and the spirit they give of the daily challenges they face and overcome. I am humbled by the love we can show one another. I am saddened by the way we treat our home world so I am proud every time WeForest.com plants a tree.

I thank you very much for your thoughts, Bill!

5 Questions to the Italian actor Lawrence Raw:

1. Lawrence, in your own personal opinion what is the difference between the Artists for Freedom (AFF) project and other projects concerned with global human trafficking and human rights?

Yes, i think AFF is different. Because, is efficient, young, and speak a simple language for all the persons.
The language and the direct form to arrive to the deep inside of the people.


2. Is there anything about the Artists for Freedom (AFF) that you feel is unique or different?

Yes , AFF seems a different way to speak the family language to the world... to the third world... to combat Human Trafficking , to describe all the horrible situations of this bad traffic world.
Artists for freedom is the new parcours to arrive simply at the hearths


3. What do you think is the biggest challenge for Artists for Freedom (AFF) at this time?

A challenge is a road to make a better way of life and to aid to live a normal life in the countries, where exist a different develop, respect to us.
Where HUMAN RIGHTS, are not the same, and where people live in bad conditions in the year 2010. All together, we have this challenge and we have to make our efforts to bring peace to the others.

And now two personal questions from me to you, Law.
4. What was the most difficult challenge that you had to master in your life?

All my life is a challenge... But, this job, is a great challenge. I am an actor and author screenwriter... then, we are citizens of an egoistic world, this is difficult, too.
But we are the champions, and AFF will win at least...


5. What, in your life are you really proud of?

My family, my hearth, my wife, my sensibility, my character, MY CHIVALRY and always to say : NO ONE WILL STOP ME.

I thank you very much for your answers, Law!

My best wishes to you

Christina