Month: October 2015

Friends of the Earth – last week

And it has come to an end. A really interesting experience…

I finished the main report I was putting together for the waste campaign. This will be published on the Birmingham Friends of the Earth website in the near future and also will be used in other publications and communications of the organisation.

Along the road, I benefited from feedback and insight of other long-lasting members of the organisation; to understand the campaigning basics and specifically with relation to the waste campaign. The campaign has got more to go before achieving its goals, and of course the end success matters hugely, but I think the journey is greatly rewarding as well and something to enjoy.

Spending time with people with great passion about what they do and a different way of doing things and seeing the world from a different angle all provide very valuable experience. I was doing this on a part time basis, and that was really good as I got opportunity to be exposed to development of the project for a relatively long period of time.

Looking back from the first time I got to know about Charity Insight (that was more than a year ago), until today that I finishing my last day, I see a great sequence of activities, from applying and interviews to undertaking the work at the organisation as all part of a very interesting journey and much to learn and enjoy. I would do it definitely again it I went back to the first day I heard about it 🙂

I am planning to continue working with the Birmingham Friends of the Earth after this project as well. I believe what they do is important specifically with the direction the whole world is heading towards ignoring the environment and the ‘right things’. And they are a great bunch of guys to share a passion with.

campaign_8_image_1290784267

Get engaged with the FOE if you have some time, it is great 🙂 (www.green4good.ca)

Sense About Science – Final Thoughts

It’s been over a month now since I finished my Charity Insights internship with Sense About Science and amidst the hectic nature of freshers week and returning to university I have been reflecting on the experience.

Before my internship I was interested in the work done by SAS and I knew a lot – or at least I thought I did – about the interplay between science, society, politicians and the media. Since my internship I have come to realise that the issues and solutions are much more complex, but also much more interesting. This idea was always stewing in the back of my mind during my time at SAS and was really brought to the forefront when I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the 2015 Sense About Science lecture: The Ugly Truth. The lecture was delivered by managing director Tracey Brown, a podcast of the lecture is available here as well as a comment piece written by Tracey for the guardian. The event was attended by leading figures in the world of Science and Policy, including my former head of department Prof. Joanna Haigh, author Simon Singh and hosted by Dr Adam Rutherford.

TraceySASlecture

The lecture essentially focused on the way scientists struggle to tell the truth. Often it can be hard to tell, such as in the case of those seeking miracle cures. At other times it is oversimplified in an “ends justifies the means” approach, do we only need 5 fruit and veg? what is the real limit on alcohol? Is it just better to tell people what to do than give any real evidence? Tracey’s argument was that scientists and the media need to be more open about uncertainty, because dumbing it down or worse acting as if we know everything only makes the truth, when it does emerge, harder to believe. The lecture was thought provoking and I advise anyone reading to have a listen. Tracey explains deftly how there are so many facets in promoting good science in our society. It’s not just about tackling quack science, but trusting the public to make sense of evidence and uncertainty.

I was lucky enough during my internship to take an active roll in this speech, attending the team meetings for which it was outlined, discussed and debated, and also researching aspects of the speech. Sitting in the audience I was surprised to see pictures I’d found an case studies I’d examined being used. After the lecture I was also able to speak in person to members of the Energy Panel and thank them for all their help. I also spoke with previous SAS interns, many of whom are studying for PhDs.

Before my internship I was uncertain about a career in science communication and policy, what it would entail and whether it would be interesting. I now know for certain that it is not only interesting, but constantly changing and I’m excited for the challenges it will involve.

I’m very fortunate to have had the chance to work with the dedicated, passionate and inspiring team at Sense About Science, I’d like to thank them all for making my internship so enjoyable.

I’d also like to thank those who work for the Charity Insights scheme for making it all possible. If you have the chance I would urge you all to apply for charity insights, it will easily be the best thing you do all summer.

 

Centre for Community Development, Week 3

I arrived fresh on Monday morning ready to take on the most exciting and interactive part of my project at Tamil Women Development Forum. This was the interviewing of some of the members of the TWDF, as well other key women’s rights activists with regards to the situation of Tamil-speaking women in the North and East and plantations of Sri Lanka. I arrived a little early on the first day of interviews, a little nervous and unsure what to expect. Thankfully, as was always the case when interacting with people attached to the Centre for Community Development (the overall charity of which TWDF is one initiative, among others, that they are responsible for) the interviewees were very warm and welcoming.

All interviewees were very friendly and enthusiastic and seemed genuinely happy that someone had taken note of their, as of yet, small-scale but profound initiative. What surprised me the most was the confidence and insightfulness of their thoughts and ideas that they articulated to me. This was despite having had their lives disrupted by a brutal war, as well as having to function within a deeply conservative and patriarchal Tamil society which, while prizing and encouraging education for peoples of all backgrounds, usually reserved roles in administration and leadership for males only.

The only exception to this in recent history was a Tamil rebel group which emphasised and enabled equal participation of women in their cause. While I do not wish to make a political statement, it was especially interesting to interview a lady who had taken her emancipation into her own hands and risen to an empowered position as a result of it. Unfortunately her new found freedom was temporary and came crashing down with the rebel group’s defeat in 2009.

Yet here was a lady that, despite seeing and undergoing the horrors of war, still aspired to greater things and to help other women in similar positions to her. Her biggest wish was to learn English, but she was struggling to balance being a mother, her financial situation and the time to pursue those aspirations. I have suggested that the TWDF might look into providing free English lessons to Tamil speakers as this seems to be a recurring issue among the more recent members of the forum.

It also highlighted the diversity of experiences within the forum. While some women were well settled, financially secure and had the opportunity of an education, others were more recent migrants, and in some cases refugees, and were single mothers without ever having access to a formal education. I understood then that I would have to recommend a way to build a common understanding and bond across the forum.

Centre for Community Development, Week 2

Much of my first week had been spent conducting a literature review on the material with which I planned to include in my report, though this continued intermittently a few days into the second week. As mentioned in the last blog post, I found it very interesting to see how long the Tamil Women Development Forum had been around. It was humbling to be analysing the work of many great and inspiring women’s activists and I often found myself engrossed while reading decade’s old literature that had been produced by them well past my leaving time – even when it was not directly relevant to my project!

It was during the second week, while in conversation with the leaders of the TWDF, that we had the idea of holding a fundraiser for a new project that the TWDF are planning to start in the very near future. Members had chosen a particularly badly affected small town and its surrounding rural areas in the war-affected Vanni region of northern Sri Lanka in which to carry out this project. The fabric of society here, as with much of the formerly war-torn areas, has completely broken down with people turning to alcohol and drugs in a bid to deal their psychological problems. This has resulted in increased levels of domestic abuse towards women and even the emergence of intra-communal sexual violence in the Tamil north and east, previously unheard of when this region was under rebel control.

Regardless of the sobering issues for which the TWDF are raising funds, there was always an emphasis on positivity and empowerment of the women of the area to solve their own problems, which really resonated with me. The women here are very resilient, having lived through untold suffering, and continue to provide not just for their families but the wider society at large. All they need is to be empowered with the skills that will give them livelihoods and the ability to solve their economic and social problems and then they will be more than capable of doing so.

This has prompted to make a long-term commitment to supporting this charity initiative beyond the duration of my project and well into 2016, when this fundraiser will take place. It will be exciting to be in charge of part of the creative content of this fundraiser as well as contacting potential sponsors for the event. To date we have chosen the venue, contacted acts and are in the process of procuring sponsors.