Live Below The Line 2015 - Prep Time!

It's that time again! Time to start preparing for Live Below The Line 2015! Last year I did it for The Hunger Project UK and raised over £150, you can read about how I got on right here at Project52.





This year I'm doing it for Unicef (Unicef.org.uk) and fingers crossed I'll make my target of £200

I won't lie to you: It was hard! I'm used to huge plates of food and being able to graze on snacks whenever I want to, all of that goes out of the window when you have to weigh out your food and calculate the cost per portion so you know if you can have that extra cheap rich tea biscuit as an evening snack, but that rumbling tummy reminds you of just how the people who will benefit from your funds raised feel on a regular basis. Five days isn't a long time to go without the luxury of convenience foods, especially when on day six you can treat yourself to your favourite foods knowing that it's all over for the year, but for those who are living in poverty, it's a lifetime without the things that others take for granted.

So here I am, prepared to do it all again for a good cause. wish me luck!
- See more at: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/vegankitten
you can also follow me on my other blog, femveggeek.wordpress.com  to see what I do when I'm not working on Project52!

Compassionate Christmas Guides

Compassionate Christmas Guide

Ideas for a Compassionate Christmas - Project52 | Create Infographics

I Want To Talk About ..... The Other Faces of Hate Crime

I Want To Talk About .... The Other Faces of Hate Crime - A Project52 investigation

In a change to the usual Q&A features ran by Project52, I chose to draw on my own experiences and produce my own investigation into a subject close to my own heart.

"The Other Faces of Hate Crime"


If you asked any person on the street, most would typically answer that racism is what hate crime is. They would be correct in this, as racism is a form of hate crime, but it is not the only kind. There are hundreds of kinds of discrimination in this world, many of which fall under 'hate crime'. The most predominant after racism are disability, LGBT and sub-culture discrimination. This investigation focuses on the latter two.

In a recent survey held by Project52, the majority of replies came from individuals who were of legal age for gay or lesbian relationships in countries where it is not illegal to be gay. It is unfortunate but there are countries where even the suspicion of being gay could equal a death sentence or prison term. These individuals would also have been active in LGBT or sub-culture lifestyles prior to and post the death of Sophie Lancaster, of whom the charity 'The Sophie Lancaster Foundation' is based upon. It was helpful that the responses came from individuals who were around at this time as they would remember what life was like in the before and after, predominately in the last ten years. 

For myself, as an individual who chose to dress in a manner that reflected my musical preferences, aka sub-culture; goth, rocker, mosher, emo. I remember what it was like to not be able to walk out of my own front door alone without a stranger on the street shouting 'mosher' at me. For wearing a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt or vest top. Hardly exposing or risqué clothing, yet it brought me ridicule for it. I consider myself very, very lucky that nothing worse ever happened to me beyond name-calling, as so many people were not so fortunate. I don't recall it ever happening when I was accompanied by somebody, perhaps that second or third person would put them off doing so for the repercussions.

Eventually I stopped wearing the baggy jeans, so as not to draw that unwanted attention and to be able to fly under the radar of local thugs. Didn't stop me wearing any other items of clothing associated with being a 'goth' or 'mosher', but I would save most of those for nights out with friends. Today my main dress is a mix of trendy, emo and geeky, but as I am in my work uniform 5 days a week, it is rare that I am in the streets of my home town in my own clothes. This, I believe has reduced the incidents that I have suffered myself in recent years.

My own experiences may seem hardly relevant to the topic at hand, but if anyone reading this has no experience of being under distress caused by others for the 'crime' of being yourself, it is important to understand what it can be like for the rest of this piece to make sense to you.

Going back to the results of the Project52 survey, a large percentage of those who did answer are based in the north-west of England, which is where I was born and am still based, and is also where Sophie Lancaster was born, raised, lived and was murdered. This means that they will have an awareness of what went on.

I know some of you who have kept on reading this far will be thinking, "who was Sophie Lancaster? why is she important?" Well, Sophie in many ways was just like me or you. Sophie liked going to the cinema, dying her hair and listening to rock/alternative music, she liked to write and would have gone on to university had she lived.  Sophie would also do all she could to support her friends and loved ones. I do not wish to romanticize the image or idea of Sophie, as that would be against the wishes of The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, as while it was set up in memory of Sophie, it would detract from their main goal and turn her memory into a commodity.  I will add that Sophie was also a friend of a friend whom I met myself once or twice. As time goes on, the details of our conversations do fade away, but I still remember this tiny girl with long dark hair who loved rock music.

