Hello and welcome to People and Planet at Balcarras.
Our People and Planet group at Balcarras is a student-run campaign group which aims to raise awareness about important global issues such as:
- world poverty
- human rights
- the environment
Our group is part of a network of over 55 universities and colleges across the UK, making us the largest student network in Britain. Groups are run by individual campaigners, sixth form groups and university and college groups, assisted by the People and Planet support office. Our group at Balcarras is run by members of the sixth form. Through a variety of campaigns we hope to raise awareness and tackle important global issues such as fair trade, human rights, global warming, HIV/AIDS and other issues that matter to us.
People and planet projects
Since starting, Balcarras People and Planet has held 3 Fairtrade tastings; led 10 assemblies; designed and paraded in t-shirts; sent off postcards for 4 different campaigns; carried out a Fairtrade survey; attended 4 weekends away; featured in the Echo 4 times, in the People and Planet Action Guide countless times and in various other national publications; designed and distributed 3 different campaign leaflets; protested, in the rain, against Esso; got the Green Machine in school; initiated a pilot recycling scheme; held a chocolate cake eating competition and much, much more.
In the last year and a half our main projects have been:
- Bringing Fairtrade into the school cafeteria
- Bringing in a Fairtrade drinks machine
- Organizing a 'human red ribbon' which was photographed by the press to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS
- Running assemblies to raise awareness about a range of issues
- Running stalls to promote fair trade
- Going to the annual conferences to improve our campaigns
- Organizing a card creating session with the younger years of the school to bring hope to people unjustly imprisoned across the world
- Selling Fairtrade cookies to raise money for charity and promote fair trade
- Taking photographs of eyes which were used to encourage politicians to take action about HIV/AIDS
Finding out more
People and Planet is a fun way to get involved in campaigns that make real change. If you are in sixth form and are interested in our group or you want to find out more, meet us at lunchtime on Monday at the end of the sixth form common room.
If you are interested in any of the issues raised here or you want to find out more, visit the official People and Planet website at www.peopleandplanet.org. You can sign up to receive free e-mail updates from People and Planet to get the inside story on the issues that matter.
Alternatively, if you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at Christophski@hotmail.co.uk and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
- Chris Donohoe
Websites
| "Over
the last three years People & Planet has
become an extraordinary organisation which
attracts student supporters on a scale unmatched
within the UK charity and campaign sector. More
than any other youth organisation it is
encouraging the emerging generation to see
themselves as global citizens with a
responsibility for taking action on global
problems of poverty and the environment. " Lord
Joel Joffe CBE, Chair of Oxfam, 1999 |
