Let's face it, most people who volunteer are passionate about helping people - but for some influencing social change is also important. Volunteering for a campaigning organisation allows volunteers to help make things happen for large charities. Find out what the grass roots activists get up to here.

All | Helen | Rachael | Carolynn | Moira

« Previous month (Dec 2006) | Main | Next month (Feb 2007) »

Tuesday Jan 23, 2007

Celebrations....

Last night Oxfam, Amnesty International and IANSA came together for a rather posh evening of celebrations marking the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voting to start work on an Arms Trade Treaty(153 governments voted in favour of the resolution). This is an incredible achievement following years of campaigning and over a million people pledging their support through the Million Faces Petition. I was invited to attend this event.

We were served delicious food and wine (fairtrade, of course!) and given the opportunity to listen to a number of motivational speakers. I was particularly moved by a man who spoke about his experiences of armed conflict - He was a Scottish man who had married a woman from Turkey, when their first (and only) son was 2 and a half, they went over to Turkey to visit her parents, while in a cafe in Turkey an argument broke out between two others in this cafe, someone involved in this argument pulled out a gun and started shooting it randomly, this resulted in his son being killed instantly and others being badly injured.  Since this event he had dedicated his life to campaigning against arms trade. This really brought it home that armed violence can affect anyone and that we need to do what we can to stop it.

I think the most powerful message that i have been able to take away from these celebrations is that ...campaigning works and we really can make a difference!

Posted by Helen Bryant ( 2:46 PM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Friday Jan 19, 2007

Im back...

Just when you had thought i had disapeared off the face of the planet - im back, bigger, bolder and back in employment!

Im afraid i neglected my blogging as after being unemployed for 5 months things on the job front began to look really rather scary. i had been getting lots of job interviews but having no luck with these until suddenly i got offered 2 jobs in 2 days - i suppose its a bit like buses, you dont get any for ages and then 2 come at once!

I ended up accepting a job at the Camelot Foundation, as you may have guessed we have something to do with the lottery, we are the charity associated with the lottery that makes sure that funding grants go to young people. so its great for networking as i spend most of the days chatting to fantastic people who work for youth-focused charities and just need a bit more money to make their projects even better!

Although getting a job has meant that i have left my post as Oxfam UIniversity Campaigns Co-ordinator, i am still very heavily involved and busy supporting the team in coming up with exciting events for us to campaign at this year. We also have a new mamber of Oxfam staff who will be supporting us - so that will be very exciting as we welcome all of her new ideas.

im getting ready to attend an Oxfam school speakers training weekend and will keep you posted on all of those adventures too.

Posted by Helen Bryant ( 11:54 AM )
Link to this post Comments[0]

Thursday Jan 18, 2007

Meeting the Prime Minister and Mrs Blair

Hi Everyone,

Yes I know long time since I wrote anything, but I'll tell you all about my trip to No10 now.

Right to be more than honest it weren't all that good!  Now I could say it was fab but then I would be lying through my teeth!  I asked  before I went what I was going for and was told it was for my services to the voluntary sector and just to say thanks.  Now before I went to an extent I was rather excited about the whole thing when it came to the evening but, really I saw it as well....

Something that was to look good. We basically went to No10 and Tony Blair gave a 10minute speech saying thank you to all the volunteers there for there services to the voluntary sector then he talk about No10, I swear half of his speech was taking out of a book (Im not joking!).  Then he told us we were free to look round the rooms and mingle with everyone, then he proceeded to disappear.  Seriously, we never saw him after that.  He said at the end of his speech that there would be a prize for anyone who could identify who the women were in the pictures and he would see us out at the end, and well I couldnt of told him who the women were but that's besides the point.  When he was saying all this I couldnt actually see him either I reckon I would of got more out of it if I had of stayed at home and it was televised.

Im sorry but they got it wrong when they organised this event.  They should of maybe had over 2 occasions or just invited less people or better still have some kind of reason for the event because even now I still dont get the point of the whole event.  They were giving out glasses of wine and fresh orange etc and the it was all very posh  food as well I had something not quite sure what it was but basically I couldnt wait to get out so that I could get some real food, McDonald's at this point was like heaven.

Mingling I couldnt exactly do because there was that many people just standing and walking around it wasnt safe to move about.  It was that bad my brother who went to assist me in going told me to sit down which he never does.  Also I was told by this volunteer from Scope (sorry cant remember his name)  and he went into a seperate room and met Mrs Blair and has pic taken and he told me I should of came in with him and well he disappeared before he met with Mrs Blair and I wasnt aware she was going to meet with people who had any difficulties in a seperate room to make it easier.

Then to top it off the hotel I was placed it was eventually one that was accessible because even after stating that the accommadation had to be accessible; the first hotel wasn't.  And the second hotel werent much better.  Now this may all seem very tedious but seriously it was really bad!  So all in all it was bad and I cant think of a positive thing to say about it.

 Although the bloke in the lift was very nice to talk too, he was very plesant.  So all in all if I was asked to do something like that again well I'll let you guess my answer......  What did I get from it?I got a book which basically tells you history of No.10 and where I reckon Mr Blair got some of his speech from.  All in all I couldnt wait to get home!

This doesn't read very good does it?

Posted by Moira ( 7:33 PM )
Link to this post Comments[9]