People and Planet - Definition and Overview

People & Planet is the largest student network in the UK campaigning to alleviate world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment. The network consists of over 45 university and college groups, more than 150 sixth form groups, individual campaigners and a support office located in Oxford.

The organisation was originally founded in 1969 as Third World First by a group of students, supported by non-governmental organizations including Oxfam.

Lord Joel Joffe CBE, then Chair of Oxfam, said of the organisation in 1999, “Over the last three years People & Planet has become an extraordinary organisation which attracts student supporters on a scale unmatched within the UK charity and campaign sector. More than any other youth organisation it is encouraging the emerging generation to see themselves as global citizens with a responsibility for taking action on global problems of poverty and the environment.”

Some groups are part of the People & Planet network, having the full support of the central office in Oxford, without being called 'People & Planet'. The network has recently launched an internet-based initiative called The Forum Project (http://www.theforumproject.org) to develop a web forum to allow the groups to share information, knowledge and coordinate their campaigning.

External links

• People & Planet website (http://www.peopleandplanet.org)
• University of Edinburgh People & Planet (http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/p+p/)
• University of Oxford People & Planet (http://users.ox.ac.uk/~oxpandp/)
• University of St. Andrews One World Society (http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~oneworld/)