There are a wide range of opportunities to volunteer with Oxfam in the Vancouver area, or as a virtual volunteer, depending on your interests, skills, and availability. In order to become involved, I will strongly suggest that you register yourself as member, you can do this via this link: https://www.oxfam.ca/what-you-can-do/become-a-member/membership-registration; (There is no membership fee). As a member you are enabled to participate in governing bodies, elections for representatives to Oxfam's Board of Directors, and participate in a variety of Oxfam program activities, regional and national consultations and conferences.
If you would like to receive updates on Oxfam campaigns, programme news and local events, volunteer opportunities and activities you can subscribe to Oxfam email lists at: http://www.oxnet.org/lists/?p=subscribe&id=2. Another way of keeping yourself updated on events, news, opportunities and campaigns is to sign up for Oxfam’s e-alerts and e-newsletter http://act.oxfam.ca/act/sub/.
As you know, Oxfam works on a number of education and advocacy campaigns on issues of social, economic and democratic rights that seek to raise awareness and connect popular action in Canada to improving conditions in developing countries. You can find current information on Oxfam Canada's program work, various campaign materials, as well as information about Oxfam partner organizations (in Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Americas) on our website.
Every year, in order to engage youth in Oxfam’s work, and to help provide youth with all the support and tools they need to take action to secure basic human rights for all, Oxfam Canada plans Oxfam Global Youth Symposium.
This two-day symposium provides high school and college-aged youth from all over Greater Vancouver with the opportunity to come together, learn about global issues and get the skills and the inspiration to take action in a fun, non-formal environment. This yearly event takes place both in Victoria and Vancouver. Volunteers can get involved in several aspects of the planning of the symposium. This includes taking on roles as a facilitator, doing media work, outreach, research and during the actual day of the symposium as participants.
For more information, contact Deborah Schaeffer at deborahs@volunteer.oxfam.ca
Current Oxfam campaigns:
‘For All’ Public Services Campaign: Open for all – Public services fight poverty
Over a billion people live without access to clean, safe water and 2.6 billion people have no access to decent sanitation - this leads to the inevitable spread of water-related diseases. Every day around the world 4,000 children are killed by diarrhea, 1,400 women die needlessly in pregnancy or childbirth and 100 million school-age children, most of them girls, will not go to school. Yet, for the first time in history, within a generation, these problems could be solved.
Oxfam Canada and CUPE are working together in a national mobilization campaign to collect signature to lobby the Federal Government to increase our aid budget to 0.7% of GNP. Volunteers can help out during Summer Festivals, in the fall in their school, universities and communities collecting signatures, making presentation and display materials at trade union conventions, and shops, district labour councils, university campuses, schools and other venues to maximize public outreach. Postcards, petitions and e-alerts will target key politicians to make policy changes.
If you want to be part of this campaign contact: miriamp@oxfam.ca
You can read Oxfam International report “In the Public Interest” at: http://www.oxfam.ca/news-and-publications/publications-and-reports/in-the-public-interest-health-education-and-water-and-sanitation-for-all/file.
“We Can” campaign to end violence against women
We Can End All Violence Against Women Campaign is a multi-year, international initiative, which seeks to challenge and change the societal attitudes, beliefs and practices that support and maintain violence against women. ‘We Can’ believes that every individual has the power to change her or his own life as well as the lives of those around them. A key element of this program is to educate and mobilize individuals to take a public stand and public action against violence against women by becoming ‘Change Makers’. A Change Maker is an individual who pledges not to commit or tolerate any violence against women and who works to re-evaluate and re-examine his/her attitudes.
Our campaign involves volunteers delivering workshops in high schools, professional groups and community centres. Through the We Can campaign we organize activities around the 16 Days of activism Against Gender Based Violence which takes place every year from November 25th to December 10th.
To learn more visit the We Can website at www.wecanbc.ca. For volunteer opportunities email Anastasia Gaisenok at anastasiag@oxfam.ca.
Oxfam’s Youth Committee:
With the mail goal of engaging youth as global citizen and to support the international work of Oxfam, a youth committee has been formed. The main goals of this committee are:
- Serving as a link between campus clubs as well as to the office
- Maintain a group of trained facilitators who can facilitate workshops year round
- Work on public engagement of Oxfam’s issues and campaigns
- Maintain a team of dedicated Oxfam youth volunteers
- Serve as a link and follow up to the national CHANGE Initiative
- Provide an opportunity for youth symposium participants to become involved with Oxfam.
If you would like to join this committee contact Joanna Chiu: teenacity@gmail.com
Music 4 Change
Music4Change is a fundraising and educational event designed to blend hedonism with humanitarianism against the backdrop of music.
