—Kansas City, MO - July 9, 2005 - Get Ready!, an exciting, new organization dedicated to community education and capacity-building in Kansas City, held the first ever “Educate! Activate! Celebrate! (EAC) What is the G8?”event this past Saturday July 9, 2005 from 7-10 pm, at the Crave Café and Twisted Sister. Over 200 people were estimated to have visited the event over the course of the evening.

“Education, activation, and celebration is what we are about, and that is exactly what we did!” said co-founder Robert Chastain.

Visitors enjoyed performances by local musical groups Raising Grey, Tabla Rasa, and SoundsGood, and speeches by Judy Ancel, Director of the Institute for Labor Studies; Mathew Forstater, Director of the Center for Full Employment and Price Stability (C-FEPS); and Sarah Bramley, International Program Manager for WaterPartners International, in an open, fun, and informative atmosphere.

A variety of topics were discussed. Professor Judy Ancel and her special guest George W. Bush, played by Tom Klammer, led a wonderful presentation on how trade agreements such as CAFTA affect the Kansas City community and what citizens can do to voice their opinions about them.

Sarah Bramley shared her experiences with sustainable development work in developing countries, specifically Guatemala and India. She suggested that when a community is directly involved in its own development it can create unique ways to make aid sustainable.

Finally, Professor Mathew Forstater discussed how the debt of nations being tied to an outside economic system creates an unfair and self-perpetuating state of need. He also explained that when relief is tied to privatization of state industries and overall revamping of economic infrastructures, these factors create results the opposite of their intended goals.

Get Ready! strives to create an approachable environment where members of the community feel energized to talk about issues that affect them on a daily basis. It encourages people of different backgrounds to come together on issues that affect us all, and by doing so, generate a positive change in the Kansas City community.

“We are encouraged by the interest our neighbors have shown tonight. We have a long way to go, but with continued effort from each of us, we can create a positive change in our city, our country, and our world,” says co-founder Sarah Bramley.