We Are Guardians Impact Campaign
Tax deductible
Join the movement! We are a team of Indigenous leaders and activist storytellers building momentum in reforesting hearts, minds, and the Amazon Rainforest. We are ALL guardians!
(Your donations are 100% tax deductible) ~ [PORTUGUESE BELOW]
The Amazon Rainforest stands as an irreplaceable force of climate stabilization and biodiversity. Today, however, this ecological treasure sits at the edge of disaster. In the past five decades, the Amazon has lost a devastating 20% of its once-pristine cover, teetering on the edge of a dangerous tipping point that’s already begun to transform its southern edge into a dry savannah. This year, after an unprecedented drought that dried rivers to historic lows and killed off large populations of river dolphins and fish, the area is experiencing some of the worst fires and smoke it has ever had.
The new film, We Are Guardians, follows Indigenous leader and activist Puyr Tembé and forest guardian Marçal Guajajara as they fight to protect their territories from the ongoing encroachment of illegal loggers, invaders, and fires from large-scale agriculture. View the trailer
The Tembé and Guajajara communities featured in the film are situated on the easternmost deforested edge of the Amazon in the Alto Rio Guamá and Arariboia territories. These areas play a pivotal role in regional climate dynamics. The weather patterns originating here affect the entire Amazon basin. The trees of the Amazon act as a giant water pump, pulling water from the Atlantic ocean and circulating it across the continent, hitting the Andes mountains and flowing back again up to six times in massive aerial rivers. This moisture is necessary for the topical tree species to survive. When more and more trees are cut, the pump is less strong, which causes more trees to die off and become more susceptible to climate change. Functioning properly, the Amazon is a giant air conditioner and climate stabilizer. Without it, climate changes are more severe, as we are seeing now with the devastating flooding in Rio Grande do Sul in the South of Brazil. Because the Alto Rio Guamá and Arariboia are on the eastern edge of the Amazon, they are the first areas to pump moisture from the ocean and will slow the drying of the rest of the Amazon basin if they can be protected and regenerated.
These communities have requested help in preserving their remaining forests, reforesting damaged areas, and helping them establish a regenerative economy for sustained autonomy. We can make a substantial difference by working hand-in-hand with them to help protect these precious ecosystems and support these important forests communities.
Campaign Goals and Strategies
1. ) Support the Forest Guardians & Communities: Protecting and Regenerating Ancestral Lands and Ecosystems
- Equip Forest Guardians: Technology for Protection Our first phase is equipping Indigenous forest guardians with the essential tools for their missions. This includes providing transportation, smartphones, drones, cameras, radios, and other crucial resources necessary for effective monitoring and protection of the rainforest. We recognize that modern technology is indispensable in their tireless efforts to combat illegal logging and encroachment. Moreover, we believe that their empowerment extends beyond equipment, and are encompassing additional training opportunities three times per year in organization, leadership, conflict resolution, and technology to enhance their impact.
- Reforest the Territories In collaboration with WECAN, we are performing soil remediation, harnessing the collective expertise of local Indigenous women and external specialists to cultivate saplings, gather seeds, and reforesting vast tracts of forest. Each territory has over 2,000 square kilometers of land that can be recovered to primary forest cover, and our goal is 50,000 trees planted in the ground annually per community, with about 55,000 seedlings planted in the nurseries in each community to account for any possible losses due to natural causes.
- Equip the Communities for Long-Term Success Based on their requests, we want to help the two communities establish simple agroforestry economies with seeds and fruits found in their forests and secure the technology to process these products for their long term benefit and autonomy.
2.) Amplify Voices from the Territories
- Integrating Indigenous Leaders Into Global Events and Film Screenings We want to continue the work we’ve already been doing and share the film at more major film festivals, collaborate with NGOs on targeted events and host private screenings with influencers and policymakers. To maximize the impact of We Are Guardians screenings, we offer our audiences the invaluable opportunity to directly engage with Indigenous leaders Puyr and Edivan.
- Strategic Stakeholder Screenings for Policymakers, Corporate Leaders and Influencers Engagement of policymakers, especially at politically significant moments like lawmaking and policy conferences and before significant legislative votes, is critical.
- Diverse Screening Hosts Globally Our approach encompasses a wide range of screening strategies to ensure our message reaches diverse audiences. This includes organizing screenings in smaller cities, unconventional outdoor venues, and unique settings, broadening the film's reach and resonance. We have initiated a partnership with ROCO films, who are organizing 1,000 in a year’s period, from May 2024-May 2025. This screening tour is reaching grassroots audiences through events hosted online and in-person by schools, churches, companies, youth groups, community farms and parks, and local NGOs.
3.) Activate Future Guardians - Engaging a Diverse Community of Storytellers, Students, and Environmental Stewards
- Guardians Toolkit and Calls to Action on the Film Website & Social Media We are continuously updating the film's website with a comprehensive toolkit that empowers our audience to take meaningful action and educate themselves more deeply about products and financial institutions related to deforestation right after they watch the film. Collaborating with our NGO partners, we will provide resources, guides, and clear calls to action, enabling individuals to join the cause in an informed and effective way. We will amplify campaigns to collectively apply pressure on corporations contributing to deforestation, divest from deforestation and invest in businesses that keep the forest standing. This toolkit serves as a living hub for engagement, allowing supporters to advocate for change through various channels long after the film is released.
