The end of November 2011 saw the conclusion of the Governments unprecedented and inspirational initiative to contribute one dollar for every other one dollar raised to the relief work being done by a variety of welfare agencies on the Horn of Africa. This meant that countries presently in famine such as Somalia, Ethiopia and The Sudan have been provided by our government twice the aid possible than if the general public were just to offer support.
It was out of this concept that a friend of mine, Crystal, approached me with an idea 'what if we were able to do something that raised some money for those who people who are starving to death?' She spoke to a few others, including Ryan, which lead to a series of brainstorms that resulted in a brilliant and creative idea.
The idea was to put on a free BBQ in a public space, down the beach, with a high volume of passers-by, and use that outlet to tell the story of the Somalian Famine, make people aware of the facts , history and implications of the situation and then both encourage and enable people, if they chose, to contribute to the governments dollar for dollar scheme.
It was a Saturday morning when we set up base camp: tables, chairs, shade covers, our BBQ and drinks eskys, music, signage and flyers, all ready to go down the beach at Burleigh. The $4$ Somalia initiative was in full swing. We spent a good portion of the day cooking, chatting, informing, playing and hanging out. Many of those who are part of our young adult community came down to help and hang out. By the end of the day we had given away 300 sausages in bread and collected a grand total of... $2,234.60, which the government consequently matched, making the sum total of our efforts that day: $4,469.20.
It was amazing to be involved in such an exciting initiative and reflecting on it these are some of the learning's:
- A simple idea can have a huge impact.
- Offering free stuff disarms people and encourages their generosity. If we'd of sold each sausage for $3.00 (which would have been expensive) we would have not raised half of what we did.
- Always get council approval, it actually saved us being shut down.
- The power of the story is what moves people.
- A small group of people joining together can make a huge difference.
- These ideas allow people not of faith to be exposed to and involved in God's unfolding story.
- An event like this has lots of different moving pieces, which allows a wide variety of people to become involved.
- People want to be involved in changing the world, but often they prefer others to make it possible for them to be involved, but not responsible.
- Making a big sign for the event was cool, but misinterpreted by some as the cost of a sausage, not the cause we were standing for.
- It's important that location and timing compliment the idea you are trying to execute.
So why share all of this, so long after the event? Firstly I think it's important to reflect, but mostly because if you are asking, How do I create a social justice initiative? How do i respond to poverty? How do I make a difference in the world? Or you're throwing around ideas of what Young Adult mission initiatives could look like, then you may be helped by reading this.
So after hearing our story, be encouraged: come up with a simple idea, don't be afraid to try new things, ask the right people to help you, and go for it! That's what one of our young adults did and the results were incredible!
