Volunteering with Oxfam

Helen Bryant has been an active volunteer for Oxfam for several years. She has participated and led many volunteering activities, and her story is truly inspirational to those who really want to get stuck in!

People and Planet Society:

Helen’s volunteering experience starts out with the People and Planet Society, which she set up and ran from Liverpool University, in her final year.

The aim of the society was to bring together students from across the campus, and get them to creatively campaign human and environmental issues.

“We did a lot of fun things, one week we would find ourselves building a six foot paper-mache windmill, to increase the awareness of hydro-electrical power, and then the next week, we would be taking part in a street theatre, educating others on world trade.”

Helen had great success with the society at the university, but she felt that it could go further, so she contacted the local Oxfam group who helped her to reach out to the wider community.

Getting involved with the Oxfam London Outreach Team:

After graduation, Helen moved to London where she found new opportunities in volunteering within the Oxfam London Outreach Team.

In the beginning she got involved in petition signing at the Brick Lane Festival. Helen soon discovered that she could combine her love for music, while actively taking part in promoting awareness for these charity events.

“I have been a big fan of music festivals, even those where you end up covered in mud and missing home comforts, such as a decent toilet!”

It was a perfect match for Helen, as Oxfam had gained the support of a number of musicians and bands, who were helping in their cause.

Helen soon became a committee member of the Outreach Team, which allowed her to support and participate in the development of events such as Feeder, Bell x1 and Richard Ashcroft.

Volunteering at Festivals:

For the past three years, Helen has been volunteering as a steward at the WOMAD (World of Music and Dance), Glastonbury, Big Chill and End of the Road Festivals.

She has found herself doing a range of tasks around the clock, everything from car parking duties, fire watch to making sure that the event is wheel chair friendly.

“At times, particularly what has now become known as the graveyard shift, which involves volunteering from midnight to 8am, things can become tough. But it has been extremely rewarding and an amazing way to make friends, while getting to see a fantastic festival at the same time”

The Queen Mary Oxfam Campaign Group:

As a volunteer co-ordinator at Queen Mary, University of London, Helen discovered that there were many students that were passionate about international issues and who were keen to raise awareness of these.

With no exiting society in place, Helen took up the opportunity (with the support of the London Oxfam office) to set up the Queen Mary Oxfam Campaign Group.

Helen facilitated the group and encouraged students to use their creativeness to come up with imaginative campaign ideas. This included: making candy floss from Fair Trade sugar, to raise awareness of unfair international trade agreements, and by getting messy while decorating biscuits as faces using icing and sweets for the Million Faces Control Arms Campaign.

What’s going on with Helen now?

The London Oxfam Office has recently asked Helen set up the first Oxfam University Campaigns Scheme.

She is now volunteering at their office part-time, involved in promoting Oxfam’s activities within universities throughout London, and the South East.

Her role is to encourage them to run campaign activities and take part in Oxjam (Oxfam’s series of music events that run throughout the month of October.) www.oxfam.org.uk/oxjam.

“My volunteering involvements have given me a fantastic opportunity to develop new skills, gain a greater knowledge of issues and help me make heaps of new friends. I think I can safely say that my passion for Oxfam’s work and my involvement with them will continue to grow.”