OxjamShetlandTakeover Posted April 21, 2012 Report Share Posted April 21, 2012 Are you passionate about Shetland’s local music scene? Do you want to be part of a nationwide, multi-venue festival, help raise thousands of pounds for Oxfam to change peoples’ lives, and have the chance to majorly enhance your career prospects? OXJAM Shetland Takeover wants YOU. Visit http://www.facebook.com/OxjamShetlandTakeover to find out more! An ‘Introduction to the Oxjam Shetland Takeover’ meeting will be held in Islesburgh at 7.30pm on Thursday 10th May. This will be an opportunity to find out more about Oxfam and Oxjam, and what a ‘Takeover’ means for Shetland. You can learn about how you can get involved; be it through volunteering, sponsoring, playing at, or just attending an Oxjam Takeover event. One of the main focusses of the meeting is to recruit 3 key volunteer roles – Oxjam coordinators. These coordinators will be a crucial part of the team, and will be invited to the national conference in June for training and a chance to meet other Oxjammers from around the UK. It really is an incredible opportunity, and you can find out more by checking out the notes in Oxjam Shetland Takeover’s facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/OxjamShetlandTakeover Speaking of the facebook page, in the meantime, please ‘like’ and share with your friends. Even if you yourself are not, please also pass this invite on to anyone you feel may be interested, particularly those who may want to help out. Just by doing that, you’ll be helping to fight poverty and change lives around the world, while promoting Shetland’s music scene, which is a brilliant thing. If you have any questions about Oxjam, please contact myself, Oxjam Takeover Manager for Shetland, on- Ashlea Tullochoxjam.shetland2012@gmail.com or ashleatullochtulloch@googlemail.com 07799281996 / 01595 692326 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OxjamShetlandTakeover Posted May 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 ==TOMORROW NIGHT==Get involved with the Oxjam Shetland Takeover, by attending the introductionary meeting! Invite your friends. Invite your family. This is the best opportunity to fight poverty - through music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OxjamShetlandTakeover Posted May 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 ==MEETING TONIGHT== Come along. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 ==TOMORROW NIGHT==Get involved with the Oxjam Shetland Takeover, by attending the introductionary meeting! Invite your friends. Invite your family. This is the best opportunity to fight poverty - through music. Why is it the best opportunity to fight poverty through music? I am no fan of Oxfam whatsoever and I dread to think how much money is yet again going towards their HQ and all the money they've spent advertising this event nationwide. In fact, I tend to hate most huge 'national' or 'global' charity events; I'd far rather give money to smaller organisations, even to the extent of giving a load of goods to one of my friends on her bi-annual trip to a small village in Africa. As for the best opportunity to fight poverty through music - didn't Band Aid (or was it Live Aid?) that did that? In all honesty, I don't believe that Shetland musicians need someone like Oxfam to tell them how to organise a gig for charity - those I have met appear more than capable of doing it off their own backs and hence no cut going towards some organisation's fancy admin HQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OxjamShetlandTakeover Posted May 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 Why is using music the best way to fight poverty? A love of music brings people together, and using it to do good means that everyone can work towards the same common goal. Most people I know want to help improve the world in some sort of way, but not everyone wants to run a marathon or be sponsored for something. Charity gigs and music fundraisers don’t just raise a lot of money, but they’re also fun. Going to watch a band is great, but going to watch a band while raising money to help people is even better. It saddens me that you are ‘no fan of Oxfam whatsoever’. Why wouldn’t somebody be a fan of an organisation that improves peoples’ lives? The money that Oxfam raise does a serious amount of good. Last year, their emergency and development work reached 14.5 million people around the world. Surely that many lives being changed can only be a good thing? Of course with any organisation, charity or otherwise, you need to spend money to make money. So Oxfam will spend money on advertising etc., but that just generates more income to undertake their important work. If Oxfam didn’t advertise, then nobody would hear about them and nobody would donate. Oxfam, like any other charity, have rules to abide by when it comes to spending money. If you’re interested in where the money goes, I strongly suggest you check out their website. Out of every £1 that Oxfam receive, 83p goes directly to emergency, development and campaigning work. 10p is spent on support costs, and 7p is invested to generate future income. I respect that you ‘hate most huge 'national' or 'global' charity events’. That’s fair enough. But why hate on something that is there in the first place to do good for others? I feel that there are much more justified things to have problems with. It really is lovely that you pass food on to your friend to give to people in need. So surely if you understand that there are people who need help in the world, you wouldn’t hate on a charity that are essentially doing what you are, but on a larger scale? Yes, Live Aid and Band Aid raised a lot of money and a lot awareness to fight poverty, but if you really researched Oxjam at all, you would know that it’s something entirely different… Though there are highly publicised Oxjam gigs with well-known artists, Oxjam is predominantly a grassroots festival. It’s all about local music and the people who support it. It’s about getting everyone in the community together; to put on the kind of event they want to have, to enjoy their own music, while raising money for a brilliant cause. You say that Shetland musicians don’t need ‘someone like Oxfam’ to tell them how to organise a gig for charity. That those you have met appear more than capable