UNC Charlotte parties to end human trafficking w/ We Own the Night Rave, Sat Feb 18

Posted on 13 Feb 2012 by Kia O. Moore

On Saturday, February 18^th at 9:00pm, UNC Charlotte students will come together for a night of music, dancing, and to party for a cause at the annual “We Own The Night Rave.”

The ‘We Own The Night Rave’ (WON Rave) is an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) event that goes beyond your normal party. The event raises awareness – through music and social outreach — about the worldwide problem of human trafficking and modern-day sex slavery.

Talents Ambition Passion (TAP), Niners On the Weekend (NOW), 49er Music Selectors, International Music Selectors Society, and M-Vee Productions are partners on this event that will feature professional DJ’s, electronic dance music, and special lighting. There will also be a Party PSA Break where attendees will watch a clip on the international problem of human trafficking.

This year’s Party PSA will be created by Halogen TV, a network whose socially-conscious programming encourages and motivates individuals to be the change they want to see in the world. Halogen TV Producer Richard Clark Jr. says, “As our network is about empowering young people into action, we are excited to have an opportunity to be a part of this event. We are  happy to help bring awareness to the unspeakable act of human trafficking, and it is our hope that after viewing the PSA, students will feel a sense of urgency to get involved to help bring an end to this atrocity.”

The Party PSA will include a scene from the Halogen TV original series Tainted Love. The second season of this groundbreaking documentary comes to the table with innovative and fresh storytelling while keeping the same goal of the original Emmy nominated campaign… create the awareness needed to bring the catastrophe of sex trafficking to an end. The new installment of Tainted Love will take the audience across the world to the cities of Delhi and Mumbai in India and several popular sex trafficking destinations in the US such as Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Portland to examine the cultivating problem. In depth interviews with experts and sex trafficking survivors will be joined by a narrative segment featuring dramatic re-tellings of the horrific real life stories of victims. Episodes will be wrapped up with a “Call to Action” piece highlighting the real life heroes fighting the tragedy every day.

Student organization TAP will be collecting donations that will help support the efforts of a local anti-human trafficking center.

Since UNC Charlotte has a flash rave tradition that stems back to 2008, the International Music Selectors Society and M-Vee Productions felt it was time to introduce UNC Charlotte students to the full rave experience. Rave Director Kia Moore said that she realized that this party atmosphere could also serve as a great platform to make attendees more socially aware. “I wanted this rave to go beyond the typical college party. I wanted it to have an element of social purpose. I figured that a short, high-quality PSA played during a rave could be highly impactful in raising awareness about a serious global issue.

With the We Own the Night Rave I wanted to educate my fellow 49ers on the existence of an illegitimate industry that occurs within the shadows of society, and thrives in the darkness of the night. I believe that the only way to end human trafficking and sex slavery is to make people aware of it so that they can take ownership and do something to help end the sex slavery cycle.”

While the DJs play, the students dance, and the PSA rolls, Halogen TV cameras will be present to capture a UNC Charlotte event that will truly exemplify educational entertainment. Footage and interviews will be aired on Halogen TV media platforms at a later date (to find out where to watch Halogen TV in your area, click here).

In the month leading up to the event, UNC Charlotte students had the opportunity to pick the EDM DJs they felt should be the opening act at the rave. Via the online (EDM) Electronic DJ Competition hosted by WATC Sport, students listened to DJ mixes and voted for their favorites. This year’s winners were DJ Daniel’s Jack and DJ 2NYCE.

EVENT DETAILS

• What: Club 49er | We Own The Night Rave
• When: Saturday, February 18^th from 9:00pm to 1:00am
• Where: UNC Charlotte Student Union’s 3^rd Floor Multipurpose Room
• Who: ONLY UNCC STUDENTS MAY ATTEND THIS EVENT
• Presented by: Talents, Ambition, Passion & Niners On the Weekend
• Additional info: International Music Selectors Society Event Page