I am in the Leicester College People and Planet group. This year I was able to attend the P&P conference ‘Shared Planet’ at Birmingham University. I have worked on events such as Go Green Week, a Green Film Festival and Freshers Fair. I organised a stall during Fair Trade fortnight with my friend Divyesh and students from De Montfort University. I contacted local supermarkets to ask for donations of Fair Trade products. I got donations from the Co-op and Sainsburys. I contacted the Fair Trade Foundation to order different leaflets and promotional material. I also contacted the local Just Fair Trade shop and was able to borrow a large inflatable banana for use on the stall. The event was very successful as many students came to the stall to get a free banana or a piece of chocolate. If I was elected I would work to get more People and Planet groups in colleges as our students need to start thinking about issues like climate change. I would come up with fun ideas so that there would be more events going on. I hope I will set an example to motivate other students to do things to make a change.

I’m standing for the MC because I’m passionate about p&p’s campaigning and because I think my experience will bring a lot to the MC. In 07/08 I was president of UCL P&P; as well as organisational & facilitation skills I learnt the importance of co-operating with other groups and having balanced campaigns (e.g. not letting Go Green Week predominate). On Union council, I recognised the importance of good governance by helping to prevent our general secretary’s suspension and the implementation of the “governance review”; all relevant experience to the role of the MC. I realised the importance of involving new campaigners and ensured that several candidates stood for election. I elected, I will continue this approach on the MC; I think we need to do more to publicise the MC so it can be representative of & accountable to the network. I showed that I’m passionate about p&p’s future by co-presenting the workers’ rights proposal at last year’s Forum. I got involved with PANDA at Summer Gathering and Climate Camp and have blogged for p&p since January. I’d love to get the chance to take the next step in my campaigning with our unique student organisation.

I got involved in activism in my first year at Uni due to a rather romantic notion of what it meant to be a student and was immediately hooked. Since then, I’ve been Vice President of Stop the War (at the time, the largest political society in town) and had the opportunity to coordinate the People & Planet group last year. I’ve lead campaigns on a diverse array of topics from renewable energy for university buildings (the outcome of the campaign was a referendum which we won with 75.5% of the vote) to, more recently, pressuring the Uni to pull out of research contracts with arms companies. In fact, as I write this, I’ve just come back from a week-long occupation (it ended successfully, in case you were wondering). I’m running for the MC because I want to try to transplant my local campaigning experience to national, hard-hitting campaigns that can make a massive difference overall. If elected, I want to try to make People & Planet’s network-lead democracy even more accessible than it already is.

I am fully committed to the principles of People and Planet. As a student I have been closely involved in activism through Reading University Campaigns Forum, of which I was the coordinator last year. The Campaigns Forum incorporates many of People and Planet’s existing campaigns along with some others. I have been particularly involved in the Trade Justice/ Fairtrade, Go Green and AIDS campaigns, and this year I have led the Trade Justice campaign. I am really keen to continue with this work and take it to a national level. In July I will be starting as a full-time sabbatical officer responsible for Campaigns and Democracy within Reading University Students’ Union. In this role I will be listening to students’ views and representing their needs, something I would bring to the role of management committee. If elected to the People and Planet management committee, my position as a sabbatical officer would give me great scope for promoting and implementing campaigns relevant to People and Planet through the NUS. If you vote for me I promise to be communicative and responsive to your views and work hard to promote People and Planet at a national level.

I am currently in my 3rd Year of an honors degree in Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews and my 3rd year of involvement with People&Planet. I coordinated the One World society (St Andrews P&P group) in 2006 and went on to be the North Scotland regional representative for P&P in 2008. With this experience I am extremely familiar with the organisation and structure of P&P and I am eager to apply this experience in a new role. There’s nothing I feel is more important to P&P groups than giving them the contagious confidence, knowledge and ability to take the campaigns to whatever levels they choose! This has been a key ambition as a regional representative and I would be very excited to enhance that influence further with a position on the management committee. I have also recently become part of the P&P Scotland Working group. Being based in Scotland and considering the progress I have already made with Scottish P&P groups as regional rep, I am in a suburb position to further the development of this working group and utilise the potential of an actual P&P base in Scotland.

