GetStirred New Member Night

‘GetStirred’ New Member Night
Date: Thursday 4th September
Time: 6pm-8pm
Venue: World Vision HQ, 1 Vision Drive, Burwood East
Cost: $5 for dinner

Join other new VGen members for an inspiring info night where you will…

• Get to know like-minded others
• Hear about World Vision’s work in Australia and overseas
• Learn about our campaigns like Don’t Trade Lives
• Find out how YOU can act against poverty!

Download the flyer for more info
RSVP to vic@vgen.org
(you can request GetStirred online if you’re unable to attend)

Be there!

Eat, Drink, Cook…

TOP FIVE … FAIR TRADE -A2 Saturday, August 16th, 2008

COFFEE

Consumer choice is a powerful weapon, especially on the issue of fair trade, where a shopper’s selection can mean the difference between workers being exploited or being paid fairly. Community consciousness about how various foods are sourced has risen dramatically in recent years, thanks in part to the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand. It labels goods under the global umbrella body for certification, Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International. Local labels such as the Real Alliance, Coffex, Jasper Coffee, Reuplica and even Coles home brand have taken a strong stand on coffee selling their own FTAANZ-certified beans, ground or instant coffee, plus other products. "Smallholder coffee farmers running family farms and smalls plots growing their own coffee tend not to get a fair price and to be at the mercy of operators and middlemen who pay them whatever they want to pay," says Cameron Neil, the FTAANZ’s certification-labelling manager. "What fair trade does is that it ensures that these farmers are paid a minimum price that covers the cost of sustainable production; they get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and are able to feed and clothe their families and send their children to school and put some money aside for the future." The FTAANZ website lists retailer selling fair trade-certified products in Melbourne, marked with the logo (pictured). -www.fta.org.au

Chocolate/cocoa

This is becoming the sexiest fair trade product – and the most topical – and local retailer Chocolatier has just launched dark and milk chocolate thins certified by the FTAANZ. With chocolate so popular in Melbourne, the pressure is on other retailers to follow suit. "We have been aware for almost a decade that cocoa produced out of Ghana and Ivory Coast very often involves child slavery," says Neil. "That’s not something anyone wants to support. With the increasing popularity of chocolate and cocoa products, people need to understand – and the industry needs to understand – they are getting a product that doesn’t involve child slavery." Jasper Coffee is also about to launch a certified drinking chocolate. -chocolatier.com.au

Tea

The FTAANZ has found that with tea, inequtieis for workkers commonly exist on big plantations as well as small holdings. "Fair trade protects workers, helping them to get correct workers, helping them ot get correct wages, as well as making an investment in improving conditions for them and their families," says Neil. local label Nerada has a range of fair trade teas, as does Jasper and Alter Eco.

Rice and quinoa

"Rice is something that is pretty close to us in our region," says Neil. "We eat a lot of rice and many people wouldn’t think about where it comes from and the conditions in which it is grown." Choosing fair trade certifies that growers are being looked after – and are better able to look after their land. Alter Eco Pacific sells Thai, coral and purple jasmine rice – the latter a uniquely coloured grain that is glutinous when cooked. Quinoa is a high-protein grain grown in Bolivia. -alterecopacific.com

Sugar

While most sugar sold locally is Australian-grown with good conditions for workers, not all imported sugar has such a reputation, The Australian owned Jasper Coffee company, which describes itself as being committed to "rehumanising the coffee supply chain", has expanded its repertoire to include other beverages (tea and chocolate) – and yesterday launched its new range of sugar, including one-kilogram and four-kilogram caterer’s bags, plus sugar portion sticks for cafes. -jaspercoffee.com

- By Andrew Stephens. Andrew Stephens is a staff writer for The Age’s A2 section on Saturdays, focusing on arts, culture and food.

Proposal for Glen Waverley Secondary College’s Vision Group

Proposal: For Glen Waverley Secondary College students to establish a Vision Group within the Glen Waverley community

Vision: “an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of a divine or other agency: a heavenly messenger appearing in a vision”

What’s a Vision Group?…A Vision Group brings together any number of passionate young people, in any given community environment , to exchange views, passions, interests and thoughts on issues surrounding global poverty. It is a group established and led by a VGen leader in/from a local area, school, church, uni, anywhere… Essentially the VGen leader facilitates discussion. In this group environment, young people can find a space where they can inspire each other, and work together to create action for the world’s poor, whilst using World Vision as a resource for their ideas.

Objectives of a Vision Group in Glen Waverley Secondary College:
•    To foster discussion and exploration of global issues between Glen Waverley Secondary College students
•    To empower and mobilise Glen Waverley Secondary College students to combat extreme poverty, both in Australia and overseas
•    To facilitate future 40 Hour Famine groups
•    To provide an opportunity for Glen Waverley Secondary College students to lead others in campaigning against poverty
•    To use World Vision resources for advocacy initiatives, such as Make Poverty History and Make Indigenous Poverty History
•    To use World Vision education resources for fundraising and awareness

How it could work – strategy for late 2008/2009:
Recruitment & retention:
-     Promote the first Vision Group meeting in the school to interested students
-     Recruit participants in 40 Hour Famine
-     Use Vision Generation state events to motivate and retain Vision Group members
Participation of students:
-    Decision-making in the direction of the Vision Group
-    Attend VGen meetings and events
-    Work with Glen Waverley Secondary College staff, parents and SRC
Leadership of students:
-    The Glen Waverley Secondary College Vision Group would be led by Year 11 student Gabriel Wong who would mentor and facilitate students to assume leadership of the group in later years
-    Interested students would be offered leadership skills training at World Vision Headquarters in mid-February
-    1-2 students from the group would oversee the 40 Hour Famine
Fundraising:
-    Organising fundraisers
-    Support Vision Generation state and/or regional fundraising events
Advocacy:
-    Consider promoting awareness of the Make Poverty History Campaign to Glen Waverley students, i.e. through Harmony Day, National Youth Week, SRC Assembly, etc
-    Support various charities in raising awareness of global issues
-    Support Vision Generation state and/or regional advocacy events

