Category: Charity Insights 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.

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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.

Week 4

As mentioned in my last blog post, the raised beds had been severely damaged. After discussing the practicability of the raised beds with staff, I found that raised beds are not any more advantageous for wheel chair users than normal flat beds are. I decided to change the plans and remove the raised beds, this fitted with our model for sustainability as it meant the garden was a lot easier to maintain the long run.

Getting rid of the raised beds meant hiring a skip, which meant tenancy meeting. This impacted the budget and a lot of man power was required to shift the more than 3 cubic metres of soil.

As I’ve now finished the internship I’d definitely recommend participating in the charity insights scheme. It allowed me to pursue a passion without forfeiting a summer. Working in this sector develops skills which you don’t necessarily develop in university. Being able to clearly and coherently give instructions and convey your ideas is vital in work conditions. Listening and adapting to feedback given is equally essential for the end design to be up to the expectations of the client, especially when there are time restrictions.

Sense About Science – AskForEvidence.org

One major problem with politicians today is there is a huge lack of trust. People simply don’t believe their claims. The same issue can be applied to society more broadly, particularly media and advertisements. People know that when something seems too good to be true it probably is, but they don’t know what to do about it.

To address this Sense About Science set up the ask for evidence campaign, and in particular askforevidence.org to encourages the public to challenge unbelievable claims directly, asking those who make them to provide evidence which can then be scrutinised and evaluated. Since it’s launch less than a year ago askforevidence.org has seen over 1000 queries from frustrated members of the public seeking evidence from those who make extraordinary claims.

As part of my internship I was lucky enough to work with the ask for evidence campaign; this included helping people who have received (often dubious) evidence be put in touch with scientists who can help interpret it for them, whilst also querying a number of claims for myself. For me this is a large part of what makes the ask for evidence campaign so powerful, because people can ask for evidence, but what they receive could be nonsense. In fact very often it seems those making the claim will be deliberately confusing, they know the person asking is unlikely to have a scientific background so should be easily put off by technical jargon and long research papers. However the beauty of Ask For Evidence is that it allows them to follow up on any evidence with the help of a professional.

The campaign has already queried many extraordinary claims and found them to be, unsurprisingly lacking in extraordinary evidence. The full list can be found on the website. During my time at sense about science I wrote a piece on a fertility app that claimed to be “99.9% safe”, an extraordinary claim which if true would make it more effective than condoms or the combined pill. Another was a claim by Dr Marilyn Glenville that changes in diet can reduce menopause symptoms, a claim that is not supported by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Encouraging the proliferation of claims that are well supported by strong evidence can only be a good thing. It might not rebuild trust completely with politicians and the public, or mean we still don’t see companies making ridiculous claims, but a well informed public, willing to challenge these claims, can only be a good thing. We need to speak up and stand up for evidence, only then will we stop being lied to.

Friends of the Erath – week 3

Here we are, my third post. Two quick section here, one on my work progress so far, and then a bit from my experience of doing Charity Insight.

Section a) The work keeps getting even more interesting, as we go along. I am still working on the first bit of research I was doing for waste management strategy for Birmingham. We have found some interesting facts about other local authorities and how they manage their waste and what lessons are to be learnt from them. The report will be public after finishing it if anyone would ever be interested to have a look. Of course, it is getting harder than ever to get the politicians to consider environmental issues, when there are increasing constraints on their budget. Even though some of these actions will eventually save them more money, the fact of doing something different which might cost some money short term with greater long term benefit scare them! Well, nothing too bad, this simply means more convincing required 🙂

Oh well, it was first day of autumn yesterday! (courtesy of: wallpapersrow.com)
Oh well, it was first day of autumn yesterday! (courtesy of: wallpapersrow.com)

Section b) Having spent around ¾ of my work so far, I see the charity insight experience very interesting. It puts you in a new environment with people having different drive and enthusiasm, working for something they passionately believe in and enjoying each other’s company and the benefit they provide to their end user as the main drive. In addition, I guess you are regularly dealing with precision of science and medicine, and exercising your brain taking it to an area outside these is very useful. And it feels quite good doing something you see the outcome of it could have a real impact on many people. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. And I did it part time, and I think this was quite a good experience as well, both for me and for the organisation.

One week to go…

Week 3

The works began on the garden and would continue for my remaining time on the internship. We were slightly delayed as BT sent a team, as a part of their charity pledge, to clean up the garden; however they had not completed their works and the wooden borders containing the existing raised beds had been damaged.

As the garden hadn’t been maintained or weeded for more than several years a good deal of time was spent clearing these weeds and trees growing out of the patio slabs. We were again delayed as we weren’t clear to use chemicals in the garden as there were several pets and we didn’t want to risk poisoning them.

Only once the area was cleared were we able to more accurately judge the amount of work required to just repair the garden. Getting rid of the weeds revealed how the hardcore mixture between the patio slabs had deteriorated. Correcting this would put us further behind schedule.

