Over the last year, I have been traveling throughout the Midwest, holding training sessions for ONE volunteers. From Minneapolis, MN, to Bloomington, IN, dedicated ONE members came together in large and small groups to learn how to speak with ONE voice and bring the fight against extreme poverty and global disease to their communities.

After all these trainings, I thought I would share the materials that the other field organizers and I developed for these trainings with everyone interested in raising awareness on global poverty.

Download this document to learn about ONE, the issues and learn what books you can read to get more information.

Then look at this document for ideas on bringing the fight to your community, ONE volunteer guidelines, ways to engage your elected officials and the media on behalf of the world’s poor, and much, much more!

(Pictured – Indiana University students practice tabling for ONE.)

-Annisa Wanat

A note from ONE member Joe Ehrke to Regional Organizer Katie Andrews. Joe was one of 42 people who attended a full-day ONE training in Michigan on Saturday.

“…I also would like to take the opportunity to thank you for everything I learned from you and the other speakers. I learned so much from basic understanding of what my power is as a citizen, which my public education fail to effectively teach me, to specifics of the ONE Campaign to which I have actively began to gain a deeper understanding. This is a worth wild battle, Thanks for the tools to stand with the many supporters of ONE!!!

Thanks so much!!!

Joe Ehrke

This Saturday in Plymouth, MI, 42 ONE members from the area came together to learn more about ONE’s issues and ways to get more involved. With some help from my pals Annisa Wanat (ONE Field Organizer in Chicago), Monét Cooper (Communications Coordinator for Jubilee USA) and several very active RESULTS volunteers from the area, our training was a great success. Not only was this an educational opportunity but it was also a great way for members to see others that are passionate about making a difference in the world.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that there are over 2.4 million ONE members out there. If you want to connect with other members in your community, contact your region’s ONE field organizer. Events and activities are much easier to plan when you’ve got some help.

-Katie Andrews, ONE Regional Organizer

Los Angeles: Trained

This past Saturday ONE volunteers came out for an advocacy training in Los Angeles. Hosted at the University of Southern California, over 65 people gave up some holiday shopping time to come out and learn how they can make a difference in the fight against extreme poverty.

Volunteers learned about ONE’s history and mission as well as coming together to brainstorm and plan future ONE LA activities. There were some great ideas on how to recruit new members to the campaign, educate their community on the issues of global poverty, and encouraging the presidential candidates to be leaders in the fight for the world’s poorest people. Amy Quinn, one of LA’s most active volunteers, said that, “It was so exciting to see so many new faces at the training, 2008 will be the best yet for ONE LA!”

ONE’s allies CARE and Heifer International were also present at the event, sending representatives to share their unique stories with attendees. John Bostick, who along with his wife was named Heifer International’s “Volunteers of the Year” for their region, spoke at the training. John spoke of Heifer’s innovative programs to fight hunger and poverty around the world and the amazing effect of “Passing on the Gift.” When Heifer International provides an animal to a family it not only provides an income, food, and self sufficiency but the family also gives offspring to others in need within their community. This creates a cycle of sustainability that usually provides animals, knowledge, and skills to five or six families for each initial animal that is given.

Edward Kibirige from CARE also spoke about the organization’s work in the developing world and their special emphasis on women as part of their “I Am Powerful” Campaign. Women and children are disproportionately affected by extreme poverty and focusing on helping women lift themselves out of poverty can create lasting change in their communities. Edward also asked attendees to try and consider living on one dollar a day and how daunting it would feel to try and raise your family with so few resources. He noted that no one would have been able to attend the training that day because travel and parking cost well over one dollar.

All in all, the training was a success! Volunteers came together to find out how they can make a difference in the fight against extreme poverty and they found out that working together as ONE, we really can make poverty history!

-Kim Smith, ONE Field Organizer