“Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”
~Abraham Lincoln

THE MISSION:
To build bridges, foster understanding, and create friendships between people of different races, nationalities, and beliefs by connecting them both locally and globally in meaningful discussions and life-changing projects.

The Problem:
Although our world is more connected than ever before (as is obvious with the global economic crises, the spread of swine flu, and technological proliferation), we are also, in many ways, less connected than ever before. One in three people report moderate or serious levels of loneliness and/or fear. Trust continues to erode between people of different faiths, skin colors, nationalities, and political ideologies. The world is full of labels created by others, such as bad or evil, that often instill fear and prevent us from connecting in ways that are meaningful and productive.

The Solution:
AXIS LIVE is the beginning of an international movement that starts with an exploration of the countries branded with one of the strongest labels of all time—the “Axis of Evil.”

Using documentary film, networked communities, and emerging technology, we highlight the common humanity that runs through all cultures and nations—even those generally considered as “enemies”—and give people the opportunity to engage in meaningful joint projects together.

The ultimate goal is to create a growing community of people who question the labels we place on each other, want to learn about and from others who are different, and believe that collaborating together we can create a much better world than we could on our own.

We will do this through the following activities:
* Challenging invisible assumptions (beginning with our own)
o Capturing a transformational travel experiences (the questions asked, the people met, and the lessons learned) — for example, into the heart of the “Axis of Evil” countries (Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and Syria)—eventually forming a full-length documentary film
o Creating a transformative educational experiences (involving students from top universities around the world)

* Inviting others to join the cross-border conversation
o Using innovative technologies to facilitate discussions between ordinary people in Europe, the US, and other countries (who watch the journey online and in theaters) and the people we meet along the way in the countries we visit
o Providing online resources and activities that open minds and hearts (“test your cultural IQ” quizzes, entertaining videos, brainstorming areas, valuable links, webinar options)

* Mobilizing local and global exchanges and joint projects (online and face-to-face)
o Initiating other actions (creating cross-cultural and interfaith exchanges, brainstorming discussions through social networking and video sharing sites)
o Connecting and enabling those on either side of labels to discuss and begin projects they could work on together to make the world a better place (creating or contributing to meaningful humanitarian, environmental, or socially responsive projects and entrepreneurial endeavors)

Pre-Production: The Course
A course, inspired by the AXIS LIVE project, is in progress and includes top graduate programs from throughout the Middle East, Europe, the US, and all over the world. Working together, the students will discover better ways to utilize emerging technologies to bridge people from different cultural, philosophical, and religious backgrounds and to connect people in their communities and countries with those on the other side of the labels.

Production: The Movie
We will create a full-length documentary of an exploration of the countries labeled the “Axis of Evil”, capturing the true lives of the people behind the labels. Along the way we will invite people to join our global collaborative network and participate interactively throughout the journey.

Post-Production: The Movement
AXIS LIVE will launch a unique platform and a fun, provocative online campaign in conjunction with the documentary to assist in creating a growing culture of people who question the labels we place on each other, want to learn from others who are different, and believe that collaborating together we can create a much better world than we could on our own.

Sponsorships and Donations:
Your browser may not support display of this image. AXIS LIVE has a partnership with the Sparrow Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to peace and social justice, which allows sponsorships and donations to be tax deductible. Please consider sharing this journey and become an ALLY! It is your world, your future, your life—live it fully aLIVE —AXIS LIVE!

Partners
We have already acquired several sources of private funding, in kind donations, and support from universities and organizations around the world.

Here are a few of the current project advisors:
* AXIS LIVE Amigos: Joey Lundgreen, Jeremy Evans, and Clint Rogers, PhD: With international, cross-cultural, and inter-faith expertise, they developed the initial ideas that seeded this project and which have grown from there. www.clintrogersonline.com/blog

* The Sparrow Alliance: A non-profit organization dedicated to peace and social justice. www.sparrowalliance.org

* Advent Creative: Award winning SEO, web design, and branding experts. www.adventcreative.com

* Erika George, Professor of Law, UofU: Before becoming a professor, Erika was an associate in a New York City law firm, her focus is on international litigation and arbitration with an emphasis on representation of foreign corporations, antitrust, and employment discrimination. http://www.law.utah.edu/profiles/?PersonID=64

* Thalej Vasishta, MD, Paragon Law: One of the UK’s premier law firms (with offices in India and soon China) recognized for their legal immigration, human rights and asylum expertise. His life and company exemplify this project. www.paragonlaw.co.uk

* David Rose, PhD, Director of Masters Provision, Roehampton University: In his work, which has taken him to over 100 countries, David is a key multi-faith/cultural international researcher and photographer. www.roehampton.ac.uk/staff/DavidRose/

* Saud Alsalouly, CEO: Saud received his graduate degree from the US, and his company works extensively on building projects around the world, including the Arab countries. He has offered to provide contacts and services toward the success of the project.

* Love Ekenberg, PhD, Chair Dept. of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University and KTH: Expertise in risk and decision analysis, working with EU, World Bank, Sida, WHO, Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc., on technical infrastructure development, IT & organizational development. http://people.dsv.su.se/~lovek/

* James B. Mayfield, PhD, Professor emeritus in Middle East Studies, part of special envoy to Iraq: Dr. Mayfield speaks multiple languages (one of which is Iraqi Arabic), is one of the most experienced international development experts in the world, and has worked in dozens of countries, with a specialty in Egypt and Iraq, teaching local government development.

* Sylvia McMillan Finlayson, MA: Sylvia has a Masters Degree in Political Science/Middle East Studies. During the last decades she has worked with the Proctors on numerous video and film projects, has taught world history in private schools in Utah and California, and has served on humanitarian expeditions in the Middle East, Africa, China and South America.

* Fadi Kabatilo holds a BA in Islamic and shari’a law and MA in Cultural Diversity. Currently he is conducting a PhD research on Democratic Theory and Perceptions of Democracy at the university of Eastern Finland. He is also working on Facebook applications, which aims at educating and inspiring Facebook users in the Arab world and some fun applications. More than 100,000 users joined his applications in three months and the number is growing.

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And the list keeps growing…What role would YOU like to play?