During this time one of the most fulfilling aspects is getting the residents of the home involved. Most are very eager to help out and learn new skills. We’ve been teaching the more capable of them DIY and gardening skills so they can maintain the garden afterwards without the help of others. When I was researching I found that routine is extremely important for individuals with degenerative diseases, gardening is a fantastic way for them to leave the house and still be in a safe environment. Its also a reliable activity that they can do daily and goes hand in hand with the sustainability of the garden.

Week Four at the KCF: Liaisons, Leaflets and Lunch

My final week at the foundation was unfortunately disrupted by acute tonsillitis, meaning I had to stay at home some time to rest, before moving on to being able to work some hours from home and then finally returning to work in the office.

In this week I returned to a project given to me by one of the Trustees during my arrival. This was to compile a spreadsheet containing information about some of the wealthiest millionaires and billionaires within the borough, particularly with regards to whether or not some of them might have charitable foundations in their name to which the foundation may be able to apply for support. This was, ultimately, a process I didn’t manage to complete (perhaps something I should have expected considering the vast wealth of some of the borough’s inhabitants) but I did manage to shed some light on the somewhat surprisingly numerous and extensive charitable endeavours and organisations some of the borough’s wealthiest support.

To aid in the process I’ve just described, I met up with the former Director of the Foundation (who actually organised my internship) to discuss if there were any contacts or information she could give me to include in my spreadsheets about residents within the borough. Meeting with her at her new office in Somerset House was a useful experience, both in terms of the work I was doing and also making me realise the importance of knowing people and having an abundance of contacts in the Charities/Not-for-Profit sector. She also gave me some useful advice as to the best tactics to employ when approaching people like this to support the Foundation, as well as how best to ask them and, indeed, what to ask them for. Experience in this field can be priceless, especially as you rarely get more than one chance with this sort of endeavour.

My final task was to analyse the leaflet the Foundation produced last year for their “Winter Warmth” campaign. Here they ask residents over 60 who don’t need their Winter Fuel allowance to donate it into a fund so that it can be used to support those who are in danger of falling into fuel poverty. This was an interesting exercise, reminiscent of some English Language exams I had sat in my school years. I analysed the leaflet’s use of language, how it made the reader felt, as well as looking at the clarity of the message being conveyed, the structure and branding as well as the aesthetics of the publication. I then tried to critique it, and highlight areas that could be improved, such as the apparent ambiguity (it wasn’t clear exactly what the reader was being asked to do).

On the last day, the new director took us out to an enjoyable lunch together, and I had an opportunity to reflect on all I’d learnt and done over the past month. I had been given an insight into the heart of a charitable organisation, into what life is like on a daily basis, into the stresses and strains but ultimately sweetness of success when you achieve something that will make the lives of the disadvantaged better. I’ve had a great time, learning huge amounts, doing much and meeting some very friendly and helpful colleagues. I would hope reading this blog has helped convince someone to undergo the same internship, maybe even at the same organisation. It would be great for it to benefit another student as much as it has me.

Week Three at the KCF: Media, Meetings and Messengers

If you’re working hard with your head down and without time to look up, time flies by, something I have been reminded of this week. One of the first tasks assigned to me by the new Director was to modify a document used by her previous charity to act as a form of agreement with high profile supporters, detailing exactly what the Foundation would require of them as well as what they would expect of us. This helps clarify the potential relationship, making things unambiguous and clear, therefore reducing the chance of disagreement and disappointments on either side. It also gives the request a sense of professionalism and makes it easier for the prospect in question to say yes and agree to help get the Foundation’s message across to people.

Now that all 6 of the other staff have returned from holiday, Susan held her first team meeting, where all of us (including myself) had to provide an “Employee Profile”, detailing our role in the organisation (so she could plan future tasks to be delegated in projects) as well as what we were trying to do at the moment. This also helps to avoid “grey” areas of responsibility, whereby more people than are necessary for the completion of a task/project may be working on it, or indeed there isn’t anyone working on something that needs to be done. There was also a discussion as to how progress was going to be communicated to the board of trustees effectively, as well as a potential change in marketing strategy; Susan prefers a more “personal” approach, highlighting the Foundation’s work on a personal level, rather than blanket statistics and dull, lifeless imagery (perhaps something the Foundation has been guilty of in the past).

Meanwhile I’ve been designated another project, which is to compile information from various sources (emails, multiple spreadsheets etc) about all the different local media outlets in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, so as to provide a way of generating publicity for the Foundation’s work and future events. This involves removing some publications from our database (a sizeable number have become defunct and folded, for various reasons), establishing who, if anyone, is our point of contact within the publication, assessing editor deadlines, distribution and readership as well as analysing if there is a section within the media for editorial content relevant to us. For such a relatively small area there seems to be abundance of newspapers and magazines covering it!