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Heroes

Promoting Palestinian civic action through peaceful means.”

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Issa Amro is a Palestinian human rights activist who has dedicated his life to peaceful resistance against Israeli occupation in the West Bank city of Hebron. Together with the activist group he founded, Youth Against Settlements (YAS), he has become a leading voice in the non-violent movement, striving to create a future where Palestinians live freely and with dignity. His efforts have garnered international recognition, and his strict commitment to non-violence stands in stark contrast to the violent realities of the Israeli occupation.

Amro and YAS have successfully mobilised local communities and international allies to resist the ongoing Israeli occupation through peaceful means. YAS plays an essential role in documenting human rights violations, organising protests, and supporting local communities in Hebron who live under constant threats and attacks from Israeli settlers and military forces. The group’s initiatives have also served as an inspiration for non-violent resistance in other Palestinian cities under Israeli occupation.

Amro and the group have been under constant pressure from settlers, the Israeli military and also the Palestinian Authority. Amro has been detained, tortured, attacked on the streets, evicted from home and subjected to judicial harassment. However, he has kept his unwavering commitment to non-violent resistance, which he sees as the only way to achieve justice and peace for the people of Palestine.

Issa Amro

  • Place of Birth: Hebron, Palestine
  • Date of Birth: April 13, 1980
  • Education: Palestine Polytechnic University

Youth Against Settlements

  • Headquarters: Hebron, Palestine
  • Founded in: 2007

 

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Arts

Rock and roll transformed for the children’s pallette…

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“Staying true to my heart gives me a constant continuum of a life well-lived. It chooses me.”

Composer/Singer/Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer Ray Andersen, was a full time band member of Meat Loaf, as his guitarist, keyboardist, backup singer, from ’98-’02, touring all of Europe and the US and US and European TV shows.

As part of the Asbury Park NJ Stone Pony house band through most of the 80s, he performed with Bruce Springsteen as his backup band, multiple times, as well as many other events. He’s also played keyboards for rock pioneer, Chuck Berry.

He’s recorded music for many national TV commercials including 20 Publishers Clearing House commercials, recorded in his home studio, and in 2023, he recorded the Linda Ronstadt classic hit, “Different Drum,” for the Netflix Top Ten movie, “The Tutor”, starring Noah Schnapp from Stranger Things.

For over 25 years, he has written and performed music for children and families as Mr. RAY…writing, recording and performing original songs with messages of kindness, inclusion, being creative and staying healthy & active. His streams for kids music was over 9 million in 2024.

He recently composed music for a short documentary called “Vienna: Suddenly an Angel,” which was just included in the Garden State Film Festival in March 2025.

In January 2021, Ray became an Official United Nations NGO (a non-governmental, non-political organization) Representative of Pathways To Peace, on behalf of his musical work and message of kindness, diversity and inclusion, with children… an ambassador of peace through his music.

Let’s get right into it. What makes him tick, so that others can talk. (more…)

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Heroes

Empowering communities for environmental justice now.

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Anabela Lemos is a Mozambican environmental activist and Director of Justiça Ambiental! (JA!), an organisation committed to environmental justice in Mozambique. For over 20 years, Lemos and JA! have fought corporate-led projects that displace communities, damage livelihoods and intensify climate change. The organisation’s leadership in the ‘Say No to Gas Campaign’ has brought international attention to the environmental and human rights violations caused by liquid natural gas (LNG) extraction projects in northern Mozambique.

In addition to grassroots activism, JA! is renowned for its effective global advocacy, particularly against Mozambique LNG, a 24-billion-USD gas extraction project in Cabo Delgado backed by TotalEnergies. The organisation has built alliances with civil society in over 23 countries to challenge this project. By providing critical on-the-ground evidence of the project’s harm to local communities, JA! has exposed human rights violations and corporate crimes, successfully delaying Mozambique LNG’s progress.

Despite operating in a politically oppressive space, Lemos and JA! continue to amplify local voices on the world stage, demonstrating that the fight for environmental justice transcends borders. Their work has empowered communities to defend their rights, paving the way for a future where all people’s environmental and human rights are respected.

 

Anabela Lemos / Justiça Ambiental!

  • Mozambique

Anabela Lemos

  • Place of Birth: Maputo, Mozambique
  • Date of Birth: February 18, 1953

Justiça Ambiental!

  • Headquarters: Maputo, Mozambique
  • Founded: 2004

Website: http://ja4change.org/

 

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Heroes

Raising Indigenous voices in the face of the global ecological breakdown and her leadership in defending people, lands and culture.

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Joan Carling is a Filipino Indigenous activist who has been defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples for more than 30 years. Her work spans grassroots and international levels, focusing on human rights, sustainable development, climate justice and the fight against land exploitation. Since the late 1990s, Carling has led multiple Indigenous rights organisations. She continues to play a pivotal role in amplifying the voices of Indigenous Peoples across the Philippines, Asia, and globally, with a focus on combating the systemic marginalisation and criminalisation of Indigenous communities.

Carling has dedicated her life to protecting Indigenous communities, often at great personal risk. She has been unjustly arrested, labelled a terrorist, falsely accused of crimes and received threats on her life. Despite this, she continues to fight for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, helping communities defend their lands and resist exploitation by powerful corporate and state interests.

Carling’s advocacy has had a profound impact, from helping stop destructive mining projects opposed by Indigenous communities to influencing policies on Indigenous women’s rights at the United Nations. Her work in the Philippines, one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Indigenous Peoples—where activists are frequently targeted, killed and forcibly disappeared—has been especially critical. By empowering Indigenous Peoples to defend themselves against these threats, Carling has helped communities across the Philippines take an active role in defending their rights and protecting their lands.

Joan Carling

  • Philippines
  • Place of Birth: Baguio City, PhilippinesDate of Birth: June 30, 1963Website: https://iprights.org/
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