Students
The Active Collective
Leader: Lily Reid
Meeting time: Wednesday lunchtimes in Room 56
The Active Collective is a group of about thirty dedicated East girls across all year levels whose aim is to promote activism and awareness of current issues within our school.
The Active Collective was started in late 2007 after the topics at the senior speech competition proved that many East girls do actually care about what’s happening in the world! Though we are interested and open to discussing many issues including racism, women's rights, homophobia, war, poverty, the environment, animal rights and youth rights, this year we have mainly been focusing on trade justice and human rights. Every meeting we discuss current issues and do a variety of activities together. We are always keen for new members (particularly juniors), so if you are interested, come along!
News
2009
Protest at the Embassy of Iran
In June the group organised a protest against the censorship of the media and violent treatment of protesters after the national elections in Iran. The protest got national media coverage, with stories on 3 News and in the Dominion Post.
Feminism Talk
At a recent meeting the AC was visited by Anita Easton, who talked to us about the history and relevance of feminism. Anita is a consultant but is very interested in feminism and has conducted several studies on the subject. The talk was very informative and engaging, and though most of the members knew little about the subject initially they came away with a far greater understanding of feminism and why it is important to so many people today.
Fair Trade Week
In Term 2 the AC focussed on promoting Fair Trade with a 'coffee break' which raised nearly $200, a display in the foyer and a screen of 'Black Gold'.
2008
Both Eyes Open
The 2008 election brought up many issues of importance to us. Some of the group attended a banner painting session in Karori, warning people about the risks of voting for a certain political party. Before school on October 15th some of us held up these banners around the Basin Reserve and got supportive toots from cars passing by.
New Noticeboard
Our newest development is gaining our own notice board, where we are able to put up recent news, articles and events for the whole school to see. It is behind the library, by the corridor between the East Wing and Drama Room.
Bracelets for Burma
In Term 3 2008 we responded to the cyclone in Burma by making and selling bracelets to raise money for Christian World Service’s emergency relief effort there.
2007 Oxjam
In 2007 the biggest and most successful event we organised was the Wellington East Girls’ College Oxjam, a concert featuring bands from secondary schools around the Wellington region. We raised $800 for Oxfam and got 100 signatures for Oxfam’s Big Noise petition!
Fair Trade Work
We have been busy this year as well. We have had a speaker from Trade Aid come to speak with us about Fair Trade, which we then followed that up by promoting and selling Fair Trade coffee and hot chocolate to raise money for Oxfam ($112!). This took place in Fair Trade Fortnight, in which time we also put up a display raising awareness of Fair Trade.
Useful Links
A website that has lots of information about events for young New Zealanders interested in global issues, as well as discussion forums.
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