This has been a huge year for the Global Poverty Project UK, seeing the 1.4 Billion Reasons presentation  reach over 35,000 individuals throughout the country since our launch in 2010. Now in the last few months of 2011, we have trained and mobilised 15 Global Poverty Ambassadors in London and the South East in partnership with The Co-operative Membership to help us take the important messages of extreme poverty even further into local communities on a truly grassroots level.
These Ambassadors were recruited to deliver the presentation to small community groups and organisations in their local communities to champion the message that extreme poverty can be ended and progress is being made, and to promote actions that can create real change.
Pinky Badhan, The Co-operative’s Regional Co-operative & Membership Manager, recently said:
“Becoming a Global Poverty Ambassador is about how we can all play a role to end extreme poverty. It will give people the skills to really make a difference in the communities that we serve. This is an exciting opportunity to harness the passion people have to change the world. It’s an incredibly powerful message for communities to hear and will enable people to take that extra step.”
And it’s already working! One of our Ambassadors, Roxanne Fox, recently delivered the 1.4 Billion Reasons presentation to a small group at her church and immediately felt the importance of this Ambassador Programme.
Read below to hear why Roxanne thinks taking out this message is so important.
For a long time I have had a burning desire to do something meaningful as a contribution towards helping the world’s poorest. My biggest challenge was always finding a suitable outlet for my compassion. I felt like I was caught in a cycle of feeling burdened, wanting to do something then left feeling desperate and simply carrying on with my daily routine.
Things changed a few months ago when I was personally impacted by the 1.4 Billion Reasons presentation and subsequently applied to be involved with GPP through the UK Ambassador Programme. As an individual who is passionate about taking a stand against injustice, I realised that delivering the presentation would be a great way for me to empower my community to take action in the fight against extreme poverty.
Having recently presented 1.4 Billion Reasons for the first time, I am now even more excited about being involved with the programme. The feedback after the presentation was so encouraging; individuals voiced how they felt positive and hopeful about the possibility of ending extreme poverty. Many admitted that they often feel overwhelmed by stories of poverty but the presentation helped them to see that if we all do our small bit, we can make a big difference. I loved hearing someone say that the action points suggested for individuals felt ‘accessible’. For many of us, the desire to make a difference is suppressed by the vastness of the issues. Yet, it was evident that the audience no longer felt disillusioned. Rather, there was a real sense of, ‘Yes, we can do this…together.’
Positive feedback such as this is confirmation of the potential impact and momentum that could result from more and more people having the opportunity to see 1.4 Billion Reasons.
Being a Global Poverty Ambassador has afforded me the chance to channel my energy into something that feels significant; a way to reach audiences as well as the world’s poor who will be positively impacted by the movement towards change that the presentation promotes. How exciting to be involved with something that has such incredible potential to change the world.
Roxanne Fox
Click here to book a presentation with one of our Global Poverty Ambassadors or to read more about the programme.
We're currently recruiting for another Ambassador in the Cambridge area. Click here to apply or to recruit someone you know. The deadline for applications is Mon, 14th Nov. |
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