You may have heard of the newest club on campus, Oxfam UVM, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of global issues that women around the world face everday. If you haven’t, we definitely reccomend pausing that Pretty Little Liars episode you may have missed or taking a break from Chem homework to see what UVM sophomore and club co-leader, Courtney Casper, and Oxfam UVM are doing on campus and how they’re making a difference one step at a time!
This is our interview with Courtney:
Who started the club (full names please!) and how many members are apart of the club so far?
I am in the process of starting the club along with former Oxfam CHANGE Leader and UVM junior, David Manago. Alyssa Solomon will be co-chairing the club with me.
Please explain the basic concepts of Oxfam UVM and the events that are coming to campus.
The Oxfam Club at UVM is currently working on GROW, Oxfam’s newest and most daunting campaign yet, which is geared towards trying to end world hunger by 2050, when the world’s population is projected to be 9 billion. The club is meant to be more of an events-based group (because UVM is such a recreational school), and we feel that hosting fun, campus-wide events opposed to doing petitioning or independent policy work would be more productive to the UVM culture/environment.
Two of our biggest ideas are hosting a sponsored rail jam in January and, of course, VoiceJam 2012 in the spring. We are leaving everything else up to the creativity of the upcoming group—this is definitely going to be a year of growth and coming together. This in itself is an awesome thing about the Oxfam Club at UVM—since we are so new, every single member has the opportunity to contribute equally and in their own way.
And on the subject of knowing whether or not Oxfam UVM is right for you—I think an ideal Oxfam UVM club member would be someone who is compassionate and driven, but is also creative, open-minded, and socially oriented. So much of what we will be doing as a club is going to involve things like networking, group collaboration, and just talking to lots of people.
How did the idea of bringing Oxfam to UVM come about?
Great frequently asked question! I guess one thing you should probably know about me is that I’m also a member of The Cat’s Meow, UVM’s all-female a cappella group. Around February of last semester, I was pretty much just surfing around online looking for different causes that our group could put on a benefit a cappella show for, and happened to stumble across Oxfam America’s Sisters on the Planet.
The Sisters on the Planet were sponsoring one hundred events across the country in celebration of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day in March. So I registered us to do an a cappella benefit show to raise money for Oxfam. Over the course of a month, the small-scale concert turned into something more than I could have even imagined at the time.
As I spread the word about the event, more and more people became interested in the cause, and I brought in a handful of local musicians to perform, as well as local artists to collaborate for the event. Hence, VoiceJam for Oxfam was born. With an incredible turnout and a sense of accomplishment after the event, I decided to apply for the highly competitive Oxfam America CHANGE Initiative Training, and was accepted. After completing my training this summer, I was inspired to bring Oxfam to UVM.
How do you feel this club is different from others that have similar goals regarding poverty and hunger.
I really believe the difference between the Oxfam Club at UVM and others with similar goals is that we are putting a huge effort into the development of a strong relationship between both the club and the greater campus. My vision for this club is not just that it succeeds in its campaigning and fundraising goals—but also that we are able to educate the UVM student population through the events we do in an stimulating, innovative way.
What publicity have you used in the past to make your club a huge success?
We have become masters of online social media (i.e. Facebook and Twitter). Information that goes up on Facebook especially spreads like wildfire—and it’s awesome to watch. When we all put our hands in together, our reach is virtually infinite. It’s pretty amazing how accessible these resources are to us in this day and age.
What are the most difficult aspects of running Oxfam UVM?
Definitely just getting the club going. Between all the SGA paperwork, tabling, organizing a ListServ, planning meetings, trying to get everyone on the same page, The Cat’s Meow, AND a social life—it’s hard work balancing it all! Time management is the greatest challenge in college. But it’s so worth it; I couldn’t be happier.
What are the more positive aspects of running Oxfam UVM?
Bringing Oxfam to this campus and getting other students involved with it the way that I am gives me such a feel-good buzz. The best part of it all though is the school that I get to bring the organization to—UVM itself. The University of Vermont has this incredible energy, and through VoiceJam 2011, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when students channel that energy into something they’re passionate about. The anticipation of what’s to come is contagious as well. I know each new club member is going to bring something unique to the group, and I’m eager to see what happens!
How do you, as an individual, plan to demonstrate leadership in the club?
More than anything, I plan to be an ultimate resource for the club. Alyssa and I will be facilitating the meetings together, but I really hope for a situation where members can feel equally important. I also hope to lead by example. I put myself out there on a daily basis—I talk to everyone and I’m never afraid of embarrassing myself. I know sometimes the things we are going to be doing will feel like taking risks for some members. It takes a LOT to get in front of the community and your peers to talk about social issues.
However, it’s something I love to do, and the UVM community genuinely loves to hear about it. By developing a sense of trust within the group, I think this challenge of speaking out is going to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of the club.
In your own opinion, how much of an impact do you believe the club has already had on UVM and the community?
I believe the club has already has already had a great impact on the UVM campus. Through VoiceJam, [a benefit concert put on last year for Oxfam], we were able to raise awareness of some of the issues we’ll be focusing on for the first time, and we had about four weeks to plan the event. VoiceJam was also a perfect vehicle for getting the organization out there. Now plenty of people have heard of Oxfam, which is a big piece of the battle.
To become involved with Oxfam UVM, contact Courtney Casper at ccasper@uvm.edu or just write on their facebook group for more information!
Get familiarized with Oxfam UVM with the following resources: