Hi! Welcome to the Oxfam Bath Group!
We are a local volunteer group supporting Oxfam’s work overcoming poverty and suffering around the world. Throughout the year, we organise a varied programme of events to raise the profile of vital issues, such as fair trade, debt relief, and education.
Activities can vary from a stalls raising awareness of global issues to stunts such as dressing as superheroes to get media coverage of Oxfam campaigns. Help planning this work is always welcome!!
Subscribe here to get updates on these campaigns & how you can get involved!!
Peace, Justice and Environmental Protection - a Common Platform?
Freinds Meeting House, York St, Bath, 19.30pm
Bath Stop War Coalition members have been discussing the links between our group and other groups concerned with justice, peace and climate change, (to which many of us also belong).
We are planning to hold an open meeting with other groups on Weds March 10th to discuss how we can make the links between our separate but connected campaigns. The title will be "Peace, Justice and Environmental Protection - a Common Platform?"
We should be really pleased if any interested members from local campaign groups would come to the meeting. Diana Francis from Bath Stop War / CND will open the meeting, after which there will be a general discussion of possible ways of linkingthe issues for which we all campaign to achieve a just, peaceful, sustainable world.
Friends of the Earth locally are considering a pre election forum to discuss policies with local candidates. Bath Stop War Coalition is also considering this type of pre election meeting and one of the issues we would like to discuss is planning a joint pre election meeting between various campaigning groups and the candidates.
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Volunteers for Fairtrade Fortnight Stall
Dear All,
As you may have seen, Bath Fairtrade are holding a stall in Green Park Station to celebrate fairtrade Fortnight and promote the new Fair and Local diretcory which is being produced as we speak :)
We really need some volunteers to help us with this stall between 8.30am & 1pm - simply to hand out information and samples to the public and take raffle prize entries. You only need to give an hour or so (of course, you can give more time if you wish!), and it would be really appreciated. You don't need to know the in's and outs of Fairtrade, you just need to be a Fairtrade supporter - we can fill you in on any gaps you think you have in your knowledge & field any awkward questions!!
Please do email oxfambath@yahoo.co.uk if you can help!
Fairtrade Fortnight Promotion - Green Park Station!
Come on down to Green Park Station to find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 and our Swap-It campaign. What can you swap to be Fairtrade?
It's also your first chance to grab a copy of the brand new 2010 Fair and Local directory, bringing you information on where you can buy all things fairtrade and locally produced in the BANES area
And if that's not enough, there is chance to win a Fairtrade Hamper from M&S, and free samples too!!
See you there :)
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Oxfam South West Newsletter - Feb 2010
H Be Humankind Dates for the Diary 29 th Jan-11 th Feb: Under Water Colours , featuring new work by Jamie Hewlett. 108a Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3RU. 5 th Feb 7-9pm: ‘Life on the Edge: Climate Change in Bangladesh’ . A look at the lives behind the images, with Zunaed Rabbani, Oxfam volunteer from Bangladesh. 108a Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3RU. 13 th Feb, 3-5pm: Afternoon Tea with Maryam Bibi, Coexist, Hamilton House, Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3QY. 25 th Feb 4/7pm: Fairwear Fashion Show, Bristol Cathedral. Hosted by Casualty actor James Redmond and featuring 12 fashion ranges including Emma Watson’s collection for People Tree. 6 th March: ‘All Basses Covered’-The Haiti Quake Fundraiser. Lakota, Upper York Street, Stokes Croft, Bristol. Tickets on sale now for £2 at Bristol Ticket Shop Union Street ( 01...) and Rooted Records on Gloucester Road. Contact us Community and Activism Campaigners Fiona Remnant fremnant@oxfam.org.uk Rosanne White 0117 9... rkwhite@oxfam.org.uk | South West Activist News: January 2010 Life On the Edge: Climate Change in Bangladesh We're privileged to be hosting the amazing Jamie Hewlett exhibition in Bristol this month, highlighting the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh. Come along on 5th February at 7pm for a special evening event when you will hear more about the real lives behind the striking watercolours. You will hear Zunaed Rabbani, an Oxfam volunteer from Bangladesh who recently visited areas in the far southwest of the country which have been devastated by cyclones. He has stunning stills and video footage from his trip and speaks movingly of his experience. For more information check out the Facebook event here. Afternoon Tea with Maryam Bibi Oxfam Live Watch out for your invite to the Bristol Oxfam Live event that will be landing in your inbox very soon. This special annual event will take place in Bristol city centre on Saturday 27 th of March from 2-5.30pm and is a brilliant opportunity to ‘get up close and personal’ with Oxfam supporters, directors, trustees and experts from the field. This