Regional Rep profile: Richard Wyatt
Do you want to get more involved in People & Planet and meet and support amazing student campaigners from Universities and Colleges in your region? Find out more about the fantastic volunteer opportunity of being a Regional Rep.
Rich campaigns with other students from the North West outside Primark during Fairtrade Fortnight
Name: Richard Wyatt
Which region are you Regional Rep for? North West
What inspired you to start campaigning? It was a gradual thing. I was initially concerned about local issues such as tackling local racism and poverty (after the election of the British National Party in my home town). When I went to University my eyes were opened to more global issues. On seeing so many global injustices I felt I had to try and do something about them.
Why did you decide to apply to be a Regional Rep? I had just finished my term as “co-convenor” in the Lancaster P&P group and I felt that I wanted to stay involved in People & Planet, so I decided to apply to be a Regional Rep and here I am!
What has your role involved so far? It has involved a wide variety of activities including arranging a North West Regional Gathering at UCLAN in Preston, co-ordinating a North West action in Manchester against Primark (in Fairtrade fortnight), helping out at Shared Planet, helping at Freshers Fayres, helping with meetings, assisting and taking part in campaigns and just being on hand to support any of my groups if they need me.
What have you most enjoyed about being a Regional Rep? Getting to meet all the groups across the North West has been awesome and the Regional event was good fun too.
What have you least enjoyed? I have enjoyed all of it, but if I have to pick something it would be that I worried too much about my Regional Event, but it all went well in the end!
Who should think about applying to be a Regional Rep? Anyone with experience with P&P and who has good time keeping and personal organisational skills, but most importantly some one who has passion to change the world.
What are you planning on doing next? In the short term I want to finish my Masters, but after that I have no idea but I definitely want to be involved in something which involves making the world a better place.
With many commentators suggesting that apathy is rife amongst young people, what can be done to engage young people in the campaign for social justice? I honestly believe young people do care, this has been proven to me by travelling around the North West and seeing how well all the P&P groups are doing. I have seen how the groups are initiating change at a local level which is having a positive impact on the world as a whole. It is truly inspirational.
Young people need to know that they can change the world and working on local issues can make the whole world a better place. I think P&P has an important role to play in achieving this.
