Join Morgan Freeman to Bring Human Rights Work to Light

YouTube can be a powerful tool championing the rights of individuals and promoting free expression. This month, during International Human Rights Day, we're partnering with Morgan Freeman and Amnesty International to encourage you to become advocates for equality and justice, through Video Volunteers.

Here's how you can help. Create a video about the nonprofit of your choice working on a human rights issue that you care about -- it could be genocide, human trafficking, refugee protection, gender equality or something else -- and submit it to the Video Volunteers channel by December 21. Amnesty International and Freeman, who plays legendary crusader Nelson Mandela in the upcoming movie Invictus, will select three videos to appear on the YouTube homepage at the end of the month. Hear more from Morgan about the importance of taking up this cause:



This is your chance to help citizens around the world who often can't help themselves and to bring the vital work of human rights organizations to light. Join Morgan Freeman to protect the rights of these individuals at www.youtube.com/videovolunteers.

Ramya Raghavan, Nonprofits & Activism Manager, recently favorited "To Protect & Serve: Police Brutality in India."

Spaghetti Western Viewing Party Tonight

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who watch Spaghetti Westerns by themselves and those who watch them with their YouTube buddies.

If the latter sounds like fun, join us for a live viewing party of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" at 6pm PT in the Screening Room. To the right of the player, you'll see a Twitter feed collecting real-time tweets from other fans watching the film.  If you want to contribute to the conversation, just log in to your Twitter account through the gadget and send your tweets, being sure to use the default hashtag, #screeningroom.
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YouTube Community Gives Thanks to Those That Help the Hungry

Earlier this month, as part of YouTube Video Volunteers, we asked you to create a short video for the nonprofit organization of your choice tackling the issue of hunger in America. Today, we're featuring the top three submissions, chosen by our partner Feeding America and curator David Arquette, on the YouTube homepage in honor of Thanksgiving, to recognize the important work that is being done to feed those in need.

We were surprised and excited by the range of videos submitted. For example, partner bigedude33 penned an original song about the Food Bank of Central New York, while HavilahTower lent her voice to the Capital Area Food Bank in Texas:



Filmmakers like CassieJaye and nsmith345 powerfully depicted the faces of American citizens being helped by their local food pantries, while vlogger Shawn Ahmed went inside the L.A. Regional Food Bank to demonstrate exactly how they provide support to the Los Angeles community:

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Giving Thanks

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Alicia Keys Live! on YouTube

If you were one of the millions who tuned in to watch U2 perform live on YouTube last month or if you just love music, you should put this in your calendar: On December 1, R&B superstar Alicia Keys will be performing at an intimate theater in New York City in honor of World AIDS Day. We'll be live-streaming the event worldwide and encouraging viewers to donate to Alicia's charity of choice, Keep a Child Alive.

Here's Alicia's special message about the concert and what it hopes to achieve:



This show, presented by American Express, will start at 8 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, December 1. Tune in here to watch Alicia live and help raise funds for children with HIV/AIDS.

Michele Flannery, Music Manager, recently watched "Song of Mable" by Matryomin Ensemble Mable