- Indigenous Created Videos to Continue the Conversation We are currently engaging a global community on social media and a strategized publicity campaign to drive viewership on Netflix and other streaming platforms where the film appears. As attention around the film gains momentum, we plan to work with Indigenous filmmakers to produce a series of short videos dedicated to diving deeper into important subjects and solutions addressed in the film.
- Educational Materials to Inspire Next Generations of Guardians In collaboration with Journeys in Film, we are embarking on an educational journey to inspire and nurture the next generations of guardians for the Amazon Rainforest. Our vision encompasses the creation of comprehensive curriculum guides and educational resources specially designed for young minds. These materials will cater to diverse learning environments, extending from traditional classrooms to dynamic after school programs and engaging community screenings. Our mission includes distributing the film along with these meticulously crafted lesson plans to an ambitious target of up to 2 million educators across the United States.
A Floresta Amazônica representa uma força insubstituível na estabilização do clima e na conservação da biodiversidade. No entanto, este tesouro ecológico enfrenta uma ameaça existencial. Nas últimas cinco décadas, a Amazônia perdeu 20% de sua cobertura vegetal, o que significa que ela se encontra à beira de um perigoso ponto de inflexão que poderia transformá-la em uma savana estéril.
O novo filme "Somos Guardiões" segue a lider indígena e ativista Puyr Tembé e o guardião da floresta Marçal Guajajara enquanto lutam para proteger seus territórios da contínua invasão de madeireiros ilegais e invasores. Assista ao trailer.
Os territórios do Alto Rio Guamá e Arariboia, situados na borda leste desmatada da Amazônia, desempenham um papel fundamental na dinâmica climática regional. Os padrões climáticos que se originam aqui afetam toda a bacia amazônica, perpetuando um ciclo de ressecamento. Podemos fazer uma diferença substancial trabalhando de mãos dadas com os Tembé e Guajajara para preservar suas florestas, reflorestar áreas danificadas e ajudá-los a estabelecer uma economia regenerativa para uma autonomia sustentável.
Objetivos e Estratégias da Campanha
1. ) Apoio aos Guardiões da Floresta e Comunidades: Proteção e Regeneração de Terras e Ecossistemas Ancestrais
- Equipar os Guardiões da Floresta com tecnologia Fornecer às comunidades indígenas Guardiões da Floresta as ferramentas essenciais para sua missão. Isso inclui fornecer transporte, smartphones, drones, câmeras, rádios e outros recursos cruciais necessários para o monitoramento eficaz e a proteção da floresta.
- Reflorestar os Territórios Tembé e Guajajara.
- Equipar as Comunidades para o Sucesso a Longo Prazo Com base em suas solicitações: queremos ajudá-los a estabelecer negócios de agrofloresta simples com sementes e frutos encontrados em suas florestas e garantir a tecnologia necessária para processar esses produtos.
2.) Campanha, Divulgação, Materiais Educacionais e Narrativas Indígenas para uma Mudança Positiva
- Kit dos Guardiões e Chamados à Ação no Site do Filme e nas Redes Sociais: Nesta fase, nosso objetivo é enriquecer o site do filme com um kit abrangente que capacite nosso público a tomar ações significativas e se educar mais profundamente sobre produtos e instituições financeiras relacionadas ao desmatamento logo após assistirem ao filme.
- Futura Amazônia: uma Plataforma de Mídia para Inspirar e Elevar: Atualmente, estamos construindo uma comunidade engajada nas redes sociais e uma campanha de publicidade estrategicamente planejada para aumentar a audiência na Netflix e em outras plataformas de streaming. À medida que a atenção em torno do filme ganha impulso, planejamos introduzir uma série de vídeos curtos adicionais dedicados a aprofundar temas importantes e soluções abordadas no filme. Para todos esses vídeos, estamos muito empolgados em colaborar com a Mídia Indígena para envolver cineastas indígenas na edição e produção. É muito importante para nós continuar a incentivar uma nova geração de cineastas e contadores de histórias indígenas.
- Materiais Educacionais para Inspirar as Próximas Gerações de Guardiões Em colaboração com Journeys in Film: Estamos embarcando em uma jornada educacional para inspirar e nutrir as próximas gerações de guardiões da Floresta Amazônica. Nossa visão abrange a criação de guias curriculares e recursos educacionais especialmente projetados para jovens mentes. Esses materiais atenderão a diversos ambientes de aprendizado, desde salas de aula tradicionais até programas extracurriculares dinâmicos e exibições comunitárias envolventes.
3.) Turnê de Exibição Abrangente e Alcance Global: Ampliando o Impacto
- Envolver o Público com Líderes Indígenas Para maximizar o impacto de nossas exibições: Planejamos oferecer ao público a valiosa oportunidade de se envolver diretamente com os líderes indígenas Puyr e Edivan sempre que possível.
- Exibições Estratégicas para Legisladores e Formadores de Opinião: O envolvimento de legisladores, especialmente em momentos politicamente significativos, como a elaboração de leis e conferências de política, e antes de votações legislativas importantes, é crucial. Também esperamos exibir o filme para executivos corporativos em reuniões e eventos específicos, como o Fórum Econômico Mundial e a COP 28.
- Diversas Estratégias de Exibição: Nossa abordagem abrange uma ampla gama de estratégias de exibição para garantir que nossa mensagem alcance públicos diversos. Isso inclui a organização de exibições em cidades menores, locais ao ar livre não convencionais e cenários únicos, ampliando o alcance e o impacto do filme.
Fundraising team (2)
Chelsea Greene
Organizer
San Mateo, CA
RandomGood Foundation
Beneficiary
Megan Friend
Team member