The Sophie Lancaster Trust was set up by Sophie's mother, Sylvia Lancaster and supported by Sophie's boyfriend, Rob and closest friends, following her death in August 2007.  Sophie, herself had suffered verbal abuse on several occasions due to the way she dressed and wore her hair, as she was what they called a "mosher". One evening, Sophie was on her way home after a night out with her boyfriend, Rob, when they were attacked by a small group of men for being "moshers". Rob was very badly beaten but survived, but Sophie was kicked to death simply for being herself. Those who took part in the survey by Project52 will be aware of her story, but beyond those individuals, thousands upon thousands will not know what happened or why it is important to teach others to be tolerant and understanding of those who are different to themselves.

The foundation's motto, which uses Sophie's name is "Stamping Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere". Their goal is to have the law changed through out the UK, to have sub-cultures added to the list of hate crime or discrimination, so that any attack for being of a sub-culture would carry a harsher sentence as it would do for racism. It is not hard to spot supporters of the charity as their wristbands, in black with 's.o.p.h.i.e.' printed on them in silver can be easy to spot and recognise. I myself wear mine everyday, and have even had people ask me about it, which is wonderful as raising awareness will always go a long way. Of the three groups that this piece and the survey focussed on, it is in the middle, while still quite young, but has made the biggest impact within the sub-culture community.

The Kaleidoscope Trust was founded in 2011 and was given charity status in 2012, making it a youngster in how long it has been operational, but as it has projects in other countries, it has quite a far outreach. The trust does aim to support LGBT or LGBTQ individuals in countries where it is dangerous to be so, whether that is in public or private. It is important that their goal comes true, for those who worry about immigration, think of it this way: If The Kaleidoscope Trust are successful in their end goal, the amount of people seeking immigration to the UK, USA or Australia would fall as the risk to their life would significantly reduce.

Finally, Stonewall, were founded in 1989, in order to fight a piece of UK legislation, known as section 28, which was against the 'promotion' of homosexuality in schools. Namely, to make schools teach pupils that it was wrong to be gay or bi-sexual. They are quite well known in the UK due to their campaigns and lobbying for LGBT rights. A Q&A session with a member of the Stonewall team was published recently here on the Project52 a year blog.

Those who did take part in the survey, as there were 60 of you, will recall that I asked about three charity or support groups, these were The Kaleidoscope Trust, who aim to support LGBT people worldwide, Stonewall, who focus on LGBT in the UK, and The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, who do include LGBT in the sub-cultures that they aim to help, making all three interlinked in their goals for all to be free to be who they are inside and out.  

Based on the results, a whooping 85% have suffered some kind of discrimination, whether for being a member of the LGBT community, a sub-culture community or both. For over 50% of those who took part, this is a problem in recent years, but what I find even worse is that for nearly 15% of respondents it is an ongoing problem that has not changed at all in the past ten years to present day.

However, for 25% it appears that life has gotten easier for individuals, whether that is due to being out of school, where bullying can be quite high and into the workplace where there are rules in place to protect staff from discrimination, or if they have moved to more accepting areas is unclear. For those 50% that are still suffering, it is clear that the work done by Kaleidoscope, Stonewall or Sophie Lancaster foundation is far from over.

Verbal abuse is the most predominant form of discrimination, as noted by 77% of those who answered this question in the survey, as well as evident in my own experiences as mentioned earlier. The remainder appear to have suffered some kind of physical assault, such as a punch, beating or mugging, but whether this is more recent or further back in time is unclear.

As a final question, I asked the survey participants if they would step in to help if they saw a case of discrimination happening in front of them, of which I am pleased to say that 88% said  yes they would try to help, most likely by reporting it to the police or by stepping in themselves.

In summary, it is clear that the UK, or even the world at large has a long way to go in becoming more accepting of peoples rights to be individuals, I only hope that it can start now, so that if I was to do this again in another ten years, all my answers would be in the past and not present day. In the meantime, I will continue to wear my s.o.p.h.i.e. band with pride.

For more information or to support the charities mentioned, please visit: http://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/
http://kaleidoscopetrust.com/
http://www.stonewall.org.uk/

May - Choose your cause

So far here at Project52 we have looked at helping causes through donation, sponsoring animals, helping the homeless, animal shelters and letter writing campaigns. Which is fine if you are like me, but you are not me, you may be nothing like me, as you are you. your own self. So what are your causes?