of doing it off their own backs. I don’t disagree; I just feel you may have misunderstood some things. Let me explain who I am, why I’m involved, and what I’m doing… My name is Ashlea Tulloch and I am the Oxjam Takeover Manager for Shetland. I’m 19 years old and have lived here pretty much all of my life, and I am very knowledgeable when it comes to Shetland’s music scene. In fact, I am one of those people who were ‘more than capable of doing it off their own backs’. I did. Last year, in aid of Oxfam but working independently, I organised my own charity gig. This gig was one of the highest in attendance of its kind in Shetland, and raised a lot of money to help fight poverty, which I am very proud of. I have also done festival volunteering for other brilliant charities, I’ve helped out at the likes of the Shetland Folk Festival, and I’m an avid local gig goer. I know first-hand how incredible our music scene is, and how generous Shetlanders are when it comes to charity, so I felt passionate about bringing a Takeover to the island and applied for the position I now have. I don’t work for Oxfam and can’t officially speak on behalf of the organisation, but being a Takeover Manager means that I provide the link between Shetland and Oxjam HQ. So there is nobody from Oxfam telling us Shetlanders how to put on a charity event. With the support and training Oxjam provides, we’re doing it completely ourselves. And it’s really something to be excited about! This Oxjam Takeover is potentially so massive for Shetland, and the fact that we’re even involved at all is already generating a lot of interest around the UK. Isn’t it brilliant that we can show off our music scene and what it can do, while helping people around the world at the same time? So regardless of how you feel about Oxfam (although I hope after this you feel encouraged to find out more about how great a charity they actually are – and I’m under no obligation to say that!), instead of criticising what I’m doing, why not support it? The Oxjam Shetland Takeover is a positive project in so many ways, and I really hope you begin to see that. Have a proper look through the facebook page and the Oxjam website, and get interested and excited like loads of other Shetlanders are. Thank you for highlighting points that those who don’t know enough about Oxjam may have – it’s been lovely for me to defend the Shetland Takeover, as I am so proud to be part of it all. Really sorry for the lengthy reply, but you know what happens when you start talking about something you love..! If you have any other questions or comments regarding the Oxjam Shetland Takeover and what I’m doing, please feel free to contact me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 Why is using music the best way to fight poverty? You've missed out "the best opportunity" which was actually the point I was making. Concerning the rest of your post, your reply was pretty much what I expected but whether we like it or not, the more charities that are in existence, be they UK based and solely helping UK people or global, the less Governments will do and take the appropriate steps to address issues. And yes, what do we do in the meantime? In their early days, Oxfam were okay until they decided to adopt the 'corporate badge', etc. I don't blame you for being proud of raising money by organising a gig off your own back and good on you for doing so. You won't change my mind on this occasion though. I'll continue to send clothes and other goods (like water purifying tablets) via my friend when she visits Africa. Incidentally, that village knows first hand what it's like to have large charities involved - they come along for a year or two and then they never see them again, despite the fact they still could do with their help. Now as for the thousands of pounds (How much is it again for a prime time television advert?) Oxfam spend, I'd rather see go direct to the people that need it and likewise, why are they investing such a chunk of their 'income' investing in the likes of pension funds and other dabblings on the stock market? Yes, other charities do the same but not all to the same degree that Oxfam do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fionajohn Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 when someone can give me an honest and complete breakdown of how oxfam money is managed i may support it but by what i have heard less than 10 pence in the pound goes to the needy the rest is absorbed in corporate greed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 when someone can give me an honest and complete breakdown of how oxfam money is managed i may support it but by what i have heard less than 10 pence in the pound goes to the needy the rest is absorbed in corporate greed And I'll doubt if you'll get it because there is no requirement on charities to have their accounts audited so therefore, you have to rely on their figures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerysmae Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising/~/link.aspx?_id=938CD43327384DCEBB80BD5F0946E570&_z=z Break down of costs seem widely available on their website? I think this seems like a great idea! I respect how you chose to give your money, but we don't all have friends we can donate to in that way and Oxfam to me seems like an open and honest charity. Good look Ashleigh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 when someone can give me an honest and complete breakdown of how oxfam money is managed i may support it but by what i have heard less than 10 pence in the pound goes to the needy the rest is absorbed in corporate greed And I'll doubt if you'll get it because there is no requirement on charities to have their accounts audited so therefore, you have to rely on their figures. Oxfam's accounts can be downloaded form a link on this page. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what-we-do/about-us/plans-reports-and-policies Charities have had to have a statutory audit since the Charities Act 2006 made them compulsory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 ^ Cheers for pointing that out to me, much appreciated. That's a step in the right direction, wasn't aware it had come about but pleased it has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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