Action Briefing Apr 2004 - May 2004
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

Sustainable Development Advocacy Programme

My name is Mankaa Judian Chungong and I am a student participating in the Sustainable Development Advocacy Programme. I have just completed a one-month placement with Birmingham Friends of the Earth.

Sustainability is a big issue these days that demands greater attention within business and other organisations. Global climate change is potentially the most serious environmental issue, with implications for the lives and livelihoods on everyone on the planet. Recognising this, the Government wants all organisations to contribute towards safeguarding our world.

I come from Cameroon and my background is in sociology, in which I hold a 1st degree, and my ambition has been to continue studies in the field of sustainable development. I have worked with the Limbe Botanical and Zoological Gardens in Cameroon and travelled among local communities in Nigeria and Ghana promoting sustainable natural resource management, with a focus on women’s groups.

Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigns for practical solutions to environmental problems through the development of knowledge, skills and potential among staff, volunteers and the general public.

Awareness raising and public involvement are central to Birmingham FoE’s campaign strategy: local groups need to get people talking about the environment.

But Birmingham FoE also has the potential to advance sustainability further in the economic arena too. Economic, social
and environmental goals are all cornerstones of sustainability and they cannot be isolated from one another. The most commonly used definition for sustainable development unifies these goals by referring to meeting people’s needs both now and in the future.

The Programme
The Sustainable Development Advocacy Programme was designed by the Bulmer Foundation, validated by the University College Worcester and is based at Holme Lacy. It also enjoys financial support from Advantage West Midlands.

This is a Masters' programme with a real purpose. Uniquely, it is one which will prepare students to create their own employment.

Placement learning is a major element of the Programme. Each student is expected to spend one month in each of the following sectors: policy, standards and advice, business, media and campaigning and social services. This enables the student to appreciate the purpose and nature of the placement organisations’ work, find out what constitutes best practice for sustainability within that sector, and learn about the opportunities and difficulties of trying to implement sustainable development strategies.

Students also gain an understanding of how the organisation is managed, funded and administered as well as insights into its relationship to other organisation and stakeholders.

March 2004 marks the third placement within the programme and addresses the above learning outcomes. Real life experience within the media and campaigning sector reveals a remarkable difference from the organisations operating in the policy, advice and standards and business sectors. The media and campaigning sector stands out as a catalyst for change, influencing decisions both at the local and national levels.

Mankaa J. Chungong