RAG Elections
This term will see RAG host its annual elections In order to decide which charities succeed Martin House Childrens Hospice, York LINKS, York Spinal Injuries Association, Help for Heroes and Medicine Sans Frontiers in joining our Permenant Beneficiary Student Action as an elected charity of the 09/10 academic year.
Due to the introduction of ultra vires fundraising on campus, meaning societies and sports clubs can only fundraise for external charities through RAG, it was decided that only student and society nominated charities would be entered into the elections, and there has been a record number of charities nominated by students – allowing them to take ownership of the elections.
There are three categories for the elections, local, national and international. The top two local charities, the top international charity and the top national charity will be joined as next years beneficiaries by the charity which polls the most votes but does not top a category.
The following charities have been nominated for each section:
- Local
- National
- International
Applefields School
Applefields School makes provision for children aged 11-19 with moderate, severe and profound learning difficulties. It is the only secondary school in York that provides for secondary school students with these additional needs. The school is undertaking several projects to enhance sensory stimulation, including a project to create a sensory garden in conjunction with volunteers from York University.
Candlelighters
Candlelighters operate at the Yorkshire Paediatric Oncology and Haematology Unit at St. James’s Hospital in Leeds. The unit treats young people suffering from malignant diseases or severe blood diseases. They are dedicated to combating childhood cancer, leukaemia and serious blood disorders and to making the lives of the children and their families more bearable.
The Island
The Island provides support for vulnerable children and young people aged 8-13 in the York area who are at risk of social and institutional exclusion. The Island recruits volunteer mentors, many from the studentship at York, who form a partnership with a child. Every week the mentees and mentors meet for 2-4 hours and participate in positive activities in order to help the child get their lives back on track.
North Yorkshire Music Therapy Centre
North Yorkshire Music Therapy Centre provide music therapy for a wide variety of people in schools, hospitals and day centres in both rural and urban communities. Children suffering from autism and developmental delay can benefit from the music therapy, which can help to develop greater confidence and much needed communication skills, Adults with mental difficulties, and anyone with learning difficulties are equally known to benefit. The centre also give talks, lectures and workshops to promote understanding of the process of music therapy.
Reflect
Reflect is the only charity in York that specialises in pregnancy crises, from unexpected positive tests results, to birth, miscarriage or abortions. As well as providing pregnancy tests, it provides full pregnancy counselling to allow women (and men) to make personal choices without fear of intimidation, panic or manipulation. They provide unbiased and wide-ranging information on services such as adoption and abortion. Reflect also provide full support for men, who may likewise struggle psychologically or emotionally throughout an unexpected or difficult pregnancy.
SNAPPY
S.N.A.P.P.Y (Special Needs Activities and Play Provision for York) aims to maximise personal development and provide good quality play and recreational opportunities for children and young people with special needs based in York. They run several play schemes and youth projects throughout the year, working with well over 200 children/young people from in and around York. Snappy provide children and young people with activities and projects aimed at having fun as well as teaching key life skills whilst providing welcomed respite and support for busy parents and carers.
Spring Hill School
Spring Hill School is a non-maintained residential special school run by Barnardo’s, the children’s charity. The school accepts male and female pupils between the ages of 9 – 19 years old, and can enroll 37 pupils at any one time. Spring Hill caters for pupils with special educational needs, in particular for those pupils with challenging behaviour. Spring Hill School’s mission is to provide a curriculum of care and education within an environment adapted for young people who have learning difficulties and challenging behaviour. The school aims to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and experiences and attitudes which will enable them to participate in and become valued members of society.
St Leonard’s Hospice
St Leonard’s is a hospice close to the University, providing a service for people with life limiting illnesses. Each patient is treated as an individual, and treated with dignity, sensitivity, compassion and understanding. Patients needs are provided for, as are those of their families in a setting that is homely and informal. There is never a charge for patients or families.