Are you an animal advocate? An humanitarian? Do you follow environmental issues? Are you more of a Medical research enthusiast (more charities and foundations focus on medical research for disease or disability than any other cause type), conservationist, children's charities, or seek for others to have the right to be an individual?

Or, are you still undecided? It is fine to be undecided, as then if you do choose to get behind a cause it will be of your own free will, and not because a parent or partner believes in it.

The big question around it all is this: "What gives us the right to decide? Is a dog's life more important than a cow's? What if that cow, saved from slaughter saves the life of an owner's child one day by raising the alarm that help is needed or by using body heat to keep them warm? Is a child more important than a dog? what if that child grows up to become a serial killer, and the dog, if given a second chance, saves an owner from a house fire? sniffs out a bomb/drugs?  The difference between an ex-convict and a newly graduated student? The student could end up doing nothing to benefit society at large, but the ex-convict could live by example and help stop others following his/her path. Who are we to say which life has the most value?"

While each month here at Project52 focuses on different actions or umbrella groupings for causes eg homeless aid could be shelter, therapy, food donation - these are all separate methods of helping the end cause.  This month [May] shall take a slight change of direction by looking at different examples of some of the causes listed above, such charities and foundations that campaign for others to have the right to be individual or LGBT groups, and rather than making larger active gestures towards those causes over the month, smaller acts will be made instead due to the varying nature of May's focus.

As well as discussing some of the support groups and charities that are aimed at LGBT, myself and a friend who I have invited to guest-blog, will also be talking about M.E. as it is a serious, debilitating disability, but so little is known about it, as it is an 'invisible' condition. May 12th is M.E. Awareness Day, and here at Project52, I am proud to support it. If any of the readers of Project52 have any comments or thoughts on M.E, please get in touch! You can do this through the contact me option on the left.

On top of this, I will also be looking at other lesser recognized conditions, but these will pop up as the month unfolds.

**Content published during May 2014 are the sole thoughts, political and ethical beliefs of the author and are by no means connected to the charities, foundations, researchers or other trademarked groups and are not intended as defamation of character of said groups and causes**

Spotlight on..... RSPCA Charity Shops

Spotlight on .... RSPCA Charity Shops

The focus on this Q&A session is to examine the work and role that charity shops have to play in supporting a charity network.

With thanks to: Lauren, Assistant Manager at RSPCA Chorlton Charity Shop

**the views contained within are those of the individual, and not representative of the RSPCA themselves as a registered charity**

The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals has existed since June 1824 where it was founded by a group of like-minded individuals based in London. It has since then grown into many chapters through out the UK. As the charity relies on public donations and public support to carry out its work, how long has the charity shop chain existed for and how does the charity shop chain support raising funds for the RSPCA Manchester & Salford Branch? 

The RSPCA Manchester and Salford branch is independent from the national RSPCA, and so is responsible for its own financial well being. Our four shops based in Chorlton, Didsbury, Urmston and the Northern Quarter provide a sizeable amount of income for the charity to help fund the animal rehabilitation and rehoming work the branch undertakes. The shops also help to keep our charity in the public eye, which is important because it inspires people to help us directly with cash donations.

As there are hundreds of charities based in the UK with different goals at heart through out the country, many of which use charity shops to raise funds for their own goals, this means there is competition on the high street for premium foot fall locations and for attracting attention from passers by to either donate goods or to purchase from the vast variety of wares on sale in any of the shops. What does the RSPCA Manchester & Salford Branch’s shops chain do in order to stand out from the crowd?

Our shops work hard to make sure they appeal to the general public and have the advantage of working for a highly popular cause: animals! I think the RSPCA Chorlton shop’s most important tool for standing out from the crowd is the window. We display the highest quality stock for passers by to take notice of, and try to make sure we're catering for all age groups. We even follow themes of popular holidays such as Christmas, and our personal favourite Halloween! Not only does the window give us a great opportunity to showcase our best stock and reasonable prices, but it lets our donors know that we really do make the most of the things they generously hand over to us.

What is the handling system for donations? could you talk us through what happens to an item from the point of where it is donated by a member of the public to the end point (sale). 

All of our donations are first checked for any imperfections that may make them unsalable. They are then sorted into departments and prepared for pricing. Bric-a-Brac is sorted and cleaned along with books and toys to be priced on the shop floor. Clothing is taken upstairs to be hung and steamed ready for pricing. Each item of stock has to be individually priced to ensure we maximise the amount we can raise whilst at the same time providing a fair and attractive price to the customer. We also receive money for recycling a variety of damaged items that cannot be sold.

