Set to take place in every capital city in Australia from 12:00pm – 1:00pm, we hope to make an important and memorable stand against the government’s one year deferment of the promise to devote 0.5% of Gross National Income to foreign aid by 2015.

We as Australians believe that it is unacceptable to neglect our commitment to the world’s poorest in denying them $2.9 billion worth of life-saving aid over 4 years.

We want to see an Australia that recognises its leading role and responsibility in the Asia-Pacific region and the broader developing world in encouraging a peaceful, prosperous and better-off society.

See our introduction video

We’re really excited about the National Mime! We hope to see as many Australians as possible in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart on 26 May.

The VGen team have been putting in a lot of hard work in the lead up to the event, and are absolutely committed to seeing Australians from all over the country stand up together and create real change.

To find out more information about each event, as well as to download the Resource Pack for your state, see:

VGen.org/mime2012

Be a part of the generation that stands up for those without a voice.

See you on the May 26!

This is our opportunity to celebrate how incredible VGen is! We comprise of motivated, passionate and driven youth who are committed to creating real change for the world’s poor. This week symbolises an opportunity to take time out appreciate and celebrate what we do but also thank those incredible individuals around us for this time and dedication.

On behalf of all of WV thank you guys for what you do, for all that you do!

The message below is from WV:

As it is National Volunteer Week, we would like to take this opportunity on behalf of all of us here at World Vision Australia to say thank you for your contribution to our mission during the past 12 months.

In order for Tim to show his appreciation to all of our 600+ volunteers located all around Australia, he has recorded his message on video.

Please click here to view Tim’s message to you:

A very special event was held at La Trobe Unversity in March, as our enthusiastic team of VGenners supported the Child Health Now campaign by running the “Fruit and Veg Stunt” at La Trobe University!

Trobe VGroup - Child Health Now Campaign Leaders, Pip Morris and Jade Sahin

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, with our local VGenners circling the busy grounds of La Trobe University by trying to create awareness amongst the students about child mortality rates in the developing world.

La Trobe students enjoying a fun pose for a worthy cause

By stating our goals and objectives we were successful in raising awareness about the reality of children who are dying of preventable causes attributed to malnutrition.

We had written letters to our local MP stating our concern about this issue and the need for our Government to do more about health in the foreign aid budget, which we got many students to sign throughout the day!

La Trobe VGenners having a blast creating positive change!

We also had postcards that centered around the UN Millennium Development Goals, focusing on the 4th goal of ‘reducing child mortality rates’ and the fifth of ‘improving maternal health.’

It was an overall success and a huge achievement put in by the team with a whopping total of 250 letters and postcards signed sealed and ready to be delivered!

Busy signing away the letters and postcards!

La Trobe VGenners have also been featured in their university news, profiled for their fantastic actions and campus presence. You can check out the article in LaTrobe’s ‘La News’ here.

VGen Tasmania has been working incredibly hard to keep the issue of aid in the media, despite the somewhat disappointing budget outcome. In between supporting VGenners to keep people talking about the issue, VGen Tasmania’s State Team was incredibly excited to get a video onto the ABC’s Q and A program.

The video, featuring Sasha Bisgaard, Katelyn Davey, this correspondent Heather Johns, Bec Prior and Jo Thompson asked Tim Costello “what do you believe it will take for Australia to return to its commitment to the world’s poor so that we can be a nation with a global moral stand-point?” He responded that it requires Australia to increase its aid budget because we are wealthy, because aid works and because we are morally obliged. Penny Wong also engaged with the issue, agreeing in principle to increased aid. VGen Tas’ State Team believes its really important to keep the issue in people’s minds and make the most of the coverage it has already received. Engaging the mainstream media is really exciting because of its ability to do this. From a media perspective, the whole thing is a huge success in that it achieved broad, positive attention.

Tasmanian youth propose a question for Q and A

Well done to Tasmania’s VGenners and a special shout-out to Jo Thompson for the concept and execution.

Although the increase in aid to 0.5% has been deferred by 12 months, we now have a year to build momentum to ensure the party delivering next year’s budget is compelled to keep the promise on aid.

Launceston College VGroup Leader Tegan and three VGenners met with Senator Stephen Parry last week. They spoke about the campaign asks for CHN and to requested the information be taken to Foreign Minister Bob Carr. Senator Parry was also interested in attending any future VGen events. Despite initial trepidation, VGenners said the meeting was a definite success.

Charliee, Zeke and four Riverside VGenners went straight to the top, meeting with Member of the Australian Parliament for Bass, Geoff Lyons. Mr. Lyons was very happy to speak with them and discussed in particular the Millenium Development Goals.

