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Events
Listed below are just a few of the OWW events taking part this year.
Like OWW? You may also be interested in these events...
How to do a OWW Event
Welcome to our 'Doing OWW' pages!
Our new hand book "Piecing Together One World" draws together 30 years' experience of putting on OWW events together with the latest insights from the recently completed Ubuntu project (2011) and is an easy to read guide to everything you need to know about putting on a OWW event
The key to a successful OWW lies in having clear objectives, careful planning, good teamwork and events which involve and inspire your community in celebration, learning and action.
Whether you have been running a OWW for a number of years as part of an established group, or are an individual wanting to get started, the following pages are designed to help you make the most of what you choose to do.
Whatever you do, be green! Because we need a sustainable planet to underpin all the improvements we seek. So, please strive to make your event environmentally friendly, by raising the awareness of everyone involved to: minimise waste, pollution and water consumption; encourage use of modes of transport which minimise environmental impact (e.g. tell people how to get to your event by public transport); choose environmentally friendly options for serving food and drinks and re-use and re-cycle all waste and unwanted products.
Good luck with your planning for your OWW event!
All the best from the OWW office.
Visit the following pages:
Involving new people and forming a local OWW group
What could you do to mark One World Week 2012?
Sharing Destiny- Moving towards One World
There are so many ways to do a OWW event. Here are some suggestions to inspire you.
Tell everyone you know that 20 – 28 October is One World Week. From mother and toddler groups, to work places, schools, colleges and even the gym, everyone can do something big or small. Every event counts.
Work with other organisations
You don't have to do it all by yourself! In 2012 find out which local groups are concerned specifically with elements of the theme: environmental issues and climate change will figure in any consideration of our destiny and refugee and immigrant groups are people moving towards a new destiny. See if there are local groups related to the following organisations who would be glad to share their resources and ideas at an event about climate change and refuees:
- the Fairtrade Foundation has local "Fairtrade Town" groups and "Fairtrade Schools" and they would be interested in exploring how Fairtrade is helping farmers to adapt to climate change
- the World Development Movement is campaigning on issues related to climate change and has local groups around the country who would like to work with you;
- OXFAM, Christian Aid, CAFOD, Traidcraft and Practical Action all have local Groups, Committees or speakers that you could explore working with and, on their websites, they have downloadable resources related to climate change which you could use.
- the Red Cross and Refugee Action are national organisations with local branches.
- you may find local organisations actively supporting migrants.
The following ideas would be appropriate to this year's theme.
Climate change witnesses
Do you have in your community or locality people who have relatives living in parts of the world that are currently experiencing the impact of climate change? Could you ask them to obtain photographs or statements about what is happening, how it is affecting them and how people are responding? Would they be willing to share these witness accounts at an event or contribute them to an exhibition?
This kind of close association of the impact of climate change with local people would be likely to attract a lot of interest, convince doubters and really bring home the reality of climate change now and the urgency for all of us to reduce our contribution to global warming and work to increase the effort to help people adapt to a situation that they have not caused. The local Press might be interested too! We'd certainly be interested at the OWW Office to hear how you get on.
Food
Hold a shared evening supper, lunch, coffee morning or even a breakfast before work. Invite friends, neighbours and colleagues new and old. Highlight fair-trade, local and organic food and drinks and their role in living for the planet and its people. Use our Grace Across Faiths resource to add an inter faith dimension.
Have a multicultural meal with recipes from the different cultural groups in your locality.
Walks
Gather people together to walk through the town, giving out One World Week leaflets and showing solidarity with thousands of others who are concerned for the future and working to combat climate change and finding ways of building a sustainable world with peace and justice for all its people. Plan prominent places for the procession group to stop & reflect and take action, making a statement surrounding the theme. Invite local media to cover the event.
Talks/discussions
Invite key speakers from different faith groups to speak on how their faith responds to the idea that we should try to influence the future and try to eradicate poverty and protect the natural world and its resources for future generations. What common ground is shared across different faiths? How have other OWW supporters around the world, gathered people together to work for a common cause? How could you use our themed presentations as a focus for discussion groups and further inspiration for action?
Inter cultural celebrations
Cultural music, dance and poetry are great ways to involve members of your community in gathering together and celebrating diversity. Invite local schools, scout groups and faith groups to participate in an evening of entertainment. Invite everyone to write a OWW pledge about what they will do to help create a caring community, or join in with an existing campaign, or alternatively, to create one that is relevant to your community.
Inter faith events
Invite members of faith communities different from your own to come and talk about how their community is adressing issues of climate change, poverty, hunger and injustice in the world. Use OWW's Islamic and Christian Perspective Presentations as starting points to introduce these two faith perspectives.
Sports
Friendly matches or fierce competitions between parents and children, or employees and employers, can be a fun way to bring people together. Ask a prominent member of the community to open the event. Using the theme, ask everyone to reflect on what they can do to 'create a sustainable way of living. Raise money for OWW or for another charity that is helping people adapt to climate change and alleviating poverty and injustice in the world.
Worship
Encourage your faith community to look at ways of "valuing and understanding the world and those who live in it", at home, in the community and in the world.
A great way to widen out the walls of your building is to link up with others by having a live phone interview, as OWW supporters did in Ulverston Methodist Church. They used a mobile phone and amplifier and asked people in churches in Australia, Estonia and America to lead intercessory prayers with the congregation and then talk on topics related to the theme. "It was a most moving experience to be led by someone thousands of miles away...it really did make us feel part of one world" (Rev.T.Wells).
One World Week is your chance to join thousands of others...
• to explore the links that bind us to our fellow men and women, so that we can work with them for justice and peace and a greener future for all
• to celebrate the richness and diversity of belonging to one world
• to recognise our responsibility to care for the earth, share its resources fairly and use tham sustainably to ensure they are available for future generations to use intheir turn.
• to challenge whatever keeps barriers between us intact or strengthens them
• to reach out to all members of the community
• to bring issues of justice and peace to the centre of family, school and community life
We can't change the world overnight - or even in one week - but we can make a start.