York and District Mind
York and District Mind aims to eradicate social exclusion, discrimination and impoverishment forced upon those in the York area who suffer from mental health problems. They also aim to support people in mental and emotional distress. Pre-existing groups include groups dedicated to Depression, Anxiety and OCD, all of which are well attended by York residents and students.
Asthma UK
Asthma UK aim to provide children and adults with asthma with life-saving information. 5.4 million people in the UK are affected by asthma, with one person dying every seven hours from asthma. The charity works with people with asthma, health professionals and researchers to develop and share expertise to help people increase their understanding and reduce the effect of asthma on their lives.
Caudwell Children
Caudwell Children transforms the lives of sick and disabled children aged 0-18, catering for over 160 different medical conditions. They provide equipment, treatment and therapies, as well as organising an annual Destination Dreams Programme which takes children fighting with life-threatening illnesses and their families to Disneyland Florida.
Everyman
Everyman exists to break the taboos surrounding prostate and testicular cancer and to raise awareness of the conditions amongst men and women. They believe men are too unaware about the incidence of prostate and testicular cancers, and aim to change this. The organisation carries out fund-raising initiatives to ensure their scientists can carry out research vital to improving the outlook for sufferers of these male only cancers.
Happy Days Childrens Charity
Happy Days help and educate young people through their leisure time and holiday activities, so as to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities. They provide holidays and day trips for children with special needs. Many of these children suffer from terminal conditions, and the work of Happy Days help to make their remaining time as exciting and fun-filled as possible.
KIDS
KIDS works with disabled children, young people and their families. They are unique, working with children and young people aged 0-25 irrespective of their impairment or condition. They provide an extensive range of services for disabled young people. KIDS uses play, leisure, education, family support, information, advice and training to empower disabled youngsters to fulfill their hopes, dreams, and aspirations by overcoming obstacles within their society.
Marie Curie Cancer Care
Marie Curie Nursing Service provides hands on nursing care free of charge to parents with life limiting illnesses in their own home at the end of their lives to allow them to remain at home where they would choose to be. Marie Curie’s Palliative Care Research and Development Unit investigates issues surrounding quality of life for patients with terminal illnesses.
Meningitis Research Foundation
Meningitis Research Foundation is an organisation that fights death and disability from meningitis and septicaemia. They fund research into and raise awareness of these diseases to improve survival rates and outcomes. We promote education and awareness and give support to people affected. Meningitis and septicaemia can strike anyone at any age and can kill within hours. Although vaccines are available against some forms of the diseases, some of the most deadly forms are not yet vaccine preventable. Knowing the symptoms and acting quickly is essential.
National Society for the Provention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
The NSPCC is the UK’s most well recognised children’s charity. Its aims are simple: to bring an end to child abuse across the UK. The NSPCC operate the Childline service and their current campaigns involve the FULL STOP campaign which has been in the public eye throughout the national media.
Sport 4 Life
Sport 4 Life is a registered charity that uses activities an sport to reach out to deprived UK communities in an attempt to bring them together. Sport 4 Life aims to change lives through the power of sport in four ways: Sport 4 Poverty: To tackle inequalities through sport projects delivering inclusion, opportunity and empowerment to underprivileged people. Sport 4 Community: aims to unify and strengthen communities, through the provision of sports facilities, sports equipment and sports teams. Sport 4 Health: addresses problems of obesity and lack of fitness.
YouthNet
YouthNet is the UK’s first online charity, with a mission to engage, inform and inspire 16-24 year olds at key moments in their lives. They are aided in making informed decisions through www.TheSite.org and helped to find volunteering opportunities through www.do-it.org.uk
Asian Students Christian Trust
ASCT are a UK based charity that works with children and young people in the Philippines. Their projects are focused on education for children who have had the harshest of starts in life. Recent projects have included the rebuilding of Mango Tree House, a children’s home for around 50 young people, who are loved, cared for, fed and offered education in local schools.
