The Big Noise gets louder! There are 71 days till the World Trade Organisation meets in Hong Kong. This meeting will decide international trade laws for years to come. At the moment trade laws work against poor countries, helping to keep millions of people in poverty. We need to act now to Make Trade Fair. This month the Big Noise Petition hit 8.8 million. This is an increase of 400,000 sign-ups from one month ago. 64,400 of these sign-ups were ones that we collected at the summer festivals. This is brilliant but we still need another 1.2 million before the ten million target is reached. The more sign-ups we get the more pressure world leaders will feel and the more likely they will be to listen. If you have not signed up do it now and tell everyone and anyone to do the same. posted at 3:38 PM | Permalink 1 comments

Buy your cheap CDs and DVDs - and donate to Oxfam at the same time! Here's a candidate for IDEA OF THE CENTURY: everybody wants cheap CDs, games and DVDs, and everybody also wants to help lift millions out of poverty. So, in an ingenious 'let's put these two things together and see what happens' type solution, clever business types at Oxfam and Blah! (one of the cheapest online stores in the UK - see pic) have come up with this: every time you buy something from Blah!, they will contribute 10p to Oxfam's efforts to alleviate poverty and suffering around the world. And, if you think of all the DVDs and CDs that people will snap up as Xmas pressies in the next few months, that's a serious amount of money. So - if you're doing your Xmas shopping this year, or even just your weekly CD shop - have a look at Blah! It's the cleverest thing ever. And it's dead cheap, too. posted at 2:26 PM | Permalink 2 comments

Campaigning awards - are you a star campaigner? Just been sent info about something which looks great - awards for top campaigners from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation. The Foundation wants to give people the opportunity to develop their campaigning skills and support the next generation of people who will change things for the better. It's got awards in six areas - Conflict Resolution, Consumer Action, Economic Justice, Health & Social Care, Social Inclusion, Transport. The idea is that, as an award winner, the Foundation will help you to take your campaigning to the next level. You'll have ten days' worth of expert help, including one-to-one mentoring, skills training and networking with key people. Applications need to be in by the end of the year - have a look on the Sheila McKechnie Foundation website for more info, or e-mail awards@sheilamckechnie.org.uk. And spread the word too - if you've got campaigning friends, let them know about the awards! posted at 10:45 AM | Permalink 0 comments

Tesco - get your groceries somewhere else. In an unacceptable number of cases UK supermarket Tesco is squeezing its suppliers to provide goods at very low prices. Farmers and workers at the end of the supply chain are being forced to work harder, faster and for longer hours. They are paid poor wages and have no access to basic rights such as sick pay, maternity pay and the right to join a trade union. Tesco's own purchasing practices undermine the very labour standards it claims to promote. This is not acceptable. Act now - e-mail Tesco's chief executive. You should definitely have a look at the Tescopoly website as well. posted at 11:01 AM | Permalink 1 comments

Generation Why's very own search engine! Woo hoo! Exciting times at GWhy HQ - we know how troublesome it can be to find that elusive bit of brilliant content when you've only got 2 minutes to spare. So that's why we've put our web monkeys to the sword, and got them to fashion us a rather magnificent search engine, just for you. No more will you furrow your brow in the web wilderness - all the content on Generation Why should now be just a tap-and-a-click away. Hoorah! You can do a quick free text search on the left hand side of every page, or go straight to the search engine itself. Get to it! While we're at it, aren't these badgers marvellous? They're from the Weirfield Wildlife Hospital in Lincoln. Great stuff. posted at 4:09 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Boys t-shirts! Just a quickie - some of you have been concerned laterly that we don't seem to have any boys t-shirts for sale any more - this is due to some teething problems with our new-look shop (basically, we only had pics of girls on there). Just to let you know, the pics of the boys sizes are live now, so you can browse til your heart's content. See the boys t-shirts here and the girls here. posted at 3:57 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Living in a multi-faith London Just thought we'd tell you about an interesting conference taking place in London soon - it's a chance to meet young people from different faiths and backgrounds, and discuss some of the really important issues affecting society today. It's called 'Living in a multi-faith London', and will be held at the British Museum (see pic). More info here. posted at 11:04 AM | Permalink 2 comments

