Take part in the free escaperoom Re-Connect!

Always wanted to do an escaperoom, but never got around to it? Fond of your smartphone, but don’t know what’s inside? Then participate in the free escaperoom Re-Connect. Impress your friends by outsmarting them, solve the fun puzzles and riddles and find the tips to free yourself first. In this way you can learn more about the impact of your smartphone on people and the environment in a playful way.

There are 3 escaperooms available. In each room you play with min. 4 and max. 8 people. From October 16 to November 27, the escape game will be on the CINOCO site, rue Pierre Van Humbeek 5, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (Brussels). Registration is mandatory! Reservations can be made via this link. The escaperoom is in Dutch, so you’ll need at least one person that understands Dutch. But for most of the exercises you just need to think logical and a good command of Dutch isn’t necessary.

A group of Catapistas already participated and set a record time! Can you do better? 😉

Why this project?

The average smartphone lasts 2.5 years. Half of the youngsters feel addicted to their smartphone. Moreover, that smartphone is full of materials that require mining. Disturbing figures, because mining is one of the 4 biggest drivers of deforestation. Read why here.

The supply chain of our electronics also causes many other environmental and social problems. A smartphone contains about 62 minerals and metals. Several of these are mined in vulnerable areas, with serious consequences for people and the environment: pollution by chemicals and heavy metals, deforestation, loss of agricultural land and biodiversity, human rights abuses and criminalization. The ICT sector also causes almost 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

So would you like to learn more about the impact of our electronics on people and the environment? Through riddles, discover which minerals are in your smartphone, where they are mined and who bears the consequences?

Don’t hesitate, register as soon as possible and try to beat the record time! Good luck!

Under the direction of BOS+, CATAPA and De Transformisten joined forces for the creation of this escaperoom, as part of the Re-Connect project. For its development, they called on #ANTcollectief.

Movement weekend

Event:

Movement Weekend

October 1st – 3rd

Registration

Join us for our annual Movement Weekend that will take place from the 1st to the 3rd of October. It is an ideal event to learn more about CATAPA’s work and to get to know the Catapistas.

During this weekend, we will have interactive sessions focused on the research and work that our working Groups are doing, we will learn and discuss what is happening across Latin America, share our thoughts and improve our knowledge. All this while sharing moments with the volunteers and enjoying being surrounded by nature.

People that are new to CATAPA and are interested in getting involved are welcome to attend too.

Program:

The program will be shared here soon. If you put yourself as ‘attending’, you’ll receive a notification when the program is final.

Location:

GEKKOO Verblijf Weert
Appeldijkstraat 36, 2880, Weert België

Price (includes accommodation and food):

Regular 40€ or reduced (for people without or lower-income) 25€
*You’ll receive instructions for payment after the inscription.

Other important information:

*We will serve vegan food. If you have any allergies or intolerance please let us know in our contact email.
*We want this event to be accessible to anyone. If you encounter any financial, language or other barriers or if you have any questions about accessibility, please feel free to send an email to truike.geerts[at]catapa.be.
*In this training trajectory there is no room for sexism, racism, trans- or LGBT-phobia and other forms of hate.

Organized by Catapa

Escuela de Primavera: Catapa’s spring school on extractivism in Colombia

ONLINE SPRING SCHOOL:

Escuela de Primavera: Catapa’s spring school on extractivism in Colombia

April 21st – May 29th, Online

Registration

Learn about the struggle against extractivism in Colombia through our ‘Escuela de Primavera’.

This year CATAPA are hosting a new online spring school which will include a series of online sessions with front line defenders and scientists from Colombia. The ‘Escuela de Primavera’ aims to inform the participants on the specific struggles of various regions and peoples in Colombia.

We will learn why communities are fighting in resistance, how they are organised and what we can do to contribute.

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You can view, invite friends and share the Facebook event here

You can find the Registration form here

Schedule:

21 April: Geology for Dummies – A short history of the planet and the minerals in the Andes mountains.

29 April: Jericó, The threat of the mining district – How a gold multinational wants to exploit the South-East region of Antioquia, Colombia.

13 May: Cajamarca – The vibrant and continuous struggle of an unconquerable village for its lands.

27 May: Santurbán – Water, paramós and a resistance with no truce: The case of Santurbán.

29 May: Tribuga – Movie discussion on the struggle of the Pacific Colombian coast against the construction of a mega port.

The Escuela de Primavera will take place online, don’t forget to register online in advance, as only registered participants will receive a zoom link.

