Local Action Societies

There are some amazing Local Action societies to to get involved with here in Cambridge. See below to learn more about them, and click on the link to see what they're doing for Local Action Week 2012! 

Linkline

Linkline is the active listening and email service ran by students for students of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin Universities. We do not give advice, judge you or tell you what to do - but just provide you with the time and space to talk through what's on your mind, in full confidence and anonymity. No problem is too big or too small for us. Call us between 7pm-7am every night of Cambridge full term at 01223 367575/01223 744444, skype us at linkline.cambridge or email us at email@linkline.org.uk. Find out more at www.linkline.org.uk

FoodCycle

FoodCycle collects surplus food from local food retailers and uses it to cook delicious, healthy meals for people in need in the community. We currently cook a three-course lunch at the Centre for St. Paul's every Saturday. This is a great, practical project that helps to minimise food waste. 

Student Community Action is an independent charity, which recruits and places student volunteers in any one of dozens of projects in Cambridge. Each year we have more than 600 volunteers giving thousands of hours to improve the lives of people living in the local community, through projects which range from a 'Big Sibs' befriending scheme for vulnerable children, to a musical group that entertains residents in local care homes. Find out more and how to start volunteering with us at www.cambridgesca.org.uk.

Scoop

Scoop is a food co-op which is starting up in Cambridge in order to make ethical food available at an affordable price to students. Scoop is currently looking for a location from which to run, which will eventually be a small shop space in which local, organic and fair-trade foods will be sold at wholesale prices for members. It aims to be inclusive and supportive to local ventures, and will need the help of student volunteers to run. To find out more or to get involved, email socialaction@cambridgehub.org

Energise Cambridge

Energise Cambridge is a student campaign to engage students on issues of climate change and renewable energy, and to persuade the university to change its energy supply to more renewable options. In February we held a major rally on Parker's Piece that was widely covered in the Cambridge press, and have also had successful meetings with both the Environmental strategy committtee and the Vice Chancellor to discuss some of our proposals. We will be building on this excellent start throughout 2012 and beyond. Contact daisyhaywood92@gmail.com

Campus

Campus Children's Holidays: We're a Cambridge based, student run charity and each summer we take 200 children who wouldn't otherwise get a holiday on an activity holiday packed full with things like mountain biking, canoeing, craft, games and making campfires. It gives the children a chance to take a break and enjoy being kids -some are young carers or have difficult home lives so it is really good to be able to give them (and their parents!) a break. We have two holiday schemes - one for children aged 6-8 and the other for children aged 8-13 - and both holiday schemes run for 5 weeks over July and August. We're currently looking for volunteers to give just a week of their time helping to run the holiday scheme. It's a really fun, free and worthwhile way to spend a week of your holidays. There are also lots of opportunities to get involved with running the charity including low commitment roles as well as named role such as fundraising officer, recruitment officer and treasurer. Email Roseanne atrecruitment@campusholidays.org.uk to find out more!

Cambridge Stop Aids

Stopaids is a consortium of 80 of the UK's leading HIV/AIDS charities whose aim is to secure universal access to prevention, treatment and care for those affected by the disease. As a student society, we are involved in raising awareness of current global HIV issues, helping out with national stopaids campaigns and fundraising for our chosen charity- Hill Crest Aids Centre Trust in KwazuluNatal, South Africa.

The CU Barnardo's Society is a relatively new society which works to improve the awareness of the UK's leading children's charity across the student body. Barnardo's works with abused and vulnerable children across the country through hundreds of different specially focused programmes. Currently the main focuses of the charity are raising the profile of child sexual abuse and traffic and ending child poverty in the UK. CU Barnardo's aims to support them as much as we can by campaigning and fundraising on their behalf in Cambridge. The society organises and runs a variety of different events aimed at reaching as much of the student population as possible. We believe it's important to tackle child abuse and poverty head on, and have fun whilst we're doing it!