year will feature a presentation from an Oxfam programme officer in Pakistan. For more info about the event and to register click here . Haiti Earthquake Appeal A massive ‘thank you!’ to everyone who has got involved with the fundraising efforts for Haiti. The results have been overwhelming: in Bath, a collection at the train station by volunteers raised an amazing £1500, at Bristol railway station volunteers raised £780, while students at Bristol University have succeeded so far in collecting £1300 with more fundraising planned. The Bradford-on-Avon group also raised over £600, with the mayor lending a hand at the station! If you’re thinking about organising your own fundraiser, we’ve put together some ideas to get you started . You can find more information about the Haiti appeal here and Disasters Emergency Committee Haiti Appeal posters here . If you’d like any help or support, or need collection tins or buckets, email Fiona: fremnant@oxfam.org.uk . Copenhagen: Have your say In the aftermath of the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen, the Department for International Development (DfID) would like to hear your thoughts about its coverage of the COP15. Your feedback will help improve the way the department covers fundamental issues and events… Take part in the survey here . Go Global! Get involved with an exciting new project for young volunteers aged 16-25 run by African Initiatives and funded by the youth volunteering charity V. A team of volunteers supported by African Initiatives will plan and run a Go Global Community Action Day based around a ‘living’ board game, using the community environment as the base for day of interactive learning! The project offers an innovative way for young people to make a positive impact in the community, meet new people and have fun. Volunteers will develop communication, interpersonal, and project management skills and get a foot in the door to the charity sector. At the end of the project volunteers will receive a certificate to recognise their involvement in the project and boost their CV. For more info contact Claire Faithorn at claire@african-initiatives.org.uk or call 01.... If you can only take one action this month... Make the Big Promise! In 2000, world leaders committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to tackle global poverty. Ten years on and they are way off track with keeping these promises, things like reducing maternal and child mortality rates and providing primary education for all. We’re asking you all to make your own promise by logging onto the Oxfam website to show world leaders how it should be done! Your promise doesn’t have to be huge, it can be anything, from cutting back your tea intake to lobbying your MP about health and education for all. Say it. Do it. Share it with your friends. Set an example… |
'Life on the Edge' - Oxfam in Bangladesh
'Life on the Edge': 7pm onwards, The Arts House, 108 Stokes Croft, Bristol,
Zunaed Rabbani, an Oxfam volunteer from Bangladesh who studied at Bristol University, will speak at about his experience of visiting the Shayamnagar district in the far south-west, where char communities have been left homeless since Cyclone Aila hit last year. Zunaed will show film and stills footage of his trip and give us an insight into the way climate change is threatening the lives of the world's poorest people - and of their resilience in the face of disaster. Join the Facebook event here: http://tiny.cc/lifeonthedge
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'Under Water Colours' Exhibition for Oxfam - featuring Jamie Hewlett:
‘Under Water Colours’ is an exhibition of new work by groundbreaking and internationally renowned artist Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz; Monkey: Journey to the West) at the Arts house, 108a Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3RU.
In late 2009, Jamie travelled to Bangladesh with Oxfam to see how climate change is already costing lives. These striking watercolours document his response to the experience. They are also being sold as limited edition prints to raise money for Oxfam's River Basin Programme at www.oxfam.org.uk/jamiehewlett
On the trip, Jamie met people trying to raise their homes above the higher flood levels, parents who had lost children to the floods and children who swim half a mile to school with their books on their heads, showing a determination that would amaze school children here!
Jamie Hewlett said: “This exhibition shows how climate change is already affecting people around the world but also how we can all do something now to stop this from getting completely out of control.
“Char Atra is such an idyllic place and it’s horrific to think of it being simply washed away, devastating the community. I wanted my paintings to be optimistic as well as realistic and I wanted to show what a beautiful place it is. I hope by concentrating on the people and their every day lives that I have given people here in Britain something they can relate to.”
Why not take a trip to Bristol and support this stunning new exhibition for Oxfam!!
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Fairtrade Bath Meeting
Come and find out about our Fairtrade plans for Bath - 4th Tuesday of every month!!!
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Haiti Devavstation - You can help!