I’ve been involved with P&P since 2004 but have been properly involved with the Leeds Uni group since I started there in 2006. Through campaigning locally as well working with the network at national events, I feel that I have a good knowledge of the workings and strengths of the organisation. At the Forum 2008 I proposed the ‘gender and development’ campaign theme which was a great opportunity to bring some of our members’ ideas forward and see them discussed. These issues have continued to be talked about at subsequent events, which has been amazing. I have recently been elected to a sabbatical position at LUU, which will also involve being a trustee of the organisation. I feel that a position on the MC will compliment this well and that each role would give me skills and knowledge to pass on to the other. I see P&P as one of the UK’s most resourceful, progressive organisations. I am keen to maintain the transparency and accessibility of the whole network for all members, particularly for network-led campaigns and fundraising. I’m also interested to see how much further we can go with interactive internet resources, especially in terms of outreach and promotion.

My name is Helen Penistone and I am 21 years old. I am currently studying for a Health Studies degree at the University of Central Lancashire. It is at while being at University that I have been involved in People and Planet. For the last two years I have held the position of treasurer. I have had a fantastic time doing this and working on the campaigns. I have gained experience of organising events, fundraisers, and campaigning sessions as well as the day to day running of a society. If I were to be elected I would work very hard to increase the impact of People and Planet’s campaigns and to help fundraise.

I love campaigning with P&P, and have enjoyed my time as UCL P&P President. As an active member of the London Region, I’ve made some great friends, taken part in amazing actions and learnt lots about the workings of the network. I have become inspired by the young people around me and how much time, energy and passion students commit to P&P and campaigning. As a finalist, I leave university in a few months, but I’m not ready to leave P&P! Attending events like Summer Gathering inspired me to get more involved in the workings of our amazing network. I have loved every second of campaigning on issues like Kingsnorth, Heathrow and RBS and feel that with my degree finishing I will have more time and energy to take on an active role in overseeing P&P’s work and making important decisions regarding its future. I will bring a fresh perspective to the MC, and will bring new ideas about increasing our democratic decision making process throughout the year. I’m proud to be part of such an amazing body of campaigners, and hope that you give me the opportunity to carry on working within the P&P network through the MC.

“Be young and shut up” was a popular slogan of the May ‘68 Paris uprising that demonstrated and still demonstrates the apathy and disempowerment of youth. If I was to be elected as a member of the MC I would use my experience to advice on the development of the Sixth Form and College network, helping P&P and its campaigns reach more young people. Through grassroots activism young people become empowered global citizens. Currently on a gap year I am volunteering as a Fairtrade Schools campaign co-ordinator (Stratford-upon-Avon) and People and Planet Group Support Volunteer. I have established and supported local Sixth form and college People & Planet groups and co-ordinated Fairtrade School campaigns. Previous to this role I established a People & Planet group at my Sixth form, engaging in a successful Trade-Justice awareness campaign. I also formed and chaired the Sustainability Committee, working towards eco-school status and environmental goals. I am also a member of the P&P Redress Education Working group and Climate Action Network Stratford-upon-Avon (CANS) committee. CANS are now looking to develop a Transition Town initiative, a process that I have been heavily involved in, having attended a Transition Town training weekend.

I’ve really enjoyed my year on the Management Committee and would love to be given the opportunity to continue working on the MC. Over the last four years I’ve been heavily involved in People and Planet as a Regional Rep, Campaign Advocate and currently on the MC and have enjoyed every minute of it. I’m passionate about injustice, passionate about activism and passionate about students. I understand the current issues and dilemmas facing People and Planet and the student movement. My experience within People and Planet and my students’ union gives me an insight that I’ve used to help develop People and Planet.