Stand Up & Take Action: the Great Persuasion

Thank you to all Quakers who took part in this year’s Stand Up and Take Action Against Poverty.

In the UK Quakers were counted in the 108,000 people who took part in activities, including the lobbying of parliamentary candidates in at least 100 constituencies.

Quakers met with parliamentary candidates in 5 constituencies as part of 'Stand Up and Take Action: The Great Persuasion', to ask what action they plan to take on reducing carbon emissions and meeting the UK’s commitments on ending global poverty.

Quakers also wrote to their candidates, held campaign stalls and literally stood up after meeting as a symbolic demonstration of their solidarity with those facing poverty around the world.

Across the globe 173,045,325 citizens gathered at over 3,000 events in more than 120 countries, demanding that their governments eradicate extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest mobilization of human beings in recorded history, an increase of about 57 million people over last year.

Continue lobbying

This is a particularly crucial time to for us to get our views heard by parliamentary candidates as a general election must take place by June next year, and the parties are still writing their manifestos. There is still time for you to write to candidates to express your concern about these issues. Download the Stand Up toolkit for ideas. You may wish to adapt the template letters in it. We need to maintain the pressure on politicians about these issues.
 

For more information about Stand Up see www.standagainstpoverty.org.

For more information on Quaker involvement contact Sunniva Taylor (sunnivat@quaker.org.uk or 02076631047).