Fashion's finest sell their favourite items - all for Oxfam Stars of fashion, film and music have given hundreds of items for an auction to support Oxfam's work. Stuff up for grabs includes a pair of Stella McCartney boots and Yoko Ono's shades. Over a hundred items will feature in an online auction during London Fashion Week -18th to 25th September. The project is a collaboration between top photographer Nick Knight's SHOWstudio, and iD magazine. Nick Knight explained: "I chose to work with Oxfam because I admire the work the organisation does to address poverty and suffering around the world. It also seemed right to work with Oxfam as Oxfam shops have always provided a backbone for English fashion creativity." You can get a sneaky peak at some of the items going under the hammer in the window of the Chelsea Oxfam Shop and on the SHOWstudio website. Rose Marsh of Oxfam said that, "during the excitement and glamour of Fashion Week this is a great opportunity for people to put their passion to good use." It may be fun but it will also raise a lot of money. posted at 3:10 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Live D8 - go speed dating and Make Poverty History! Just seen this - a speed dating event aiming to raise awareness about Make Poverty History. It's basically a special charity speed date, at Chez Gerard at The Opera Terrace, London, West End. It's for 23-35 year olds and starts this Thursday 22 September 18:00. So, if you're single and in London this week, it could be a winner. More info here. posted at 4:00 PM | Permalink 2 comments

Send an e-card! Write for Generation Why! Do stuff today! Hey there, just a quick blog to say 'Happy Monday', and tell you about a few new things that have gone on the site lately. Send one of our magnificent (and brand new) ethical ecards. We've got some inspiring designs by some great designers, and they all have important messages too. Hope you like them. Lastly have a look at our new 'Write for Generation Why' scheme... It's dead good, like. posted at 12:15 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Write for us! We want to sprinkle a bit of your magic over Generation Why - we want to light the whole site up with your imaginative thoughts and scribblings. To that end, we've started up a new initiative called (imaginatively) Write for Generation Why! The idea is that we get together a big group of you who are interested in writing and passionate about the issues we work on. Every month, we'll send you a possible list of topics to write about, and then you go away and give your perspective. We'll then publish as many of them as we can. We'll also help you craft your brilliant articles, with our tip-top experienced editorial team. More about Write for Generation Why >> posted at 3:15 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Make Poverty History ads banned Make Poverty History has been banned from advertising on television and radio. The "click" ads featuring people such as Kate Moss, Kylie Minogue and Brad Pitt, were ruled to have a political message and so subject to the 2003 Communications Act. This law bans groups that could be seen to have a political end, such as pro-hunting campaigners, from advertising. Oxfam spokesman Adrian Lovett, a member of the Make Poverty History team, said it was disappointed with the decision. "This advertisement simply highlights the fact that a child dies every three seconds because of preventable poverty. The millions of people who are wearing a white band or taking action as part of this campaign do not see it as a narrow party political issue. They see it as the great moral issue of our time," he added. Mr Lovett said the MPH coalition would have to examine the implications as its campaign continued with action at the UN world summit in New York. What do you think? Are the Make Poverty History ads "political"? posted at 9:51 AM | Permalink 7 comments

Oxfam goes to Bestival As we wave goodbye to summer, there's still time for one last festival, and one last weekend for our intrepid campaigners and their beautiful campervan. All weekend, we'll be at the glorious Bestival on the Isle of Wight, which is already promising to be an amazing spectacle. As ever, we'll be shouting loud about Make Trade Fair, and hopefully getting 1,000s of people to show their support by signing the Big Noise Petition. We'll also be taking in some of the truly weird and wonderful festival sights and sounds. And, of course, you can follow it all on our festival blog... posted at 1:24 PM | Permalink 2 comments

Wales wrap the Summit of Snowdon in a White Band Wales says Make Poverty History (Rhown Derfyn Ar Dlodi) to world leaders. This Sunday international volunteers and campaigners from wales are wrapping the Summit of Snowdon in a White Band. They want to send a strong message from Wales to world leaders meeting at the US Summit in New York. Their message is, "this generation is the first to have the power to Make Poverty History; and this generation's leaders must wake and rise to that challenge." We will get hold of some photos from Snowdon for you. posted at 4:38 PM | Permalink 0 comments

