global affairs newsletter

Welcome to ‘Global Affairs’!

This is the first edition of what will be a regular newsletter aimed at keeping you up to date with the Global Perspective initiative (GP).

Some readers will be individuals or organisations who have been part of GP as it has grown and developed, others will be long-term supporters of TWIN, for which GP has now taken responsibility.

Based at Chester , the Global Perspective project began three years ago with the aim of raising awareness, building commitment and promoting action on global issues. Read more about its origins and current activities below. It is currently developing in exciting ways and on a significant scale.

Recently, GP was asked to take on the management of the TWIN Fund. TWIN supporters, and others on request, will receive the ‘TWIN Supplement’ with their copy of Global Affairs.

We hope this will be a means for you to keep in touch with the work being done through GP and by our various partner organisations.

For more details, read on........

Global Perspective and TWIN

Recently, GP was asked to take on the management of the TWIN Fund, which began at Chester in 1987, raising money to support specific development projects overseas. Traditionally, TWIN Funds have been channelled directly to support field work overseas, or those from the South involved in such work. Within the wider scope of GP, TWIN funds will continue to be used in this way.

Information about TWIN is included in a separate TWIN supplement to Global Affairs, sent to all existingTWIN supporters and, on request, to anyone interested.

Paul Miller, ex-People and Planet, Nottingham:

" Perhaps the most important thing that I learned was the importance of schemes like the Global Perspective. Talk of Globalisation is popular at the moment, but it is impossible to find out the real issues and emotions of the developing world through a television set. People, and young people in particular, need to visit countries and meet people at the sharp end of development work."

Global Perspective - A Bit of Background

The Global Perspective (GP) project aims to raise awareness of global issues - poverty, development, justice, peace, the environment - to build commitment to tackling them, and to promote action for a fairer world. GP works with the general public, academics, NGOs, government, business, churches, education and civil society, both in the UK and overseas. GP has Christian roots, but a genuinely inclusive approach, involving participants and partner organisations irrespective of creed, gender, colour, and so on.

IN THE BEGINNING....

GP began in 1996, with roots in the Chaplaincy at Chester College. It arose from discussions with Christian Aid staff, and others such as Chester Diocese, local politicians and community groups and enthusiastic overseas partners. From the start, the plan was to build on these links and to work together on a project with the potential for a national and international profile.

GP now works in partnership or consultation with these and many other organisations (see separate box). A key feature is to build on these links, making common cause with others. Most important, we work with, draw on and learn from the expertise of local people at the grass roots.

In July 1999, Huub Sloot was appointed as full-time GP Co-ordinator, giving an opportunity to expand GP’s activities. GP has support in kind from the key parties, but has to generate all its own income. It has received some grants, and participants in the overseas programmes cover most of their direct costs, but funding is still a big challenge. GP’s current annual turnover is around £50,000. As we grow, we are hoping that new supporters - individuals, organisations, trusts and businesses - will be interested in contributing to GP’s work. We remain excited by the vision and by GP’s potential.

WHAT WE ARE DOING...

GP has worked with others to facilitate and host high profile events, such as a forum with Clare Short MP, Secretary of State for International Development. Various other awareness-raising events, campaigning and educational initiatives have also been organised, drawing participants from the region. Lecture courses in development-related subjects in various College departments have been part of the overall scheme. Recently, GP has taken on the management of TWIN.

The core of GP has been to raise awareness and build commitment by enabling groups from the UK to experience grass-roots reality in the South, and allow it to prompt them to more informed, committed action on their return. 62 participants from all over the UK have already done so in 1997-99, visiting Kenya, Peru and Bangladesh with encouraging results.

Another 6 visits, with over 50 individuals in Kenya, Peru, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the World Bank in Washington D.C., will take place in 2000. Participants are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and ages.

The involvement of Chester students or those from the region is important, but participants are increasingly drawn from all over the country. Some of those returning have channelled the experience into such things as:

informing their existing work with Jubilee 2000
campaigning work with People and Planet
further studies with a view to working in this field
voluntary work with Christian Aid
development education work in schools
awareness-raising among the churches
further work overseas and/or in the development field.

GP is very aware of the need to equip participants to engage with the social, political and economic processes which lie behind global issues. This is as part of changing public opinion in the wealthier nations, and so opening up new political possibilities for finding global solutions.

The future holds the prospect of developing GP’s work in a number of exciting directions:

expanding the overseas programme
follow-up to ensure participants can stay actively involved with the issues
a programme of reciprocal visits
other educational travel initiatives
forums, conferences, and courses
Masters level modules of study tailored for practitioners in the field
supporting field work by partners.

We aim to build up GP’s resources with these challenges in mind, and through working creatively together. We’re delighted to hear from anyone who’d like to get involved in or support our work.

"central to GP is the idea that those who go overseas should use the experience on return to motivate others to engage with these crucial issues"