Worker Driven Monitoring of the Mining Sector

NEWS:

Worker Driven Monitoring of the Mining Sector

CATAPA is entering a new partnership which will trial worker-driven monitoring of mining operations across three continents.

A new pilot project has been launched, in which Electronics Watch will be cooperating with CISEP and CATAPA to establish worker-driven monitoring in the tin mines in Oruro, Bolivia.

The goal of this project is to put in place a monitoring tool for public procurers to check their supply chains from the mining stage. Using a bottom-up approach the ambition is to improve working conditions for miners and stop further environmental degradation to those areas that directly affect communities downstream.

As a first step in the process, Electronics Watch with linguistic support from CATAPA provided 4 monitoring training sessions, focusing on:

The strengths of public procurement and the Electronics Watch model
Methods for worker-driven monitoring
Analysis of results and options for remediation
Reporting the findings and engaging companies

Similar monitoring projects are also being set up by Electronics Watch with partners in the Philippines (nickel mines) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (cobalt mines), in addition to Bolivia (Tin). These three metals are essential resources needed for the manufacturing of electronics and batteries.

The end goal of worker driven monitoring of these mines will be an important step-change in the transparency of global supply chains and we look forward to working with our project partners into the future.

Thesis 4 Bolivia

WEBINAR:

Thesis 4 Bolivia

27th October, 7-9pm, Online

Registration

We invite you to an evening of presentations to hear from researchers and graduated students on the results of their thesis conducted in Bolivia.

Learn about their motives, challenges and results from their research and have the opportunity during the Q&A to ask for advice for your own thesis and research proposals.

The topics are very broad, from environment to anthropology and sustainable development.

Are you interested to learn more about Bolivia – a vibrant and diverse country which spans from the South American Andes mountains, down to the tropical lows of the Amazon?

Perhaps you are even interested in carrying out your own research project / thesis?

Join our evening and get inspiration for a thesis!

You can view, invite friends and share the Facebook event here

You can find the Registration Form here

[Only registered participants will receive a joining link]

What is CATAPA?

CATAPA is a social and environmental volunteer movement which works towards social and environmental justice focusing on mining related issues in Latin America. We conduct research about mining issues, organise sensitizing events on the impacts of mining and support our local partners in Latin America by capacity building and internationalising their struggle for environmental and social justice.

Each year we supervise several students writing their thesis about mining related issues and about ICT public procurement.

Deep Sea Mining: How Belgium is Sinking to the Bottom

WEBINAR & TRAINING:

Deep Sea Mining: How Belgium is sinking to the bottom

17th October, 2pm, Online

Registration

Our deep blue oceans are home to an unprecedented wealth of biodiversity, most of which is still undiscovered to the human race. However, Deep Sea Mining is threatening to destroy that. Experts and environmental movements fear irreparable damage.

Already over a million square kilometres is licenced for exploration in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Belgium is one of the frontrunners in this field. The company DEME-GSR and the Belgium government are lining up to mine one of earth’s least known and untouched ecological habitats.

Find out about what Deep Sea Mining entails and which kind of threats it’s posing to ocean life. What part is the Belgium government playing in the birth of this destructive industry? And can we still stop this?

Arm yourself with knowledge on the threats Deep Sea Mining is posing and what we can do about it in Belgium, with speakers An Lambrechts from Greenpeace, Sarah Vanden Eede from WWF and Ann Dom from Seas at Risk.

Programme:
14:00-16:00 Webinar – Deep Sea Mining: How Belgium is sinking to the bottom.
16:00-18:15 OPTIONAL – Online public action training* (more info below)

You can view, invite friends and share the Facebook event here

You can find the Registration Form here

[Only registered participants will receive a joining link]

Online Public Action training workshop – Deep Sea Mining

*We have 20 spaces available for a separate Online Public Action training workshop.

This workshop is for citizens who are passionate about protecting our oceans and would like to become more involved in taking action to protect our blue planet from Deep Sea Mining and are already attending ‘Deep Sea Mining: How Belgium is sinking to the bottom’.

If you feel committed to taking action for a healthier blue planet for now and future generations to come and would like to be part of a passionate and active group of people with similar shared values working on the topic of Deep Sea Mining in Belgium, apply using the event registration form (found above).

The workshop will be held by CATAPA. The Deep Sea Mining Public Action workshop will follow on after Deep Sea Mining: How Belgium is sinking to the bottom ends.

It will take place from 16:15 – 18:15, 17th October 2020.