The process
On 5 December 2007, the Management Committee including elected student representatives met to prioritise which items will appear on The Forum 08 agenda. In total, 27 proposals were submitted, including 17 for the second campaign theme to run from 2009-10, which is a fantastic response.
After some discussion the Management Committee (MC) agreed that this was too many to be considered in a productive way at The Forum. They wanted to avoid overloading the Forum weekend and making a decision impossible, and so spent time trying to create a shortlist that amalgamated existing similar proposals.
The combined proposals to be discussed at The Forum in Manchester, 7-9 March are available below.
Second campaign theme from 2009/10 onwards
Name of proposal |
Who made the proposal |
Summary of proposal |
Download more details on this proposal |
Share your thoughts on this proposal on the network run web forum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Food and Water Security |
Richard Hawting, Kristina Diprose, El Hadshar, and Farrah Zaman |
This deals with two of the most basic needs for human survival. It is already an issue that affects billions and this looks likely to grow and become ever more urgent. This is very much a global issue but there are a wide range of areas in which this can be campaigned on domestically and also focus on localising our own food and water consumption. |
||
Workers’ rights |
Ayah al-Zayat, Craig Griffiths, Anna Wolmuth, and Alex Wood |
The focus of the workers’ rights campaign theme is what we can do as students to support people fighting against exploitation and labour rights abuses, be that in the global south or here in the UK. |
||
Women, inequality and development |
Hannah Greenslade, Rosie Trobe, Elle Hadshar, and Lizzie Fellows |
This campaign theme would take a new and unique perspective on human rights and development campaigning. Too often women are neglected from development campaigns and studies; gender issues are frequently sidelined or de-prioritised. The proposed campaign theme would turn this on its head, taking women’s issues as priority and tackling issues of global poverty and human rights through this lens. |
||
Child Poverty |
Nick Chan, Ben Miller, and Emily Nicholl |
What about the kids? This broad theme could lead to a whole range of new and exciting campaign strands focusing on global injustices that have a disproportionate effect on children. A major strength of this proposal is that it can be campaigned on at many levels, from the very local to the international. |
||
Mining |
David Jarrett and Jo Hill. |
The aim is to prevent human rights abuses in the global south which are associated with the mining industry. This includes things such as resource wars and slavery associated with mining. It also includes “land grabbing” - people being kicked out of their homes and off their land to make way for corporate mining. |
||
Peace |
David Jarrett, Jo Hill, Sarah Holliday and Amanda Formisano |
War is bad. Peace is a fundamental human right of which many people in the world are robbed, and this is unacceptable. People & Planet can use its passionate and influential voice to seek a world of less violence by campaigning on matters where we can have an effect. |
||
People and Planet before Profit |
Anna Wolmuth and Sarah Waldron |
The campaign would demand that corporations are held accountable for their impact on people and planet, and for public policy to be based on meeting social needs, rather than delivering private profit. |
Other issues for discussion
The eight proposals that follow will all be discussed in parallel sessions at The Forum. In addition, there will be an Open Session to allow for discussion of any topics that arise during the weekend.
The proposers of ‘Revolutionise the Action Update’ and ‘P&P National Newspaper or Magazine’ have agreed to work together on a single propsal under the banner of ‘Communications’.
Name of proposal |
Who made the proposal |
Summary of proposal |
Download more details on this proposal |
Share your thoughts on this proposal on the network run web forum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Revolutionise the Action Update |
Ric Lander and Georgina Rannard |
People & Planet has a mass of brilliant journalists with incredible stories to write about — but at the moment, their only outlet is the website news and the much fated journal. The action update could be so much more than it is. Let’s change it. |
||
P&P National Newspaper or Magazine |
Rachel Reid and Rhiannon Horsley |
A topic for discussion, then course of action. Discussing how we can provide an alternative media to raise awareness of neglected issues, and improve the image of activism. |
||
P&P Scotland Working Group Proposal |
Eilidh Macpherson and Georgina Rannard |
The final proposal of the P&P Scotland working group — to go forward with the groups work in setting up a permanent staff presence in Scotland. |
||
Reaching out to returned Gap Year students |
Rhiannon Horsley and Charlotte Smith |
Many 18 year old now take a ‘gap year’ between leaving school and going to university, often with the ambition of doing some ‘good’ usually in the developing world. However research has shown that they have the greatest scope the ‘change people’s lives’ via their actions in the UK, ideally through campaigning or development education. For that reason People and Planet should actively try and engage with returned gap year students and encourage to campaign to end world poverty. |
||
Democracy beyond The Forum |
Nick Chan |
A discussion to consider the role, place and legitimacy of the Summer Gathering and Shared Planet in People & Planet’s decisionmaking. |
||
Expanding the network beyond Higher Education |
Rhiannon Horsley and Rachel Reid |
A discussion to look at how we can continue to keep group members involved, if at all, after they leave higher education and how continued involvement might increase FAN club contributions. |
||
Carbon Rationing Consortium at Schools and Colleges |
Kate Perkins and Kevin Lister |
To incorporate carbon rationing into the Go Green campaign or launch an independent campaign. |
||
Gender and People & Planet |
Emma Hughes and Anna Wolmuth |
A facilitated discussion on the influence of gender within the People & Planet network. |
||
Where next for the Go Green Universities campaign? |
Emma Hughes and Bronwen Thomas |
To debate and decide the future of the Go Green Universities campaign after September 2009. |
HIV/AIDS or Trade?
Name of proposal |
Who made the proposal |
Summary of proposal |
Download more details on this proposal |
Share your thoughts on this proposal on the network run web forum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TAN and Fairtrade are brought together under EJ. |
Alex Wood and Joe Greenwood |
That the campaign theme continued for 2008/09 should be Economic Justice but the Treat AIDS Now campaign becomes the University Network’s main office-supported campaign strand within Economic Justice. |
It has been decided that sixth form Fairtrade work is to continue no matter what the outcome of the HIV/AIDS or Trade debate.