The Millenium Development Goals - a photo story Just spotted a feature on the Guardian home page that we thought you might be interested in. It's a photo-story with related articles on the Millenium Development Goals. In 2000, leaders from the 189 countries in the UN promised to deliver eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The goals are to end extreme poverty and hunger, reverse the spread of HIV/Aids and malaria, and to give all children an education. They're pretty ambitious but they're also achievable. We must make sure that world leaders keep their promise. This is why Panos Pictures has invited its award-winning photographers to bring the Millennium Development Goals to life. Jeffrey D Sachs is the special adviser to the UN's secretary general, Kofi Annan. In his article he says, "We look at photos of people living in extreme poverty but see first and foremost their humanity and spirit and dedication, even in the midst of extreme deprivation." Have a look for youself and let us know what you think. What needs to be done to keep pressure on world leaders? posted at 10:39 AM | Permalink 3 comments

Party Against Poverty this Saturday! Sorry, going a bit blog-crazy today, but thought you'd want to know about a MASSIVE worldwide party planned for White Band Day II (which is THIS Saturday, 10 September, in case you'd forgotten!). Eight simultaneous club nights will take place around the world on Saturday, bringing the international anti-poverty movement to the dancefloor. Across the globe in London, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Ibiza, Johannesburg, Lagos, New York and Paris, parties will be lighting up the demand for justice. The events in the UK will be at Bar Rhumba in London, and Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh - so get on down there. Have a look at the marvellous Party Against Poverty website for more info. posted at 5:06 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Hurricane Katrina Response and Recovery Fund Hundreds of thousands of families are attempting to recover from this devastating storm and Oxfam is looking to find where help is most needed. Coastal flooding may have caused severe damage to farmers' fields and fisheries, which will jeapodise their livelihoods. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin predicts that the extent of the devastation will shock America. He estimates that it will take three weeks to drain the water, several more to clear up the debris and a further two months to reconnect electricity in the urban area. If you are able to make a donation go to the Hurricane Katrina Response and Recovery Fund. There is an interesting bbc article about why the world's richest country needs our help. Also, Oxfam America has written about the impact of the storm on rural commuities. posted at 4:49 PM | Permalink 0 comments

Stop Climate Chaos While we're out and about campaigning we sometimes find that people aren't aware of Oxfam's work to help tackle climate change. In fact, this issue plays a part in all our work because global warming is affecting everyone on the planet. We've all just come back from a meeting about a new coalition that Oxfam is part of called 'Stop Climate Chaos'. It's an exciting idea, here's a summary... Joining forces to tackle climate change Oxfam is part of an important new coalition called 'Stop Climate Chaos'. Launched yesterday (1st September 2005), the coalition brings together environment and development groups, faith groups, humanitarian organisations, women's groups, trade unions and many others and has been set up to create 'an irresistible public mandate for political action to stop human-induced climate change.' Climate change is real The vast majority of experts believe that climate change is a global catastrophe in the making. In fact the UK Government's Chief Scientific Advisor believes it's more dangerous than terrorism, and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has declared that climate change is the greatest long term threat we face. It will affect the world's poor first and most No one will be immune, but climate change will have a disproportionate effect on the lives of people living in poverty in developing countries. Between 1990 and 1998, 94 per cent of the world's 568 major natural disasters and more than 97 per cent of all natural disaster-related deaths were in developing countries. Find out more The Stop Climate Chaos website is full of detailed information, key facts about the issues, suggestions for how you can help and details of all the coalition partners. There's also a lot of information about climate change on the oxfam.org.uk website, including news, press releases and special reports. What do you think? Got something to say about climate change, the Kyoto protocol or the 'Stop Climate Chaos' coalition? - send us your comments (link below). Perhaps you've been trying to reduce the amount of energy you use, if so, how's it going? If you're one of the minority who don't believe a word of it, check out the websites above. Still sceptical? Tell us why. posted at 12:12 PM | Permalink 8 comments

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