Bollocks to poverty

This year Eminem, Green Day, Chase & Status and Biffy Clyro headline and we are taking our tax justice campaign to the festival.

Tax campaigning can be fun honest! Don't just take my word for it check out these examples!

Very useful stuff to know about tax:

• Developing countries lose three times more to tax havens than they receive in aid each year

• Tax pays for things like teachers, doctors, clean water and roads

• 1 in 5 of the world’s tax havens is controlled by the UK government. That means our government can play a huge part in ending tax havens.

We’re looking for volunteers to campaign with us and help us raise awareness of this issue. Love music, mud, wellies and warm beer? Hate tax dodgers? Then this is the job for you!

Don't worry you don't have to be an expert on tax to volunteer! We will be giving you all the training and tips you need at the festival.

Biffy Clyro say 'Bollocks to Poverty' at Reading in 2010

If David Cameron tackles tax havens at the G8 summit, it will be an incredible win in the fight for tax justice. But we won’t stop there. We’ll keep going until corporates pay their fair share of tax in poor countries.

Join our amazing crew of volunteers spreading the tax justice message at Reading Festival and sign up to volunteer now!

Deadline for applications is 5pm Mon 29th July.

Hi, I’m Elly Ahimidiwe. I am an Activista from Moshi, Tanzania.

For almost three weeks I have been here in London to participate in the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign, seeking to address the problem of hunger and associated diseases like malnutrition, which is affecting African kids in terms of not growing well mentally and physically.

Last week I got the chance to attend the The Creative Activism Experience, and I was amazed by the way facilitators made us the main actors for the sessions, including different games, energizers, a street stunt competition and so many others!

The Creative Activism Experience crew!

I came to realize that we youth have so many things in common to share. We can learn and be inspired by each other regardless of our different localities.

I was honored to be given a chance to share my experience as a land rights and food security activist from Tanzania, and also to inspire my fellow youth to join the Activista network. The Activista network has given me opportunities to meet different people and to learn many different techniques on how to run campaigns in a more innovative way and less destructive manner.

Here I am sharing my experience of campaigning in Tanzania

The role of social media has been so important for us. It has reduced expenses, at the same time reaching many people. During the training we used our own mobile phones to make videos, taking pictures and at the same time connecting the public through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Our team spread the Food not Fuel message

Back home in Tanzania many youth networks when they want to make a campaign, the first thing comes in their minds is financial support, which has been an obstacle for them fulfilling their mission. But what I have learnt and will take home is that raising awareness does not always mean money to buy a big banner, posters and music system for sound on the streets.

“Through the workshop I learnt that the power of youth isn’t in their muscles but in their creativity and innovation to do things differently”

>> Join Activista - our global youth network.

On Saturday 45,000 people came to the Big IF in Hyde Park in London to send David Cameron and the rest of the G8 leaders a clear message:

“There is enough food for everyone IF you do the right thing!”

And the right thing is? Well, three things actually…

1) Clamp down on tax havens and stop the flow of billions of pounds out of developing countries – money that could be used to end hunger.

Our supporters send Cameron a clear mesage on tax havens

2) Give people in developing countries more control over their land by protecting poor farmers from land grabs and using land to grow food not fuel.

Our corn on the cob choir get the Food not Fuel message out loud and clear

3) Help poor countries make sure that everyone, especially children, have enough nutritious food to eat and support poor families to grow their own food.

To make sure our message could not be ignored, we created an amazing visual petition of spinning flowers with 2 million petals in total, each representing a child who dies every year due to malnutrition.

The Big IF marked the start of a 10-day countdown to the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, 17-18th June. Even if you couldn’t make it to Hyde Park you can still add your voice and help be the generation to kick start the end of hunger.

Lauren Laverne tweeted David Cameron and urges you to do the same!

I recently arrived in the UK to promote the Enough Food for Everyone... IF campaign in the run up to the G8. It’s great to be here to meet UK Activistas and be an ambassador for the campaign against hunger. I also get to see places like Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium! I’ve been involved in many campaigns in Kenya - such as on health, land rights and the importance of tax for the development of our country.

Joy Mghoi is a Social Worker and part of the Activista youth network in Kenya

I became an activist because I want to be a voice for those who are less privileged and don’t have a voice in my society.

Many people have no one to fight for them. But I know I don’t have to be the President of Kenya, or a government minister, to help them. I just have to be me and talk about the problem without fear or intimidation – to say enough is enough and something has to be done. When you finally get heard and you put a smile on someone’s face… that’s bliss.

Why did I join Activista? In everything you do the impact is bigger when you have a group of people with the same goal. Activista gave me a platform to join hands with like-minded people who want nothing but justice.

I just hope that more young people will join and together we can make our countries better places that contribute to a better world.

Joy with fellow Activista Elly and Sara from ActionAid

This is my message for young people campaigning against hunger: this fight has just begun. We should not give up; we are the strength of our nations and the world at large. If we don’t do something now then we are going to face the same issues when we grow old.

Let us be the voice for people who cannot speak for themselves.

Join Joy and other activists at the Creative Activism Experience next week, 6-8 June in London.