This event is model after the successful Music4Life events created by Oxfam Great Britain. The main goal of the M4C committee is to promote Oxfam’s work within local youth in B.C, establishing a strong and long-lasting relationship between Oxfam and the local, national and international independent music scene. This committee meets from May to October when the M4C event takes place on Oct 17th on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
To be involved, contact Fleur Cooper M4C project coordinator at: cannonballcoops@hotmail.com
Make Poverty History
At the start of the 21st century, 1.2 billion people live in abject poverty, most of them women. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry and 50,000 people die every day from poverty-related causes. Poverty is a violation of human rights on a massive scale, but it doesn't have to be this way. If we choose - if we have the will to act - we can make poverty history.
The campaign Make Poverty History launched by Oxfam Canada is calling for more and better aid, fair trade rules, the cancellation of 100% of the debt owed by the poorest countries, and an end to child poverty in Canada.
We need your voice to add to our worldwide chorus. Find out how you can support our global campaign at www.makepovertyhistory.ca.
Together, we can make poverty History.
Fair Trade: Make Trade Fair
Oxfam International campaign on Fair Trade, highlights the plight of billions of people being made hungry and poor because of the crisis in world agricultural trade - especially the dumping of cheap commodities by rich countries. There are many actions you can take as an individual in your community to campaign on this issue with Oxfam.
To get involved with this campaign and for a copy of the Make Trade Fair Report, visit our website: http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.htm
Hungry for Change Campaign
Through this campaign we aim at raising awareness about issues of global food and resource distribution, and raising funds for our partners overseas. The Campaign gives the participants the opportunity to demonstrate their solidarity with vulnerable people. The students go on a fast for a day, usually in conjunction with a sleepover at the school and an evening packed with fun/education filled activities. The students raise pledges from their family, friends, and community. In past years, students in the Lower Mainland raised nearly $20,000 for our work overseas. Oxfam needs help organizing Hungry for Change fasts in schools across the Lower Mainland.
For more information about World Food Day activities in your community and to get involved, contact us at: hungryforchange@oxfam.ca
World Food Day
On October 16 each year, the World Food Day is observed. It marks the anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization founded in 1945. More importantly, it is an internationally recognized day to focus attention on food and hunger issues. Oxfam Canada plays a leading role in the commemoration of this day, facilitating a number of events in schools and communities across the Lower Mainland. Oxfam’s World Food day Kit serves as a great resource from which World Food day events are initiated. Each year, a group of Oxfam volunteers come together to put on a large World Food day event, which you are certainly encouraged to get involved with.
To be part of the WFD committee, contact miriamp@oxfam.ca.
Stamp Program
Help Oxfam stamp out poverty. This is a unique and fun fundraising activity that involves collecting used postal stamps and envelopes, which are then sorted and sold to collectors. Since it began in 1980, the Stamp Program has raised over $150,000 for Oxfam’s projects in developing countries. If you want to get involved, you’re encouraged to save incoming mail and send the used stamps/interesting envelopes to the Oxfam office, or donate your old stamp collections. You can also help by promoting the stamp program at offices, schools and community centers, or you can start your own collection network with friends and co-workers. Oxfam also needs individuals or groups to help us sort the donated stamps.
For more information, contact Bill Woodley – the Stamp Program Leader- at stamps@ott.oxfam.ca or tel: 613.237.1698 ext 240.
Campus Clubs and Local Committees
Currently, Oxfam Clubs are active at the University of British Columbia, at Simon Fraser University, and at the University of Victoria. If you would like to get in touch with one of these groups, call the office and we will provide contact information for you. If you would like to start a club in your school or community, we can provide materials and perhaps some contacts in your area who might like to get involved.
Oxfam’s Student Clubs contacts:
UBC – Duarte Rosario - azaquiel@gmail.com
SFU – Peter Driftmier - Oxfamsfu@gmail.com or pad1@sfu.ca
UVic – Brodie Metcalfe brodie_metcalfe@hotmail.com
Another way to support our work is by donating to Oxfam. We hope you'll consider joining our http://www.oxfam.ca/what-you-can-do/make-a-donation/monthly-giving-1, Share plan, since it is most convenient for you and it also helps reduce our administrative costs.
Or, if you prefer to give a single amount, you can easily made a donation online: http://www.oxfam.ca/what-you-can-do/make-a-donation, at any time on our secure server. Once we’ve received your contribution, we'll send you your tax receipt and a welcome package
I hope this gives you an idea of some of the options available for you to support Oxfam's work. Please let us know if you have any questions. We will also be in touch with you if there are specific volunteer opportunities that arise that you may be interested in and especially suited for. In the meantime, please let us know if you would like us to add your E-mail to our volunteer list.
Look forward to hearing from you again soon!
Sincerely,
Deborah Schaeffer
Oxfam Intern
Oxfam Canada
#210- 49 Dunlevy Ave.
Vancouver, B.C.
V6A 3A3
Tel: 604-7367678
Fax: 604-736-9646
E-mail: deborahs@volunteer.oxfam.ca
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