Students for a Free Tibet
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Students For a Free Tibet is a non-profit student-led organization that uses education, advocacy, and nonviolent direct action to advance the cause of Tibetan independence.
[edit] History
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) was founded in 1994 by Tibetans, supporters, and students in New York City to use the influence of young people in order to press for human rights and independence in Tibet. Initially, SFT's activities were focused on raising awareness amongst fellow students on campuses and at events such as the 1994 Lollapalooza music tour. Students for a Free Tibet's profile and membership grew with the advent of the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, which provided a vehicle for youth involvement in the Tibetan independence movement.
As SFT's membership and profile grew, the organization took on a greater role in the International Tibet Independence Movement. SFT began coordinating with other Tibetan Independence Groups and other human rights and environmental organizations to wage campaigns against companies and other institutions which it claims support China's re-occupation of Tibet since the Qing Dynasty.
Currently, SFT is an international network of more than 650 chapters at universities, colleges, high schools, and communities in over 35 countries. SFT's International Headquarters remains in New York City. There are also a few satellite offices and organizing hubs; SFT Canada has an office in Vancouver, British Columbia and SFT India has an office in Dharamsala, India.
[edit] Programs
Students for a Free Tibet defines its core programs in two parts: Campaigns and Leadership Training.
SFT's campaigns focus on three areas: political, economic, and human rights. SFT's political campaigns are focused on generally advocating for Tibetan independence by pressuring both Chinese officials as well as SFT members' government representatives. SFT is well known for coordinating protests of Chinese dignitaries when they visit foreign countries. SFT's economic campaigns focus on attempting to prevent foreign corporations and other institutions from assisting China's occupation of Tibet. These efforts have included boycotting Chinese-made goods as well as successfully pressuring the World Bank to cancel a loan for a controversial project involving moving Chinese settlers into a Tibetan area. [1] [2] SFT's human rights campaigns are focused on improving the situation for Tibetans in Tibet by advocating for increased freedoms and rights, and for the release of political prisoners and dissidents.
Students for a Free Tibet's "Leadership Training" is focused on developing representatives for the Tibetan independence movement. Part of this is the annual "Free Tibet! Action Camp" at which dozens of young people gather for a week-long activism training session. The Action Camp is based on a model developed by The Ruckus Society, an Oakland, California-based direct action training organization that earned notoriety for its involvement in the 1999 Seattle WTO Demonstrations[citation needed]
