Let me introduce
you to a wonderful young man with a very big heart.
Marie: Damon, could you please for our readers tell us a
bit about your background?
Damon: My name is Damon Ramsey, and I’m a grade 12 student at West Vancouver Secondary School in British Columbia. Right now I’m 17 years old, going on 18. I’ve lived all my life in Vancouver, but my parents are originally from Iran.
Right now I’m struggling to maintain my schedule which consists of massive amounts of school work, volunteer work, and athletics. The lion’s share of my time is being spent on working towards a mine-free world.
Marie: What made you take an interest in landmine eradication?
Damon: I’ve always been keenly interested in global affairs, ever since a very young age. As a child, whenever I walked into our living room, my dad would have some news channel on the television and I wouldn’t be able to avoid listening every now and then. Eventually, as I entered my teenage years I really started to listen and I did not like what I heard. All these conflicts in the world. All this suffering, violence, pain. And so I started asking questions. Why is there a war? Why are there so many refugees? Why are we watching as millions are dying of AIDS in Africa?
I’ve never been an apathetic person; I like to believe that empathy – the ability to feel and understand one another – is one of the qualities that separate humans from animals. It comes as no surprise then that I would grasp the opportunity to work against the man-made epidemic, landmines.
By their very nature, they are inhumane, brutal, uncontrollable and ultimately the most hellish weapons we’ve created. The fact is landmines have killed more people than biological, chemical and nuclear weapons combined. This crisis is prevalent throughout the majority of the world, and I, as a global citizen, will not accept that.
I’ve latched onto this particular issue of course because of its urgency, but also because I feel I can actually do something valuable. It’s practical, as the infrastructure for landmine eradication (such as the Mine Ban Treaty which basically the entire world has embraced) is all in place.
Marie: Could you tell us your organization's name and mission?
Damon: The organization is called Youth Against Landmines. We’re a conglomeration of youth groups throughout Canada with a mission to raise enough funds to clear a 32,333 m2 minefield in Cambodia on the Thai border through the United Nation’s Adopt-a-Minefield program. Once the minefield is cleared, 71 people will be able to relocate and rebuild a sustainable life.
YAL’s overall mission is to raise enough funds to clear a minefield on a yearly basis by a collective fundraising scheme across Canada, and eventually the world. More information can be found on our interactive website: http://www.youthagainstlandmines.org.
Marie: Who can be a member of your teams?
Damon: Anyone and everyone. Membership is open to anyone willing to work for a mine-free world. The only prerequisite is heart.
Marie: How many Canadian high schools are involved?
Damon: At this point, 6 highschools are participating and we are in dialogue with a bunch more. We definitely need to promote Y.A.L. more thoroughly throughout Canada to spread our message and our goal.
Marie: Tell us a bit about the cost of producing a mine and the cost of clearing one?
Damon: It’s a disturbing statistic. Anti-personnel mines are priced at $3 to $30 USD each. Removing them can be anywhere from $300 to $1000 USD. The cost to remove all 110 million active mines is estimated at approximately $33 billion. Many experts believe at the current rate it would take more than 1,100 years to clear the entire world of mines provided that no additional mines are planted. That’s unacceptable.
Funding is the major issue in clearing landmines, and that’s exactly the reason why we are putting so much emphasis on our fundraising campaigns.
Marie: How many countries still have landmines?
Damon: I believe there are 82 countries affected by landmines. Some of the worst are Afghanistan, Cambodia, Angola, among others.
Cambodia, the country where our adopted minefield is located, has more mines than children – two for every child.
Marie: If people want to help you in any way they can where should they send their donations and how is it being accounted for?
Damon: Our financial administration is handled by the Canadian Landmine Foundation (a registered non-profit organization and the representatives of Adopt-a-Minefield in Canada).
We accept donations online on our website at http://www.youthagainstlandmines.org and as well through mail. Cheques (with a memo of “Youth Against Landmines”) can be mailed to CLF at:
Canadian Landmine Foundation
1623 rue Yonge Street, Toronto Ontario M4T 2A1.
We provide tax receipts for donations over $25. Funds are being collected so we can reach our goal of $40,000 (the amount needed to clear the Cambodian minefield). At this point we’ve raised around $25,000. Our deadline is June 31st, 2004, so we’re really pushing the fundraising and asking for people’s much-needed support.
Marie: What are your plans for the 2004/2005?
Damon: Other than fundraising for minefield clearance and raising awareness, I plan to help start up YAL member groups throughout universities, starting with UBC, which is where I’m going pursue pre-med and eventually medical school.
Marie: I saw that you were profiled in Butterfly 208 Contest. I wish you good luck! You can see Damon's picture here at: http://www.bp208.ca/main.php.
Marie: Speaking about picture tell us more about that picture of yours on top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Damon: I was gifted with the opportunity to scale Mount Kilimanjaro (the tallest mountain in Africa, and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world at 5895 M) last Christmas. It was the toughest physical experience that I have gone through, but I can say with no doubt the most amazing trip I’ve ever had in my life. As an added benefit I was able to muster up enough energy to raise the flag of Youth Against Landmines to raise awareness on the landmines issue.