Could you describe for our readers what a typical day at a charity shop is like? 

There is no such thing as a typical day at a charity shop! It's part of what makes the job so rewarding and exciting. You never know who might walk through the door, or what kind of donation you'll receive. A plan for the day is often made in the morning and by the afternoon it may have totally altered because someone has brought you their entire worldly possessions which need to be processed immediately or you'll fall behind. You need to be able to work fast and adapt to the constant changes around you, which makes it so much more interesting than any other type of retail work. 

During your time working with the RSPCA Manchester & Salford Branch, have there been any high points that sets working for a charity shop apart from working in other types of retail environment? 

One high point definitely springs to mind, but it started off as one of the lowest points I've had during my time with the RSPCA. I arrived at work one Monday morning to find donations piled up in the shop doorway, which isn't anything out of the ordinary. As I reached the bottom of the pile I saw a pet carrier, and my immediate retail reaction was 'I could probably get £5 for that'. Instantly my thoughts changed to 'I hope there's not an animal in there'. Lo and behold, as I picked up the pet carrier I found a very large cat staring back at me. As a shop worker I rarely find myself having difficult personal experiences with the animal side of the charity, and I was so sad to find such a lovely animal had been stuffed in a box and dumped on our doorstep. It was during a particularly busy period for our charity, and with the cattery and foster homes full we had to keep him in the office upstairs until there was room for him elsewhere. During this time we managed to transform Laurie the office cat from a timid hideaway into a confident puss who came to us for headbutts and treats. It was such a pleasure to help look after one of the animals in the charity's care, and I'm pleased to say he has now been rehomed! 

If there was anything you could say to the readers of Project52 to encourage them to make more use of the services provided by a charity shop, what would that be? 

Charity shops have come a long way in recent times and they work hard to offer a contemporary retail experience. For example, they offer a clean and comfortable shopping experience and, thanks to the generosity of the general public, offer high quality stock at affordable prices. This means that shopping for pleasure and necessity is something you can still enjoy given the current economic climate, all the while lining the food bowls of needy animals!

Finally, thank you for taking part in today's Q&A session from myself, and also thank you on behalf of the readers of Project52 for working hard to help support the raising of funds for the RSPCA to help the animals of the UK.

**the views contained within are those of the individual, and not representative of the RSPCA themselves as a registered charity**

week 2 - spare stuff Donation

This week I am planning to have a clear out of all my belongings that are either under the bed or in the spare built in wardrobe in the other room (used as a secret library and craft storage space) and donate to charity anything I know I will not use or be able to pass on to my craft inclined friends. Examples including soft toys, candles, nick knacks will be out, sewing materials, and letter writing materials will stay as I will need those for my planned February activities. My preferred Charity shop is the PDSA who help those with low incomes get veterinary treatment for their pets.   If you donate to a charity shop, please consider signing up to their gift aid scheme and also for email updates as this saves them time and money on declaring any monies raised from your goods donation.

Donate Unwanted Goods to Charity Shop

Monday update: 

I have just sent a very small donation in to a rescue group called Brandy Keg kennels Dog Rescue, who aim to save dogs from the kill list (get put to sleep after a set time) into their own small no-kill shelter and foster scheme.  The group has hit a dry spot with their own efforts and so any penny will help them. If you would like to take part in the Facebook donation drive, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/389238157878457/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Hello!

Hi there!

Welcome to 'Project 52'.

I decided to start this blog late in December 2013 after thinking about all the charity campaigns aimed at those less fortunate around Christmas time. Well, that's all well and good to do something nice for Christmas time, but what about the rest of the year? And then I thought about how much some of these charities who campaign at Christmas ask for, many of them I could not afford to donate as much, so how could I do something nice that would still benefit another living being, human or animal without making myself poor in the process?

With that in mind, I decided to create 'Project 52' by way of sharing my ideas, plans and mini activities I will be setting myself to accomplish every week for the next year. Each of these will be in mind with the goal of doing something to make a the world a better place one moment at a time, starting with the world around me.

I am inviting bloggers from around the world to take part in 'Project 52' to share their own planned activities and events calendars (where applicable) so hopefully you, those who are reading this will be inspired to take part on one or more of the activities under taken.

If you would like to take part as a guest blogger, please get in touch!

I hope you enjoy the project and are inspired to do something good in your area.

Take Care,
love, Veg*n Kitten