New Seattle Oxfam Action Corps Organizers

Hello Seattle Oxfam Action Corps!

My name is Melissa Watkinson and I am serving along side Francis Ababio as your 2012-2012 Seattle Oxfam Action Corps organizers! We both look forward to working with all the wonderful Seattle volunteers on the great work that is to come for Oxfam Action Corps.

Francis and I both returned from Washington, DC last week where we were in an intense, inspiring, and FUN training to be well-equipped for the leadership roles we will embark on for this coming year with Seattle OAC.  
See, here we are reflecting and summarizing after visiting with our Washington State legislators!

We look forward to meeting all other Seattle Oxfam Action Corps volunteers in the near future. In fact, we will be holding our first meeting on Sunday, June 3rd at 4pm! Keep an eye out for more details in our upcoming newsletter.

Thank you for allowing me to introduce us and we hope to meet all of you very soon!
Be sure to "like" us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oxfam-Action-Corps-Seattle/137097226332214
If you're interested in learning more about Oxfam Action Corps, where there are full bios of all the Oxfam Action Corps organizers, please visit the Oxfam Action Corps America blog - http://oxfamactioncorpsamerica.blogspot.com/
For questions about Seattle Oxfam Action Corps, you can contact us at seattle.oxfamactioncorps@gmail.com

Grow global food justice - join the Oxfam Action Corps in Seattle!

Hey Everyone,

Oxfam America is currently recruiting new volunteers for 2012-2013. If you are interested in joining the Oxfam Action Corps please sign up and spread the word by February 14th at http://www.oxfamactioncorps.org/.

Join the Oxfam Action Corps to support women farmers, fight global hunger, and build a better food system! You will meet great people and work together to change laws that can save lives, defend the rights of the world’s poorest farmers, and protect communities from rising food prices and climate change. You will gain leadership skills, have fun, and change the world!

Anybody can join the local effort! All levels of experience are welcome. You can also apply for Oxfam’s free four-day leadership training in Washington D.C. May 12 – May 15.

This year, we will mobilize for the GROW campaign for global food justice. The women and men in poor countries who struggle to grow enough food to feed their families are facing competition for land and water, rising prices, and climate change. We will call for laws that support women and farmers, sustainable practices, and resilience to climate change, and ensure a better future for people in the poorest regions of the world.

This is a year-round volunteer opportunity, with a deadline of February 14 to apply for the spring training. Find out more and sign up at http://www.oxfamactioncorps.org/  .

Check out this video to see what we are all about:

Seattle supporters get together for GROW campaign

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Seattle, Oxfam Action Corps hosted a training on the GROW campaign. Oxfam supporters and friends from various organizations got together to discuss how best to address the root causes of global hunger, speaking and learing from a wealth of experience and perspectives. Our group included students, retirees, doctors, researchers, musician-moms, and even newlyweds! Thank to all for spending your sunny afternoon indoors with us. Special thanks also to members of the Borgen Project and Global Washington for participating.

We’re looking forward to making an impact together. Anyone who wants to get started right away can click here to download materials to host a World Food Day Sunday Dinner in October, and to sign-up online for updates and invites from the Seattle Oxfam Action Corps.

Ending Hunger Starts with Women: Event marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day

Oxfam Action Corps helped organize and host a great event last night at FareStart restaurant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. Special guest speaker Ms. Prak Souern, a farmer and community leader in Cambodia, spoke of her work organizing for social change. Several Sisters on the Planet ambassaders spoke about what drew them to Oxfam, and invited others to "Become a Sister." Sisters Ambassadors included Linnea Hirst, President of the League of Women Voters of Washington, Makini Howell, chef/owner at Plum Bistro, and Patti Southard with King County Green Tools. Stay tuned for pictures from the event.

Hunger Banquet in Edmonds

In January, Seattle Oxfam Action Corps co-organizer Brook Elliott Buettner spoke at a Hunger Banquet hosted by a high school group (the Edmonds Woodway High School Mixed and Multicultural Club). The club members did a wonderful job of presenting the banquet- the majority of their guests sat on the hard gym floor and ate nothing but a small bowl of rice, while a small number sat at well-appointed tables and were served several courses including lasagna and pie. The local paper did an article about it, telling this little story:

After the meal, discussion questions were posed to the entire room. Club advisor and Edmonds Woodway instructor Kathy Ludgate asked the high-income group why they didn’t offer to share with the other two groups. Immediately a young man rushed over to her with a piece of pie. The room erupted in laughter. One of the discussion leaders asked why he hadn’t made the same move earlier. “Well,” he replied, “what I got just didn’t seem excessive to me. It seemed normal.”

Oxfam Action Corps 2011 Recruitment

Hey Everyone,
Oxfam America is currently in the process of recruiting new volunteers for 2011-2012. If you are interested in joining the Oxfam Action Corps or if you know someone that might be interested, please spread the word and sign up by February 14th at http://www.oxfamactioncorps.org .
You will meet great people and work together to change laws that can save lives, defend the rights of women and farmers, and protect communities from climate change. You will gain leadership skills, have fun, and change the world!
Anybody can join the local effort! All levels of experience are welcome. You can also apply for Oxfam’s free four-day leadership training in Washington D.C.
This year, we will mobilize a political response to the urgent problem of global hunger. The women and men in poor countries who struggle to grow enough food to feed their families are facing competition for land and water, rising prices, and climate change. We will call for laws that support women and farmers, sustainable practices, and resilience to climate change, and ensure a better future for people in the poorest regions of the world.
This is a year-round volunteer opportunity, with a deadline of February 14 to apply for the spring training. Find out more and sign up at http://www.oxfamactioncorps.org .
Check out this video to see what we are all about:

Sisters on the Planet Screening a big success

Thanks to all who attended our screening of Sisters on the Planet and of the Hardest Hit documentary series in conjunction with Meaningful Movies last Friday!

We were also pleased to welcome Rebecca Saldana, an community liaison and environment staffer for Representative Jim McDermott; and Jon Scanlon, Lead Organizer for Aid Effectiveness with Oxfam America.

There were about 100 people in the audience, and 70 signed Sow the Seed postcards demanding that world leaders "tackle climate change, secure food supplies and reduce poverty."

I want to share a moment during the night that helped the importance and effectiveness of our advocacy hit home for me. I was speaking briefly in between the Hardest Hit shorts and Sisters on the Planet. I reiterated that poor communities worldwide are those hit hardest by climate change. Then I asked if anyone had noticed in the videos who were the ones trekking further to collect water and fuel... and every woman in the large crowd nodded her head. It was a reminder of the power of a campaign like Sisters on the Planet to connect women in the developed world with our sisters, around the world, who are suffering.