Reflection upon 2008

Report One

I admit I have learnt more over the last few months than I have my entire life. Jumping head first into forming a 'career', I have gained contacts and formed relationships which I hope will last a lifetime. I am not ashamed to say that I am new when attending events and meeting people with expert knowledge, but I am not afraid of showing them my passion, integrity and ideas for the future, which I hope will grow. Upon all the people I have met in the last two months, the organisations which I have been active in and participating in a wide level of events and political conferences, here is an action point summary of how I plan to use the things I have learnt into active campaigns in liaison with partner organisations.

I will focus on Disarmament, Women's Rights, Climate Change, Business and the United Nations.

I plan to start on these research for 2009. Please leave a comment if you have further development ideas to what I am proposing and if you would like to be involved.

Current positions I have taken with organisations, which I am very active in:
WILPF - Youth Coordinator
Action for United Nation Renewal - Campaigns Officer
World Write - Political Analyst

Disarmament
Focused Learning
- Disarming the world from arms and nuclear weapons will deescalate wars, save women and children, stop conflict rapes, stop children being used as soldiers.
- No guns and weapons in the world will create harmony and stronger democracies for governing.
Action Points
- Lobby the government to reduce arms proliferation, stop arms trade treaty and persuade all countries to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
- Merge nuclear disarmament and arms NGOs to create one dominant campaign.
Research Target
- Japan's non-nuclear constitution and how this can be replicated on a world-wide scale.
- Better understanding of depleted uraniums, cluster munition and radioactive waste.
- How arms business function and its relationship with the government.

Women's Rights
Focused Learning
- Women suffer the most in war and need to be empowered in the home, therefore need to be opened to informal education to know they HAVE rights.
- Women in the West still do not have equality: rise in human trafficking, rapes, kidnappings, murders, domestic violence, forced marriage, FGM, pay inequality, rise in prostitution.
Research Focus
- Exit strategies for coerced prostitution within the UK
- Talk to Trade Union with views on training schemes to help women back into respectable role in the workplace
- Form partnership with male/ gay&lesbian organisations to make awareness for peer support and pressure... men will only listen to men about how domestic violence is wrong
- Educate men about the links between violence against women and prostitution
Campaign Idea
- Rapport and support from feminist/ religious/ human rights organisations to lobby government to put laws to ban nudity in prevent print media (eg no nudity/ sexual service ads in newspapers and magazines)

Business and the United Nations
Focused Learning
- Countries are falling behind on their promise for the MDG
- Corporate Social responsibility is poorly upheld by large multinational organisations
- Lack of forced regulation and cooperation between businesses and governments
- Not enough is being done by business to help sustain development in poor countries
Research Focus
- How business' can cooperate in achieving MDG and how countries can catch up to their aims
- Good examples of UK business promoting CSR abroad
- Trade regulations and sanction information
Campaign Idea not formulated (need to attend to events)

Climate Change
Focused Learning
- Rate of global emissions is growing with resistance to drop being called by few developed countries: resistance to change by locals with failure to demonstrate or suggest solutions
- Lack of trust between North and South with the idea of burden sharing not being well received by poor nations
- Unrealistic aims and percentages highlighted in UN reports to reduce carbon footprint, emissions and use of fossil fuels
Research Proposal
- Vijay Mehta's "365 Climate Change" examined and developed to be produced at key board for discussion and implementation within local and international government bodies
Campaign Idea
- Hold national conferences not preaching the dangers of Climate Change but suggesting solutions as a means of educating and restoring hope
- Spread message to other NGOs to create strong grassroot campaign to urge government to start implementing solutions within a penalising system to push citizens to make effect change

Help me make this world a better place by joining NGOs with research and campaigns.