We are immensely proud of this achievement and acknowledge that it would not be possible without the continued support and enthusiasm of those who resonated with One World Together’s mission of creating a trust-based funding approach in development. Put simply, our Global Citizens want to see their donations reach communities directly and One World Together provides the platform to do so.
Today, we’re diving into the incredible power of change-makers and their potential to ignite lasting, sustainable change in international aid systems via the power of community.
As the Community Director and the Community Space Lead at One World Together, we are thrilled to share with you how One World Together is paving the way to make a real difference!
Humans have a natural inclination to fix problems, especially when those problems affect our communities. When it comes to tackling community issues, the best solutions often come from those who live within those communities. But here’s the catch – traditional aid systems in the development sector have tried to impose solutions from “outside” the community leading to unintended harmful consequences. It can hinder progress and make sustainable change an elusive goal. This is why we firmly believe in solving major issues requires empowering local communities, not fostering dependency on external organization because local organisations such as our partners intimately understand the unique challenges, strengths, and dynamics at play. Charity isn’t enough. Development should be about understanding what a community truly needs and providing the funding for them to pave their own paths for solutions and trusting them in doing so. That’s the recipe for a brighter, sustainable future, and exactly where One World Together’s framework for community comes in.
At OWT, community is our beating heart. Our framework is designed to empower people like you to become active citizens, to take responsibility for global challenges within your community, and to identify sustainable solutions. We want to give you the courage to tackle the most critical challenges of our time head-on.
Our Community Space is at the heart of our trust- and solidarity-based approach to funding for community organisations. It links our Global Citizens directly to our partners and offers a space for learning, questions and dialogues.
It’s a space where we can host live events, where our partners can update you all on their successes and show you how our Solidarity Fund is boosting those, and where we can all begin to see the power of getting more money, on better terms, to great community organisations.
Trust between Global Citizens and our Partners: We believe we need a funding system that trusts everyone involved to make the decisions that most affect change, with a radically transparent acknowledgment of how money is moving through the system. This happens when you trust our partners Community Savers, Muungano wa wanavijiji’s Youth Federation, Play It Forward, Raising Futures Kenya to make the right decisions about their needs. We have opted for a membership model to underpin One World Together’s sustainability and when you pay as little as 5 pounds for a long-term membership as a Global Citizen, your membership gives you access to our Community Space and supports the operational costs of One World Together so that we can keep doing things differently.
Solidarity between OWT and Global Citizens: We are stronger when we stand together, building with, learning from and supporting one another. We are committed to upscaling collaboration, diversity and representation through a culture of continuous learning.Equity between our Partners and OWT: We are committed to distributing funding, knowledge, and power to those with the most pressing needs. Embracing equity enables stronger communities and organisations to determine their futures. The Solidarity Fund is the lifeblood of our movement. Your regular support means we can provide long-term, predictable and unrestricted funding to our amazing partners. Your long-term commitment is our greatest power, so even 1 pound that you give helps our partners.
Now, let’s talk about why we are doing things differently – housed at the University of Manchester we have our Student Society and sitting centrally we have our Youth Board – the young leaders who hold the key to sustainable change. According to the UN Youth Envoy, there are approximately 1.8 billion young people on this planet, and that’s an astonishing force for good. You have the passion, the energy, and the drive to reshape the world because as Amira (pictured right) said,
“Young people are fed up and want to lead the change to a more just and equitable future.”
Youth are ready to change the world, but the international community sometimes leaves them out of the equation. While the importance of youth participation and leadership is recognised, we’re still trying to figure out where to start.
The solution? At OWT we empower young people. This shift in leadership can lead to resilient and thriving communities, as research has shown time and time again and hence we have an excellent Youth Board and a Student Union society which is keeping things running.
To create lasting change, we must empower our communities, take your first step now and join our community space. Join as a Global Citizen and receive personalised invitation link to join the space on Circle. You need to be a Global Citizen to enjoy this unique online community and learning space. Through this you are also strengthening and supporting our incredible wave of change!If you haven’t already joined up, please follow the link below. With annual Global Membership starting from as little as £5 a year, what’s holding you back?!
Written by Kanika Joshi and Asma Bham
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