Good luck to everyone who still has meetings and well done to everyone who has done them already!

VGen Tasmania’s state team is currently in its budget action room. Laura is contacting the Liberals. Jo is organising Liberal stategy. Bec is covering twitter. Liz is coordinating Facebook response. Katelyn is on graphic design and Heather is your loyal blog correspondant! We’ve been covering the twitter sphere and facebook. VGenners have been going viral with #brokenpromise and the facebook profile picture while planning our longer-term response. 

The Australian Labor Party has deferred its promise to 0.5% GNI to overseas aid by 2015 by one year in this year’s budget. There will be an increase in aid because of an increase in GNI and this increase is very welcome.
VGenners, however, have been incredibly disappointed that the government has not upheld its promise and feel this is not good enough.

It is very disappointing when one considers the number of lives that Australia had the potential to save that have now been placed in jeopardy. It is also disappointing to here the speculation that the Coalition may also be considering cutting aid. We would like your support as our local MP in holding the Coalition to their promise. It seems those in Australian politics are yet to be convinced of the importance of this issue.

VGenners would like to thank their supporters for their incredible help. Without our efforts, this issue would not have been on the public agenda and would not have received the coverage in the budget and wrap up that is has. Our efforts have made a real difference.

Now VGen will be redirecting and concentrating their efforts towards keeping this issue in the public discourse. We intend to uphold our personal moral commitment to the world’s poor, even if the government does not uphold theirs.

The impending budget release threatens to cut foreign aid: VGenners met at Rundle Mall to send a message to local MP Kate Ellis that we don’t want to see foreign aid cut.

The team made banners and signs as they walked around the CBD in their orange VGen shirts making their message loud and clear.

VGenners literally stopped traffic to share the message with passers by. It is simple – we will not turn a blind eye to the impending budget cuts.

The team chanted outside of The Advertiser offices. After security told them to quiet down, they congradulated them on their efforts! Vgenners definitely succeeded in showing Kate Ellis that we care, and that we aren’t afraid to show it.

The Government will present the federal budget, and it’s looking very likely that they will dispose of their election commitment to lift the levels of Australian aid spending. Hugh Jackman, Malcom Frazer and Missy Higgins are only some of the 100+ ‘big’ Aussie names who have signed it.

http://www.makepovertyhistory.com.au/2012/05/01/ask-the-pm-to-keep-our-promise-to-the-worlds-poor/

Budget – The 2012 budget is just days from being announced. There is great uncertainty as to whether the government will cut aid.

Both major parties promised to commit to giving 0.5% GNI to foreign aid – a tiny part of Australia’s budget – by 2015/16. This year, however, the government is planning the biggest deficit-to-surplus turnarounds in Australian history, with aid one of the likely victims. It is still very unclear what the result will be tomorrow, with the government refusing to confirm or deny aid cuts.

VGenners in Tasmania have covered Facebook and filling the twitter sphere with tweets, urging politicians to stick to their commitment and ordinary people to lobby their politicians on the issue. VGenners have emailed Wayne Swan, called politicians from Bob Carr to Julia Gillard and spoken personally to Andrew Wilkie and Bob Brown on the issue. VGenners have met with politicians in every electorate, urging them to take the issue to parliament. We’ve had letters to the editor published and we’ve shared news and opinion articles arguing that it is dangerous and immoral to cut aid. Members of the Tasmanian State Team have even created a video, submitted and shortlisted on the ABC’s Q and A program! The video will also be sent to Wayne Swan.

VGen Tasmania’s Don’t Cut Aid Video

Fantastic job VGenners, and keep going. There’s always still time to make a difference.

In case you haven’t heard, there is a chance that the federal government will cut aid in the budget this year so that it can reach surplus. But the VGenners at Killara High don’t want that to happen …

A Message for Paul Fletcher MP

Don't Cut Aid

To show their local MP that they don’t want aid to be cut, they made a video message for him. Delivered to Paul Fletcher through Twitter, the video  was composed of footage of Killara High VGenners asking Mr Fletcher to ensure that the government didn’t cut aid.

Members of the VGen Group will hopefully be meeting with Mr Fletcher later in this month to discuss what they have been doing in their community and why 800,000 is not just a number.

To see what VGen is doing on social media to voice their concern, search the #VGen and #dontcutaid hashtags on Twitter.

If you, like many Australians believe that aid shouldn’t be cut from the budget there are a couple of things you can do:

1. Send a letter to Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan by clicking here.
2. Tweet using the #dontcutaid hastag
3. Use social media to let your MP know that you don’t think aid should be cut

But be quick, the Australian Government needs to know that cutting aid is not a promise they should break before the budget is announced!