Oxfam Live in Southampton

Gareth Jones reports on the Oxfam Live event in Southampton, and becoming Generation Why’s first celebrity!

Gareth meets Rekha Shenoy from Oxfam India. ''It was really exciting to hear how farmers in her area were adopting organic crops to increase their profits.''

I heard about Oxfam Live through Generation Why – it was advertised as an opportunity to hear about Oxfam’s work, take part in stimulating discussions and watch inspiring presentations. With 18 different events taking place all over the country, I figured that I had a good chance of finding one near to where I live. I picked the event at Solent University, Southampton on 25 April and I wasn’t disappointed.

I didn’t really know what to expect from the day, as this was the first time I had ever been to an event like this. When I arrived I was initially quite apprehensive. Some of the people there were older than me, but after a few welcome smiles and a cup of Fairtrade coffee I soon got over that feeling.

The day had been split into two parts. The morning session was run as a forum for local shop volunteers and the main event took place in the afternoon.

Rekha Shenoy, a programme manager from Oxfam India, talked about her involvement with local communities in Gujarat. It was really exciting to hear how farmers in her area were adopting organic crops to increase their profits, and also how Oxfam was encouraging sustainable business practice in the region. Oxfam’s work in Gujarat is empowering women and uniting people in different castes.

I found Oxfam Live a great opportunity to speak to a wide range of people all sharing Oxfam’s goals. I only wish that I’d had longer so that I could have talked to more people. Although there were several presentations it was only possible to fit in three, which inevitably meant I had to miss a couple.

Fortunately for me I was able to catch up with Rachele, the presenter of one of the missed sessions, during an interval. Rachele is a current PhD student at Oxford University and was volunteering at a local Oxfam shop when she applied for the opportunity to travel around Albania with an Oxfam field-worker. She is now trying to raise £14,000 to build a bridge so that a village she visited can access vital education and medical facilities.

We then heard about how Oxfam handled the humanitarian emergency in Dafur, and after the Tsunami. The day ended with a rather frantic, but fun, campaigning workshop where we were introduced to the different ways we can all support Oxfam. It was slightly bizarre that the workshop presenters - Katherine and Adam - recognised my name and face from Generation Why!

It was a shame that there weren’t more young people at the event, especially as it was held at a University, but that won’t stop me going again because I had a really good time. I made some new contacts and came away with a deeper appreciation of Oxfam’s work. Oxfam Live is taking place throughout the UK until 29 June. If you can make it I recommend going, trust me it’s worth the effort!