CARE International
CARE aim to provide long term solutions to the problem of poverty and disease. They also aim to provide international aid in times of crisis. They pride themselves on limiting ‘unnecessary expenditure’ such as television adverts.
Children of Peace
Children of Peace seeks to protect all of the children and their communities in Israel and Palestine. They act as a non-partisan intermediary and work with grass-roots Non-Governmental and Community based organisations in both Israel and Palestine. They wish to establish and fund projects and programmes in the arts, education, health and sports for Israeli and Palestinian children in order to build positive relationships for a future generation.
Hanna’s Orphange
Hanna’s Orphanage is a small charity set up to support the maintenance, improvement and expansion of Hanna Orphans Home in Ethiopia. They fund-raise in the UK and provide money, resources and capacity building support to the orphanage, which was set up and is run by an Ethiopian woman called Hanna Teshome.
International Alert
International Alert seeks to understand the causes of violent conflict and build lasting peace in communities affected or threatened by war. They are the UK’s leading peace building organisation and they work with local people in order to bring about positive change.
Invisible Children
Invisible Children works primarily in war-affected regions where they focus on long-term development, working directly with individuals and institutions that are eager to realise their full potential. Through education and the provision of economic opportunities, they partner with affected communities and strive to improve the quality of life for individuals living in conflict and post-conflict regions.
The Karen Hilltribes Trust
The Karen Hilltribes Trust works with the Karen Hill Tribe people of north-west Thailand – it aims to improve health, education and create opportunities for sustainable income. A major health focus is the installation of clean water systems.
Kings World Trust For Children
Kings World Trust for Children was founded in 1993 to provide a caring home, an education and skills training for orphan and homeless children in developing countries. The Trust is focused in India, which has the largest percentage of orphan children in the world.
Link Ethiopia
Link Ethiopia works with some of the poorest communities in Ethiopia in order to provide a quality education for their young people. They have already provided vital infrastructure such as classrooms, toilets, clean water and libraries for over 100,000 children.
Medical Aid for Palestinians
MAP is a British charity that operates in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Lebanon. We deliver health and medical care to vulnerable Palestinians and strive to establish a permanent medical infrastructure in Palestinian communities by training health care practitioners, teaching medical vocational skills and addressing the requirements of particularly vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities.
Partners Relief and Development
Partners is an organization that works to provide Relief and Development (as the name suggest) for ethnic minorities in Burma. The organization does pioneering work on the Thai-Burma border and with in Burma, helping people groups who receive next to no outside assistance from other NGOs.
Right To Play
Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Working in both the humanitarian and development context, Right To Play trains local community leaders as Coaches to deliver its programs in countries affected by war, poverty, and disease in Africa, Asia,the Middle East, and South America.
The Russ Foundation
The Russ Foundation is a charity located in Tamil Nadu, in the South of India. It is a very small organisation that works with both rural and urban communities to combat AIDS. They both aim to help sufferers of AIDS, as well as preventing the spread of the illness. They are also committed to helping female sex workers in the area quit the industry.
Unatsi Foundation
The Unatsi Foundation’s mission is to provide a shelter and safe haven to orphans and protect them from the hunger, poverty, danger, and neglect to which orphans are exposed. They are working tirelessly to progress plans to build a safe and secure home for the neediest orphans that adopts best practices to advance the rights of children, improve their quality of life, and offer them a brighter future. Together with the local community, local businesses and the municipal and provincial governments, Unatsi are developing a long term sustainable development strategy to give orphans a reason to smile too.
Water Aid
WaterAid currently works in 17 countries worldwide, establishing sustainable water supplies and latrines close to homes. It also lobbies governments to improve water and sanitation policies to help ensure their priority in poverty reduction plans. Their current intention is to halve the number of people without access to safe water and sanitation by 2015, and it is a big target as 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation.
Elections will close at 4pm on Wednesday Week 3.
Results will be announced on Saturday Week 3.
For any information on any aspect of the elections email Nick at ragcharities@yusu.org.
Vote at www.yusu.org/vote