tEAm news #59 | 29.09.21
Hope you are all having a good week and enjoying the daily spread of glorious Autumn colours.
We hope you have not been too affected by the petrol crisis. Remember our Empathy family is always here to help.
“Never look down on anyone , unless you’re helping them up.”
Dates
Mondays, 9 - 915 (on Zoom) - Moment of Prayer: a moment to pause, prayer, light candles for our work & team. All welcome!
Link here (Meeting ID: 708 452 7633 Passcode: empathy)5th Oct - Interview workshops with Activate Learning
Wed 20 – Fri 22 Oct, Mon 8 – Wed 10 Nov & Fri 12 Nov: Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival workshops with Strange Face - Empathy Exercises. (Here’s their flyer)
25th October - Warehouse move date! From Tonbridge to Penshurst. 6 People required. Richard is orchestrating
‘COP 26’ - some of the focus for the Autumn will be around the UN Climate Change ‘Conference of Parties’ (aka ‘COP’) 26th gathering in Glasgow (31st October - 12th November). We are hoping to promote The High Life and take up of this new workshop around this time.
Christmas campaign on The Empathy Store - involving a few new products!
Board Meeting Update
The progress on developing the strategic plan was discussed. A draft plan is being drawn up by Ben and Paul and will be presented to the trustees and management committee in November.
A regular item on our agenda is support for our full-time volunteer(s). Empathy Action is a volunteer organisation and no volunteer is remunerated for what they do. The trustees are deeply grateful for the sacrificial donations of volunteer's time, and are also aware of the needs of our Director and his family who are entirely dependent on the support they receive from family and friends to enable Ben to devote himself full time to directing the operation of Empathy Action. This is a precarious way of living and the trustees would be grateful if anyone could add to his support, particularly on a regular basis. If you are interested in helping please contact Paul.
COP 26 Update
(from Paul)
I was encouraged to hear from Colin recently that:
"Empathy Action’s raisin d’être has never been more important. The connection between climate change , leading to extreme poverty and a trigger for mass migration either directly or as a result of climate influenced conflict is all too clear. Hence our three areas of activity are so topical, pertinent and connected.....".
So true and on this note Heather and I would value your prayers as we go to Glasgow with a group we walked with to COP21 in Paris in 2015. This time we won't be walking there, except on the last leg of the Young Christian's Climate Network relay from Cornwall to Glasgow, but we will be praying for the success of these talks that are vital to the future of all humanity and especially to those who have done least to cause climate change but are most affected by it. We plan to join a prayer walk, walking seven times around the Conference venue.
Presentation of the petition, with 1.78 million signatures, to Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Change talks in Paris.
Other News updates
A new Syrian Veg Book (from Sevenoaks School & Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees) coming to The Empathy Store - including 'the Gift edition’ featuring a book + bracelet. Hoping to introduce in early November. (For Your Eyes Only: we enclose a concept front cover pic that SWR kindly shared to give an idea of the book).
Security breach! - Fuzzy has helped uncover a cyber attack on a payment processing app. Thankfully it's been spotted and the loss not as bad as it could have been. We‘re deep in investigations and pulling info to present a report and tracking down the lost money (c £225). We’re really gutted. Thanks to Fuzzy and her keen eyes.
Colin has said that that he is about to head into week 2 since his stem cell transplant and shared that mercifully (and thanks for all the prayers, messages and support) he’s been on the fortunate side and had only mild side effects. With so much uncertainty and worry this has been a God send. There’s even a hope that he may be home this weekend! Woo hoo.
We’ve been invited to share/present about our work at a Further Education College called Activate Learning (we nearly ran a sim here) to recruit some student placements for our work (c 1-2 days per week) for 1 year placements. Ben is being interviewed over a video call next Tuesday.
Can you help us trend? We need some re-sharing of tweets and Facebook & LinedIN posts to help some trending of these (particularly The High Life ones) between now and November. Thank you!
We have a listing of a product (the rainbow key-rings) with up and coming Presents with Purpose catalogue for Christmas by Social Enterprise UK - some amazing items! Here’s a sneak peak of the catalogue.
As mentioned last week a few of us are planning to goto this if you are interested in joining us. Booking advised.
We just love this picture so much that we’ve put in again this week! In our prayers C&J (as are Claire & fam and Lys n Chris!) xo