New Blog!

We here at Challenges to Change are proud to announce the relocation and redesign of our blog! The new blog is designed to make changing the world easier for you to help with :)! You can find the new blog here! :)

GoFair, promoting Fairtrade

GoFair is an amazing website based on creating awareness of and promoting all things Fairtrade ... Check it out at : http://m.gofai1.wix.com/gofair

Happy 1 year Birthday

Thankyou to all the amazing support - we really appreciate every single bit of it :)

Refugee Week

This week is the National Refugee week. This is event is held to coincide with Refugee Day, which is held on the 20th of June (this week). The theme for this years week is 'Restoring Hope'. Across the country, there are many events being held over the week. To find out on what's happening, visit http://www.refugeeweek.org.au/

12th ODD SOCK WEDNESDAY

Tomorrow marks our 12th annual ODD SOCK Wednesday, our final ODD SOCK Wednesday before Challenges to Change's 1 year ANNIVERSARY! So as usual, tomorrow we're bringing out the odd socks again for those who cannot afford socks at all.....

Foreign Aid Mime

Last weekend, hundreds of youthful V-Genners from around Australia took part in a national mime in capital cities in many states! This mime was made to raise awareness for the broken promise of the Australian Government regarding foreign aid. The mime was a national success, and a big congratulations to the many participants and organizers! For more information on the great works of VGen, visit www.vgen.org/ !

Live Below the Line challenge

This week thousands of people around the world took part in Live Below the Line, a business week challenge where from the 7th to the 11th of May you live off $2 a day for all of your food. The campaign was raising money for children in Papua New Guinea to develop schools. The money raised is around 1.6 million dollars, but donations are still open until June. Want to show your support? Donate at http://www.livebelowtheline.com . Also keep eating Fairtrade Chocolate and buying Fairtrade goods - its the official Fairtrade Fortnight! :)!

Fairtrade Fortnight, Flash Mobs, and Odd Socks!

So first up: the official FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT! From the 5th to the 20th of May, Fairtrade is holding a fortnight full of Celebrating the wonderful work Fairtrade is doing in our world! More details about this event coming in soon, but you can check out the website @ http://www.fta.org.au/node/762 ! Next up, today in Salamanca square in Hobart, young members of the Oaktree foundation gathered and performed a flash mob singing to the song by the Beatles "Revolution!" Almost 100 people took part, and it was a great hit! After the song, Live Below the Line was promoted throughout the square! And last but not least, our annual Odd Sock Wednesday is being held this Wednesday - tell your friends, colleagues, family and neighbors! And don't forget to sign up before Live Below the Line as this is the last week before the event!

Live Below the Line

Lots of you would know that very soon The Oaktree Foundation's businessweek challenge LIVE BELOW THE LINE is coming up. This is a huge and amazing event, that EVERYONE should get involved with.

The rules are simple-live on $2 a day for food from Monday the 7th to Friday the 11th of May.
There are two ways to get involved:
- if you're not up to the challenge, you can donate to someone who is doing it (all funds raised go towards establishing schools in third world countries)
- if you are up to the challenge, do it!

Follow the link to get involved NOW!
http://www.livebelowtheline.com/

Odd Sock Wenesday

This is just a reminder for everyone that our annual Odd Sock Wednesday is being held tomorrow. The rules are simple - wear your odd socks in pride for those who cannot afford socks! This event is held on the first Wednesday of every month. Thanks


PS: We'd love to see some photos on our Facebook page - click the link on the right of this page to go to it!

Earth Hour

On Saturday the 31st of March, this weekend, Earth Hour is being held.
Earth Hour is an event made to create awareness of overuse of electricity and protecting the environment. From 8:30pm to 9:30pm, the idea is that lights, power, TVs, and pretty much everything else electronic that you used is switched off. Light some candles. And be part of something amazingly special. This is an international event, and I think that everyone should hop on board. If you're interested, you can check out the site @ http://www.earthhour.org/

Also, don't forget our next annual Odd Sock Wednesday is next week - would love to see some photos on our Facebook page! So get ready to get out the odd socks next week!

Live Below the Line

Some of your may have heard of live below the line - a business week challenge where the rules are simple - you may only spend $2 on food a day for each of the 5 days! This event is held by the Oaktree Foundation, and we are encouraging everyone to get involved!

Find the website to sign up here.

So sign up and tell your friends to sponsor you and get involved as well!

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who joined in for Fairtrade February - keep on eating Fairtrade chocolate, drinking Fairtrade coffee, and living Fartrade lives.
                     But now its time for our 9th Odd Sock Wednesday. The rules of Odd Sock Wednesday are simple: on the first Wednesday of each month, wear your odd and old socks proudly for those who cannot afford any socks.
Also, if you are a member of our Facebook page (see right), post us a photo of your Odd Socks :)

Our Final Fairtrade February

Thanks for supporting Fairtrade chocolate, coffe shops, and towns over the past three weeks!
But we are now up to the final Fairtrade February challenge: are YOU Fairtrade?

