Bollocks to poverty

But that’s not the only reason it’s special.

We’ve invited youth activists Elly Ahimidiwe Imbyandumi from Tanzania and Joy Mghoi Mwakisambi from Kenya to join us. So, young people from the UK and Africa will have the chance to share their achievements and ambitions for changing the world.

This is what Activista is all about. We’re a truly global youth network. 25 countries and 1 cause: ending poverty and injustice. That’s because we know that the challenges we face in fighting global hunger and tackling tax evaders are challenges that we face together - from Bolivia to Uganda, from Bangladesh to the UK.

Activistas everywhere are taking on the powerful, and demanding justice. We’re changing the world through rallies, gigs, MP lobbies, street theatre and flashmobs.

Durham Activistas get local MEP onside in debate on biofuels

This event isn’t just about learning from the experts. It’s about getting stronger by taking action together. There’s a lot we can learn from each other.

And The Creative Activism Experience is an experience you won’t forget.

You’ll discover skills you never knew you had, swap facts and make friends. You’ll see things you never imagined, do things you won’t believe, and start something that will go on and on.

You’ll be part of a special group of people across the globe. And who knows? You might change the world.

If you’re at university, then chances are that most weeks you come across people dressed as penguins clutching buckets, organising pyjama pub crawls or asking you to sponsor them to sit in a bath full of beans.

Some lovely students take to London's streets to collect donations for ActionAid

Every year RAG (no, not the stinky dishcloth kind - it stands for Raising and Giving apparently) societies raise millions for charity, and roundabout now is when they decide who to fundraise for.

So, if you’re in a RAG group – please pick us! And if you’re not in a RAG but at university, please nominate us - pretty pleeease!

Here’s why:

1) We’re local AND global

There are loads of amazing charities out there. So do you go for the big international charity tackling massive issues like poverty and justice, affecting a huge amount of people? Or the teeny tiny local charity making a big impact on a local community?

Well with ActionAid you can do both!

We work in over 40 countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas, having a huge impact on the lives of over 15 million people every year. But the way we do this is much more like a teeny local charity; we’re all about community. Instead of forcing decisions on people in developing countries and telling them what’s best, we listen to communities about how we can help.

2) You decide exactly where your money goes

Through ActionAid's Priority Projects, you get to choose a specific community to support, and you’ll see exactly what difference your money makes.

• Raise £100 and you could take 10 children out of forced labour and into education in Pakistan.
• Raise £500 and you could give 10 families seeds to grow food for life in Lesotho.
• Raise £900 and you could provide a school library in Sierra Leone with all the text books it needs.
• Raise £5000 and you could provide an entire village with food for a month after a natural disaster.

3) You’ll get love and attention

We’ll help you out with raiding permits, training opportunities, freebies, fundraising ideas and you’ll get treated like the legends that you are. Plus we have a dedicated RAG officer who’s at your mercy for any requests!

Convinced?
If you think ActionAid is mighty fine and you want some of the money your RAG group raises to go towards our work, then drop us a line!

Just tell us what University you’re at, and we’ll tell you exactly how to nominate ActionAid.

Email our lovely RAG officer camilla.lewis@actionaid.org
 

Check out the full programme for our brand new 3-day summer event - The Creative Activism Experience!

Featuring the amazing 'Street Stunts' workshop with the newly BAFTA winning geniuses from BBC Three's 'The Revolution will be Televised'!

Only two days left to get your £20 early bird tickets here - GO!

>> Download the Creative Activism Experience programme

(If you can't make the Creative Activism Experience, you can still join us at The Big IF from 2-5pm on the 8th June!)

Here’s what happened when the unstoppable Enter Shikari raised £10,000 for ActionAid UK's work on emergencies at their Hatfield show last month, hosted by the lovely Huw Stephens!

The gig was part of ActionAid's Ready for Anything appeal where the UK government doubled everything that ActionAid supporters raised between Feb and May 2013. The appeal has been a HUGE success bringing in a whopping £1,361,149.31, meaning a total of £2,722,298.62 has been raised for ActionAid's work on emergencies!

The unstoppables: Enter Shiakri's Rou Reynolds (left) and Rob Rolfe join Huw Stephens (centre) from BBC Radio 1

A massive thank you to Enter Shikari and everyone at Mythophonic management that helped to make the gig happen. It was an incredible night made unforgettable by the amazing live performances and genuine support for ActionAid.