Where better to hold an Environmental Festival than QLD's Sunshine Coast! On Sunday 28th June, VGen QLD was invited to hold a stall and run a few workshops at World Environmental Day at Sunshine Coast University. With the help of some Sunshine Coast VGroup members who came along for the day, we chatted to potential VGenners at the stall and ran the GLC resource game in the festival's youth area with high school and uni students from the Sunny Coast and also those visiting from Brisbane for the day. We had some great responses to the workshop and the atmosphere throughout the day was certainly conducive to some great discussions!
On Thursday 18th June the Ipswich Girls Grammar School Vision Group welcoming their school youth rep Daryl Brown, VGen Coach Ally Crowe and VGen QLD State Director Steph Carter into their school to hold a half day Mini-GLC- it was a fantastic day. 90 girls missed school to come along (record numbers) and spend the time participating in the resource game, learning more about the Global Food Crisis and discussing ways that they can effectively run the 40 hr famine within their school next term. The school's Vision Group attracted much interest from students, which bodes well for their famine plans come next term. Additionally, the group's leaders Ash and Caitlin, alongside the QLD World Vision Community Campaigner Gill Marshall, are preparing to meet shortly with their Mayor Paul Pisasale as he is wanting to become an accredited fair trade council! Spreading the VGen love around Ipswich!
Director: Rockhopper Productions Produced In: 2007 Synopsis: "There are over a quarter million children who work in the cocoa plantations of West Africa. It's hazardous work, which exposes children to highly toxic pesticides. This episode of the BBC World TV series "Survivors Guide" goes to Cameroon, where the International Labour Organisation has been working to eliminate child labour from cocoa production and help children return to school."
The World Day Against Child Labour on June 12th was celebrated by VGenners in Adelaide - 35 campaigners braved the cold weather to join in a flash mob in Rundle Mall.
"A group of Berwick students has joined forces to change the world - one cup of coffee at a time." - that's what the local paper had to say about St Margaret's Vision Group, and we couldn't be prouder!
As part of their efforts campaigning around Fairtrade Fortnight the St Margaret Vision Group in Victoria ran a Don't Trade Lives Student Forum to engage their school and surrounding schools on the issue of slavery. Sounding the ethical consumerism trumpet, attendees got to hear all about Fairtrade and how they can start to fuel a movement of consumers who demand products that are slave-free.
Hosting speakers like Tim Costello as well as Jason Wood MP (local Member of Parliament for Latrobe) and Lynette Keleher (local Greens Councillor) they started to engage their local government and work towards the City of Casey becoming a certified Fairtrade Community. Jason Wood MP, even committed to sourcing Fairtrade products for his work place!
With an audience of well over 100 young people and teachers, and at least 8 schools represented, we are excited to see the vision groups this event can birth in the surrounding area!
Earlier this year in April, Glen Waverley Secondary Vision Group also ran a Don't Trade Lives Student Forum and we have seen groups like Brentwood Secondary Vision Group birthed and going strong! The Monash Council have are also pursuing status as a Fairtrade Community and their Glen Waverley Vision Group Leader Daniel Christianz now sits on the Steering Committee.
Congratulations to St Margarets and Glen Waverley Vision Groups - you are our heros!
The domino effect that happens when young people inspire other young people is truly amazing!
Who better to have as the first signature on your VGroup's very own petition to get your local council to become a "Fair Trade Community" then your local Federal MP???
Certainly that was the idea of eager VGenner Patricia Kumar, when she recently took the chance to meet with the Hon. Roger Price MP, member for Chifley. When MP Price heard about the plight of third world producers and VGen's campaign to stop the exploitation in their community, MP Price wanted to know how he could help!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE AS FEATURED IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER!!!
Imagine an Australia with a bright future - clean energy, green jobs, new investments in the industries of the future. Imagine what our country could look like, and feel like, after we have all pulled together to rebuild our society and our economy to reduce greenhouse pollution.
Our vision of a truly sustainable society won't be realised until many years into the future. Deep change takes time. But it starts now - in 2009. VGenners know that it is the poor who will be affected most be climate change and the droughts, floods and extreme weather that accompany it. It is the world's poor who currently live on the most marginalised land in the world - land that is going to be rendered unusable by climate change.
That's why VGen is so excited that we can be a part of Powershift! This is the year our country's youth rise up to build a generation wide movement to solve climate change. This is the year people will look back on and remember as The Year a Power Shift came to Australia.
Vision Generation was a founding partner group of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition when it formed in November 2006. Now, we are urging all VGenners to attend Power Shift 2009 - Australia's first national youth climate summit.
Find out more about what Powershift is aiming to achieve here. Find out more about what the conference has in store for you here.
All the state directors will be heading to Powershift and we can't wait to see you in Sydney!
Together, we can, and will, bring a Power Shift to Australia!
Vision Generation is World Vision's youth movement. We are a bunch of passionate young people, who campaign relentlessly and speak out for those who can’t, because we believe our generation can make poverty history. Our mission is to 'inspire, educate & empower, young people in the fight against global poverty and injustice'!
