Oxfam Live in Oxford

Maddy Fry went along to her local Oxfam Live event in Oxford to find out how Oxfam really works.

Oxfam Live is a series of events all about Oxfam that run across the UK.

Oxfam Live is a tour of events about Oxfam that take place throughout April, May and June. They're probably the most significant chance for both supporters and non-supporters to see exactly how Oxfam works. I went along for the last stop on the tour at Oxford Town Hall on Thursday 29 June.

I must admit, I had decided to attend the event more out of a sense of duty than anything else. I was inquisitive, but not particularly excited. I imagined it to be dull, full of tedious details, with few young people in attendance.

I'm glad to say that on most counts I was wrong. The workshop I attended on Oxfam's campaigning strategy was interesting and enlightening, mainly because the ways in which Oxfam conducts its campaigns had seemed complex and labyrinthine to me at times.

The things I found out gave me a chance to decide what it really was that I wanted to do for Oxfam. I was intrigued to learn that Oxfam operated media campaigns which involved writing to newspapers and lobbying local radio and TV stations, which I will hopefully be doing in the future as opposed to pestering my uncooperative MP. The two activists present were enthusiastic and passionate in giving people one-to-one advice. The emphasis was always on how easy and simple it could be for people to make a difference.

Perhaps the saddest and most moving moment came during the second presentation that I attended, where an Afghani man talked of the situation in that particular country. Although I learned that things have improved greatly since the fall of the Taliban, most of the statistics were negative - 53 per cent of people living in rural areas are still trapped in poverty, and most women are not engaged in politics or positions of influence.

However, like all the proceedings, the presentation was infused with a note of hope. Oxfam's courses and training have been providing both men and women with greater literacy and awareness of their rights. They still expect further support from the international community, something that we should all keep in mind.

The only major let down of the event was that there was very little in it to engage young people. There was no mention at all of Generation Why or Oxfam's previous collaboration with People and Planet, and at 17, I was by far the youngest person there.

However, if I left Oxfam Live with anything, it was the feeling that the world is more malleable than you think. The stories of the real people whose lives Oxfam works to improve drove home to me the need to look beyond the reports on the TV once in a while. If Oxfam's message is anything, it's that it's up to us, you and I; as Gandhi once said, "we must become the change we want to see in the world."