Dear All,
I’m sure you have all heard about the devastating earthquake which has hit Haiti just ten miles from the capital city. Local officials are reporting a major catastrophe in one of the poorest countries in the world. The Disasters Emergency Committee has launched an appeal which Oxfam is an important part of. Oxfam has a 100-strong team working in Haiti as prt of this. You can follow the progress of Oxfam’s emergency response at: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/emergencies/haiti-earthquake.html
When a disaster of such huge proportions occurs, we often ask our campaigners to help us with fundraising efforts as the need for funds is so urgent. Here in Bath, we'd like to organise a collection at Bath train station on Monday morning (18th January) approximately 7 - 9am (when we can catch most commuters!!). We haven't finalised this with the First Great Western Management, but hope to do this very soon. Can you spare 30 - 45minutes to help us hold a bucket?? It may not seem like much time, but it could mean the world of difference to someone whose lost everything.
If you can help, please email me at oxfambath@yahoo.co.uk with the times you could offer, and I will contact you over the weekend with final details of the rota.
If you can't help on Monday, don't worry - there are many other ways that you can help!! Here are a few other ideas:
At work:
1) Ask your boss if everyone can leave early today and avoid the last of the snow traffic - in return for donations of course!
2) Raffle a day off! Of course, your boss will have to agree to donate one day of annual leave first, but once you’ve convinced them, sell raffle tickets at £5 or £10 each and you’ll make money fast.
3) Hold a dress down day and cake sale - ask everyone to bake cakes and pay £2 for the privilege of dressing casually for work.
4) Arrange a loose change collection or introduce a swear or acronym box in your office, every time someone swears or uses an acronym, they have to put 50p in the Oxfam collection box.
At home:
1) Arrange a bucket collection - contact your local supermarket, shopping centre, football club or music venue and ask them if you can apply to hold a bucket collection for Oxfam. Railway station platforms at peak travel times are a great place for bucket collections too – contact the station manager to arrange this. Gather together your friends and family to collect on the day and you could raise hundreds of pounds in just a few hours!
2) Invite friends round for a dinner party, but instead of asking them to bring a bottle of wine, ask them to bring a donation for Haiti - it’s amazing how generous people can be.
3) Organise a fundraising event - it could be a quiz at your local pub, a themed party or just a big snowball fight if you have enough snow left!
4) Undertake to be sponsored for something - you could walk to work, shave your head or stay silent for a whole day…
We’re hoping to get materials to help you fundraise, such as DEC posters, Oxfam balloons, badges etc., and of course you will need official Oxfam collection boxes if you are doing any public fundraising. We’re still working on the best way of getting these to you so in the meantime please contact Fiona on fremnant@oxfam.org.uk, or call 0117 916 6482 if you want to order any materials.
Copenhagen Verdict....from Oxfam and the Copenhagen 3
You will all be aware of the feeble agreement, or 'Accord' that was signed at the COP15 talks in Copenhagen in December - far from the strong deal that was needed in order to achieve a Safe and Fair future for us all.
This was a massive dissappointment for all those campaigning at the talks. The end of December was spent struggling to find positives to say about what had happened, and where we could go from here.
Thankfully, there are some things we can take from the Accord. See here for the official Oxfam take on things. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/blogs/pressoffice/?p=9603&v=campaig...
As one of the Copenhagen 3, I was certainly disheartened on December 19th, but have since found that there is a more positive way to look at what happened http://www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/blogs/pressoffice/?p=9816&v=midland...
I hope you enjoy reading these updates, and stay tuned for more climate change campaigning with Oxfam in 2010 - bring on Mexico!!
(NB You can read all my Copenhagen 3's blog entries here http://www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/blogs/pressoffice/?author=178&v=mid...)
Exciting Intern Opportunity with Oxfam South West!!
Dear All,
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a good Christmas and that you're all enjoying the snow! Oxfam South West are starting the new year with a bang by recruiting for a Volunteer Regional Outreach Co-ordinator!
Outreach is face-to-face campaigning by teams of enthusiastic volunteers who aim to get the message about Oxfam’s campaigns and activities out to every corner of the community at all kinds of social events including local gigs and festivals. The Regional Outreach Co-ordinator will be responsible for devising the Outreach strategy for the South West, recruiting City Outreach Co-ordinators across the region and coming up with brand new ways to spread Oxfam’s campaign messages far and wide. The position is voluntary, lasting three days a week for six months and is a fantastic opportunity to get valuable experience working in a successful NGO while contributing to alleviating poverty and suffering.
We're looking for the ultimate people person to take on this role, so if you're creative, love to meet new people and are keen to make a difference, then we need you! A love of music is also highly desirable...The closing date for applications will be the 25th of January with interviews on the 29th. For a more detailed description about the internship and to apply, check out http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/volunteer/latest_intern.html#roco, or email Rosanne rwhite@oxfam.org.uk or Fiona: fremnant@oxfam.org.uk.