Outcomes
-    Increased awareness in Glen Waverley Secondary College about poverty alleviation
-    Greater opportunities for students to engage with global activism
-    Greater empowerment of Glen Waverley Secondary College students
-    Greater relationship with Australia’s largest aid agency, World Vision
-    Glen Waverley Secondary College leading the call for global justice amongst local secondary schools
-    Higher profile for global justice and Glen Waverley Secondary College in the community

Project Toorak Road

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

UNFORTUNAETLY IT STILL EXISTS!!

Date: Saturday 23rd of August

Where: Meet at Emmaus College, Senior Campus, 285 Warrigal Road (near Burwood Hwy)

When: 10am

Project Toorak Road aims to promote the selling of Fair trade products in this section of the Toorak Road shopping centre.

Invite your friends and have a fun morning together while making a difference.

What we’re going to do is go into the local cafe’s asnd ask if they sell fair trade products. If they do, please support them and buy a coffee, tea, etc. If not, offer information (we will provide some), ask for a glass of water and sit down.

Hope to see you there!

RSVP to Phelia Harrison

phelia_361@hotmail.com or 0417 018 567

- Vision Group of Emmaus College

Don’t Trade Lives

Don’t Trade Lives is a new campaign by World Vision that aims to  unite Australians against human trafficking and slavery. Human trafficking is a modern day slave trade. The buying and selling of people for exploitative labour is the third biggest crime in the world today behind drugs and arms. Every sector of Australian society can impact on human trafficking in our region. Join us in telling Australia “Don’t Trade Lives!”

Don’t Trade Lives exists to unite Australians against human trafficking and slavery. Together we will:

• Prevent people being trafficked
• Advocate for trafficked victims
• Tackle the causes of trafficking and slavery

Prevention

Trafficking is a human rights crime. Don’t Trade Lives aims to reduce the vulnerability of people in communities to becoming victims of trafficking. Key components include awareness, education, strengthening communities, and promotion of an individual’s rights.

Don’t Trade Lives encourages education for at-risk communities about safe transit and labour migration to prevent the spread of trafficking at source, transit and destination countries. This must happen both across and within countries where trafficking exists, including Australia.

Human trafficking throughout our region is overwhelmingly linked to labour exploitation and unsafe labour migration. Don’t Trade Lives recognizes the fundamental human pursuit to create a better life for individuals, their families and their children, while working to ensure that this happens safely.

Advocate for victims

Don’t Trade Lives advocates for victims of trafficking. Virtually every country, including Australia, is implicated in the trade in human lives, either as a place of recruitment, transit or the destination of trafficked victims.

In Australia, Don’t Trade Lives calls on all levels of government to enhance their responses to the needs of victims of trafficking and improve their access to support services.

Don’t Trade Lives urges the Australian Government to lead the way by developing a detailed strategy that works with communities and governments in Australia and the region to adopt a human rights approach to trafficking.

Tackle the Causes

Many factors can make a person vulnerable to trafficking, including a lack of skills, lack of migrant protection and poverty. Don’t Trade Lives aims to tackle all the causes of trafficking and slavery, including helping to end poverty.

A comprehensive response to trafficking should include more and better aid, including sustained poverty alleviation programs, along with greater efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Read more about the Millennium Development Goals

Australia should lift its aid budget to at least 0.7% of national income by no later than 2015 and outline plans for incremental increases that will see our commitments fulfilled.

In every aspect of our lives, we can all act to eliminate trafficking and slavery in our lifetime.

• As consumers, we need to be aware of what we buy and how it gets here. We should ask questions of industry and if we don’t get satisfactory answers, we should keep asking!
• As socially responsible workers, we must encourage our workplaces to advocate for change in the countries where they work, buy and source products, as well as contribute to programs that support people who are victims of trafficking and slavery in those countries.
• As concerned citizens, we can encourage the Australian government to support victims in Australia with compassion, respect and adequate services.
• As good neighbours, the Australian government should take a leading role in our region to adhere to best practices and polices for prevention, protection, and reintegration of trafficking victims.
• As global citizens, we must call on the Australian Government to increase its support for holistic and comprehensive poverty alleviation programs that help prevent trafficking and protect vulnerable communities. Australia should contribute its fair share towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

About this site

Don’t Trade Lives encourages you to learn more about the issues so you can help inform others and take practical action that will make a difference. Your actions can help change the lives of the tens of millions who are vulnerable and the growing numbers who are newly trafficked each day.

We want to hear from you! Tell us what you’re doing, what you think of Don’t Trade Lives and what you’d like to see included. By connecting with each other, we can have the greatest impact! If you have any news to share, questions to ask or suggestions for us, please use the Contact Us section.

About World Vision

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

Last year, we helped more than 20.4 million people around the world through 735 projects in 62 countries, including work with Indigenous communities here in Australia.

- Source: http://www.donttradelives.com.au/dtl/aboutUs/default.aspx

Our Vision

Hey guys,

This is Glen Waverley Secondary College’s Vision Group blog. We are a group 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 and Empower, Young People In The Fight Against Global Poverty And Injustice’.

We are part of the Vision Generation who are a National youth movement of World Vision Australia.