February Meeting Notes

Our February meeting was this morning, and here is a summary of what we discussed:


Valentines - At this morning's meeting, we made Valentines for Nestle and Hershey, urging them to switch to Fair Trade chocolate. This project is not organized by the HPA; it is organized by a group called Stop The Traffik. However, the whole Fair Trade chocolate issues ties right in with what we were doing in the Starvation Wages Horcrux a few months ago. If you would like to participate in this project on your own, you can check out the website here, http://stopthetraffik-news.org/D57-CQ8P-623B9PUAD/cr.aspx?b=32.

DHC - The Bullying Horcrux - The fourth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign is the Bullying Horcrux. While many people are bullied for different reasons, the HPA is focusing on the LGBTQ community for this Horcrux. This Horcrux is also a House Cup. Here are the different tasks you can do to earn points for your House:

• Sign the Make It Better Oath, http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaigns/deathly-hallows/horcrux-4/make-it-better/.
• Share the HPA Make It Better video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d06aJmDoxm0.
• Make a response Make It Better video.
• "Like" Fans for Equality on facebook, http://www.facebook.com/fansforequality.
• Invite 10 friends to "like" Fans for Equality.
• Making phone calls during Wrock 4 Equality 2.
• Getting friends to make phone calls during Wrock 4 Equality 2.

Wrock 4 Equality 2 is a campaign for marriage equality in Rhode Island. (The 2 is because the HPA had a campaign called Wrock 4 Equality in 2009 where we campaigned for marriage equality in Maine.) This will be taking place on February 26th and will be completely online. For more info on this and on everything related to the Bullying Horcrux, please visit http://bit.ly/horcrux4.

Accio Books - Accio Books, our annual book drive which takes place in March, is almost here! Things are still in the planning stages, nothing definite yet, but we hope to have something together soon!

Borders Benefit Days - The HPA is teaming up with Borders on March 19 and 20. When shoppers present a pass, a portion of the money that they are spending will go to benefit the Harry Potter Alliance.

Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be Sunday March 6th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DAofDelco. For more information on the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org.

February Meeting Reminder

Our February meeting is this Saturday, February 12th. We will be doing a Valentine's project as well as discussing the fourth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign, the Bullying Horcrux. There are some exciting things coming up for the HPA in March, so we will be talking about those a bit as well.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org You can also follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/DAofDelco. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit www.thehpalliance.org.

The Bullying Horcrux

The fourth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign, the Bullying Horcrux, was launched on February 2nd. Many people are bullied as children for one reason or another, but for this Horcrux, we are focusing on the LGBTQ community. Kids who identify themselves as LGBTQ are often bullied by their classmates, and they later face a government that denies them the right to marry.

The HPA is partnering with the Make It Better Project, a project of the Gay-Straight Alliance. Rather than waiting for it to get better, we want to make it better now. You can sign the Make It Better Oath as well as watch the HPA's Make It Better video here, http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaigns/deathly-hallows/horcrux-4/make-it-better/.

Later in the month the HPA will be working with MassEquality and Marriage Equality Rhode Island for Wrock 4 Equality 2. (Wrock 4 Equality 2009 was a campaign for equal marriage in Maine.) On Saturday, February 26, 2011, we will be asking Rhode Island residents to support the upcoming same-sex marriage bill. Don't live in Rhode Island? No problem! This is taking place completely on the internet. In the morning, we are meeting at http://www.livestream.com/imaginebetter for wizard rock performances and phone bank training. We will be using MassEquality's phone banking system to call Rhode Island residents - free of charge. There will be wrock performances and guests throughout the day on the livestream, and at the end of the day, we will all meet back up for one last wrock out.

While there are many parallels between the Harry Potter series and LGBTQ issues, such LGBTQ parallels exist in many books and films. The HPA has created Fans for Equality, a place for fans of all sorts of things to come together for equal rights. You can check out the facebook page here, http://www.facebook.com/fansforequality. Don't forget to "like" it and invite your friends!

This Horcrux is also a House Cup, so don't forget to go to http://bit.ly/horcrux4 and log your House Points! You can earn points by signing the Make It Better Oath, "liking" Fans for Equality on facebook, inviting 10 friends to "like" Fans for Equality, sharing the HPA Make It Better video, making a response Make It Better video, making phone calls during Wrock 4 Equality 2, and getting friends to make phone calls during Wrock 4 Equality 2.

750 Books!

The Harry Potter club at Merion Mercy Academy recently held a book drive at their school where they collected 750 books! That is incredible! Great work, girls!

The Body Bind Horcrux, Week 4

It is the fourth week of January and the fourth week of the Body Bind Horcrux already. (How did that happen?) The theme this week is De-Stress! While we all get busy with work, school, or extracurricular activities, it is very important to take some time out to relax and de-stress. Here are a few simple ideas on ways to de-stress:

• Take time each day to relax your mind.
• Yoga.
• De-clutter.
• Go for a walk.
• Read for fun.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Take time out for a favorite hobby.
• Pray or meditate.

The Body-Bind Horcrux, Week 3

This week, January 16-22, is week 3 of the Body-Bind Horcrux. The theme this week is Get Active! Here are some easy tasks we can all try this week in an effort to get active:

• Take your dog for a walk.
• Shovel snow.
• Exercise.
• Walk instead of drive.

For more great ideas regarding the Body-Bind Horcrux, check out the blogs at www.thehpalliance.org/blog.

The Body-Bind Horcrux, Weeks 1 and 2

The main topic of our January meeting was the Body-Bind Horcrux. This Horcrux is divided into four subsections, giving each full week of January a particular focus. We brainstormed easy tasks that people could try each week. Here is what we came up with for the first two weeks:

Week 1 - January 2-8 - Breaking Out of the Muggle Mindset

• Give someone a compliment.
• Encourage/support others.

Week 2 - January 9-15 - Nourish Your Body

• Eat fruits and vegetables.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Substitute water or juice for soda.
• Eat healthy snacks.