What does Oxfam mean to you?

Natalie Bursk looks at what her generation think about the charity.

In the noughties’ culture of throwaway fashions and celebrity-backed actions, today’s trend can be yesterday’s news. Subsequently the true meaning behind bigger actions can be lost; how many Make Poverty History wristbands are still being worn? The expansion into Fairtrade, Oxfam Originals and the opportunity to buy a goat from Oxfam Unwrapped have all helped Oxfam in steadily changing young people’s response to a positive one, on their own terms. For young people, Oxfam can mean as little as buying a top or a book, to being more involved by volunteering, stewarding at festivals or actively campaigning.

We all love a good bargain, but with it we can also be prone to fads. In the noughties’ culture of throwaway fashions and celebrity-backed actions, today’s trend can be yesterday’s news. Subsequently the true meaning behind bigger actions can be lost; how many Make Poverty History wristbands are still being worn? I’ll never forget the sight of black market stalls selling hundreds of fake wristbands on my local high street. For young people of today, we can be particularly difficult to please.

But this website isn’t called Generation Why for nothing. Oxfam is a prime example of a charity organisation which knows that our support is invaluable and is moving with the times to gain it. I admit that I am one of many where the first thing that pops into my head when thinking of the word “Oxfam” is charity shops. But they are its crucial, everyday face: individual fashion is at our age a form of expression, so a lot of young people’s major perspective of Oxfam as an organisation can still depend on a potential rummage, knowing at the back of their mind that it’s for a good cause. Many friends I’ve talked to about this still see them as fusty shops only frequented by the elderly and the truly strapped-for-cash, not to mention that Primark has similar prices for new items.

The problem is changing the stereotype. Oxfam shops must be doing something right, as over £25 million in profit is gained from 750 stores nationwide. Here is where Oxfam has, in recent times, pioneered: the expansion into Fairtrade, Oxfam Originals and the opportunity to buy a goat from Oxfam Unwrapped have all helped Oxfam in steadily changing young people’s response to a positive one, on their own terms. Young people can gain awareness and knowledge about the global issues Oxfam fights to change, in a way that suits their fickle nature, as well as their student budget.

Yet in this society with progressively sophisticated technology young people are arguably more informed of Oxfam’s campaigns and causes – for many, Oxfam simply conjures the word “poverty”. Of course, events in recent years to raise awareness of poverty, such as Live8, were wonderful in boosting awareness. But Oxfam can mean so much more to young people than big one-off actions: individual opportunities often online, such as blogging and signing petitions, can help us to see the results of our efforts as a whole, like the recent Starbucks-Ethiopian farmers deal.

For young people, Oxfam can mean as little as buying a top or a book, to being more involved by volunteering, stewarding at festivals or actively campaigning. The fact that, regardless of what we choose to do, the issues clearly remain the priority is the best deal of all.