Does your pantry stock Fairtrade coffe? Or Fairtrade chocolate?
Do you purchase Fairtrade products, or support Fairtrade events?
Do you shop at a local Fairtrade grocer? Or buy gifts at an 'Oxfam' shop?

For this final Fairtrade February week, to find out where you can find Fairtrade clothes, food, and lots of different kinds of shops, we are using a wonderful website called 'Fairly local'.
'Fairly local' is like the yellow pages for shops stocking Fairtrade products. You can find the website here.

Thankyou for participating in Fairtrade February, and good luck becoming a Fairtrade person! :)

FAIRTRADE FRIDAY No: 3

Week two - the week of Fairtrade Coffee is drawing to a close, and the third Fairtrade Friday Mission is here: Is your town Fairtrade?
Is your City Council Fairtrade like Launceston in Tasmania?

Why not go and find out - talk to a local politician about the possibility of following Launceston in becoming Fairtrade! Write letters, send emails, respond to surveys, make phone calls, and spread the word! Even better, between your friends, family and neighbours sign a petition and send it off to your City Council!

This week is about eating Fairtrade Chocolate, drinking Fairtrade Coffee, and making your favourite chocolate, your favourite coffee, and your town Fairtrade! :)

Fairtrade Friday No:2

Thanks everyone for eating Fairtrade chocolate over the past 7 days!
Continue supporting the chocolate, but now theres another challenge to take on board: Is your Coffee Shop Fairtrade?

- Does it stock Fairtrade Coffe?
- Do you in your pantry?
- Or Fairtrade chocolate?

If not, go somewhere else for your daily snack. Tell them that you're not going anymore because its not Fairtrade.

SOME POPULAR FAIRTRADE COFFE SHOPS:

(These shops stock Fairtrade products)


HOBART

Devlish Espresso
Oomph!

Know any others, post here or on our Facebook page.

SYDNEY

Thyme
Pulsation
Sugar Bean Cafe
Jamaica Blue
Crunch Cafe
Wild Bean Cafe

Know any others, post here or on our Facebook page.

MELBOURNE


Reel Food For You
Soul Soup Cafe
Cafe 166
Streat
Stax
More Than Fresh

Know any others, post here or on our Facebook page.

BRISBANE


Bleeding Heart
coffee2day
Bunker Cafe

Know any others, post here or on our Facebook page.

PERTH


Piccos Ktichen
Jamaica Blue
Wild Bean Cafe
Healthy Temptations Cafe

Know any others, post here or on our Facebook page.

ADELAIDE


Cikolatte
Wild Bean Cafe

Know any others, post here or on our Facebook page.

Good luck Fairtrade Chocolating and now Coffeeing too...... :)

Fairtrade February Friday No: 1

This February our challenges will be about Fairtrade and how we can get involved with promoting it! Each Friday there will be a challenge for the week ahead, each challenge being like a mission - how can you make your world Fairtrade?

Our first Fairtrade February Friday Mission is chocolate based!
We all love chocolate, don't we?! But is your favourite chocolate company Fairtrade?

Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate is one very popular chocolate range, and it is now Fairtrade! This is the starting point - the part where we come in. What we're going to do is simple: complain to our favourite chocolate companies that aren't Fairtrade! We"redoing to contact them, tell them that we won't eat their chocolates, and complain until they give in!!!!!!

OUR BIGGEST TARGETS:

1: Nestlé
(Kit Kat, Milo, etc.)

Phone numbers:

Head Office - (02) 8756 2000

Consumer Services - 1800 025 361

2: Mars
(Mars Bars, M&Ms, etc.)

To send a feedback form to Mars, visit http://www.mars.com/global/about-mars/contact-us.aspx



Those companies are our two major targets, time to get started!

Have a great first week of Fairtrade February!

Our 8th Odd Sock Wednesday

Tomorrow marks our 8th Annual Odd Sock Wednesday!

This event is also being promoted on our Facebook page.
Click here to check it out.

The rules are simple - wear your odd socks for the day for those who cannot afford socks!

For more info, check out the Challenges page on the right.

Have fun

Oxfam Foundation - Making a Difference

Hi everyone

This post is about another AWESOME foundation called Oxfam.
The Oxfam foundation is like lots of great different organisations bunched into one!
The foundation takes on a heap of different roles in the big march away from poverty; they are promoting social justice, making the world know that everyone in this world needs fresh water and acting on that problem, and have volunteers everywhere! making sure that the world knows that they CAN make a difference!

The website is a much better and thorough way to learn about Oxfam, so check it out here

Challenges to Change - Now on FaceBook!

Do you have a Facebook page or account?

Challenges to Change is now on FaceBook

Our Facebook page will be a new and easier way to see what's happening and how we're making a difference

So come and find our page - tell your friends!

This new way of checking the blog will be easier to view and to promote, as Facebook is a great way of doing both of those things

Also, now you can share your ideas and tell us what you think should happen by posting on our wall

The possibilities are endless

So click the link " Find us on Facebook " on the right, and why not follow us on Facebook