FAN Club Profile, Danny Chivers, February 2010
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Name: Danny Chivers
When were you involved in People & Planet / Third World First (3W1)? I first came to Shared Planet when I was helping to run the Green Action society in Manchester in 1998 (I think). Then I got mixed up with the Oxford P&P group when I did my Masters here in 2005-06. Most recently, I organised a words and music fundraising tour for P&P called “Verbal Remedies”, with the support of local groups at ten different Unis.
What are you doing now? How did you get there? I’m a freelance environmental researcher, writer, activist and performance poet. I got here by skipping from job to job, avoiding full-time work wherever possible, building up a strange selection of different skills and then realising that being able to devote time to the things that matter is far, far more important than having spare money. Last year, I quit “normal” work for good and now cheerfully scrape a living on bits and bobs of weird and wonderful work whilst mainly being a campaigner.
What inspired you to start campaigning? I was woken up to environmental issues by my A Level Biology teacher, Mrs Lewis. I was woken up to the need to take political action by a number of amazing fellow students at Manchester Uni, back in the day. I ended up doing a decent chunk of my degree sat in a treehouse at the Manchester Airport anti-runway protest camp…
What impact has being involved with P&P/3W1 had on you? It’s always been about Shared Planet for me – it’s such an incredible and inspiring gathering, and a great place to kick-start important campaigns. I think I’ve only missed a couple since they started – every year, I find a more tenuous excuse to go along. The last couple of times I’ve been performing, which has to be the best blag yet.
Describe your most memorable P&P experience / biggest success as part of P&P/3W1? It’s got to be the Verbal Remedies tour. We brought together fantastic political poets and musicians from all over the country, held some really great events, and raised £1000 for P&P – thanks so much to all the brilliant network members who helped out!
What problems have you faced in your campaigning + how did you overcome them? There’s too much that needs doing! I spent a lot of time drifting from issue to issue and group to group, getting caught up in different campaigns and maybe not being as effective as I might have been. Then, in 2006, I went to the Camp for Climate Action near Drax, and was totally blown away by it. The Camp is now one of the main things I spend time on, and I honestly feel it’s one of the most important and effective things going on in the UK. Finding the right group of people to work with is probably the most important part of being an effective campaigner – I reckon that’s part of the secret of P&P’s success, you’re so good at bringing student campaigners together to work on important issues.
What can be done to engage young people in the campaign for social justice? The information, the opportunities and the inspiration all need to be there. I really feel we’re not doing enough with music, performance, arts and comedy – all excellent ways to reach out to people and inspire them to become active. But then, I would say that, wouldn’t I…
What do you think is the most pressing issue in the UK today? What issue keeps you awake at night? Climate change is utterly terrifying. But it doesn’t keep me awake at night, because I feel as though I’m part of a growing movement of amazing people who are doing something about it. Despair is a luxury we can’t afford, but luckily it can be easily cured by getting together with like-minded people and taking collective action.
What are your ambitions for the future? To be part of a successful international movement for climate justice. To keep writing and performing for as long as it’s still fun. To never reach an income level where I need to start paying back my student loan.
Danny is currently co-writing and presenting a series of short films called The A-Z of Climate Change
