2nd April team meeting update- Exciting stuff!

      UPDATE                    UKC AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING   2^nd April 2013

Just a quick update on the minutes from our end of term meeting, was one of the best! It’s a shame not many people could attend but we had 3 guests, here’s what you missed!

• Cliff Grieve, our partner from Ashford’s Kent Community against Trafficking and the advisory forum to the All Parliamentary Group joined to meet some of the group, share his experiences on the taxi campaign and give some exciting news that what they’ve been campaigning rotary for 12 years for has finally happened: Rotary and it’s (1.2 million members worldwide) have adopted child-slavery/trafficking as a cause they’re going to campaign against. Rotary have been a major organisation that have been part of the near-eradication of Polio which goes to show what they can do.

• We filled people in on some exciting stuff from the government advisory forum we went to in London a couple weeks ago (will upload notes) where we heard Baroness Butler-Sloss speak, Anthony Steen, ECPAT UK, Salvation Army and the guy who literally WROTE the Centre for Social Justice Report which has been shaking up Westminster by calling for government reform on tackling trafficking speak.

• Elom, a student from Medway & charity Rwareness attended, they are doing some awesome awareness via social media and graphic design (check out their website http://www.rwareness.com/gallery-2/ and Facebook page) and they want to work with us maybe on the taxi campaign and joint events next year which is really exciting!

• Beth, who is a friend of Maya and next year’s Kent Union women’s officer (I think I’ve got that right) and signed up with us at Freshers Fayre really wants to get involved with us, and she has a petition we can weigh in on over a new “entertainment/strip club” they want to build here. More details to follow.

• Taxis against Trafficking UPDATE: Sadly our meeting with the Canterbury council was cancelled and rescheduled until 19th April. But in the meantime we’re going to coordinate phoning a couple taxi co.’s a week to start to plug the campaign and update the blog on progress.

• We also agreed on doing a stall at Eco-fest on campus in the 3rd week of May with a Fair Trade theme which will be a great opportunity to plug consumer awareness, get involved in a different campaign and team up with the Fair Trade society on Campus.

•  Summer Volunteering Opportunity! Stop the traffik are doing another volunteering campaign ‘European Communities against Trafficking’ during the summer, a bit like the Olympics Gift. Box project that Dipa, Alex and myself did last year. The project involves engaging and communicating with the local community about what human trafficking it is and how they can be part of bringing about a stop to trafficking. They are looking for volunteers for schools work, community talks, street awareness raising, leaflet distribution and/or business engagement in London.

I can’t stress how much we got out of doing this kind of thing because they give great training, builds up confidence, you get much more understanding of what human trafficking is and how to stop it and it’s awesome volunteering experience for your CV. The next training day you can join up for is Wed 17th April so not far! Email Katie.barker@stopthetraffik.org for an information pack and details.

WELL DONE FOR AN AWESOME YEAR SO FAR. Check out  the ‘About’ page on our blog for a list of our events and articles especially if you’re logging E&V volunteering hours and need a refresher. https://ukcagainsthumantrafficking.wordpress.com/about/ .

• ! If you’ve loved what we’ve done or been involved, nominate us for the Kent Union “best new SLVG” award ! https://unionkent.wufoo.eu/forms/kent-union-awards-2013-entry-form/ . Nominations close Friday 12th April.

Have a great Easter. Any questions email us ukcpeopletraffikfree@gmail.com or comment below.