Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Launch of Transform's On-line Volunteer Community

Transform has long faced the quandary of people approaching us and asking how they can help us achieve our mission, however, due to limited resources we’ve often been unable to fully utilise these kind offers, and make use of a potentially massive resource. We really do need your help though and Ed, one of our office based volunteers, has created an on-line community which allows you to access and feed into a number of Transform projects and contribute your ideas.

So regardless of the time you have available or where you’re located please log on to have your say, and get involved.

http://transform-volunteers.org.uk
(then click ‘create account’)

Our latest project, amongst a number of others, is the ‘world map project.’


This is going to be a unique website resource that contains information on different countries drugs policies and laws (covering legal and currently illegal drugs). We’re currently trying to research and add content and links to this developing resource, a good example of how you can contribute to what is essentially and open source wiki-style evolving resource. (Remember to cite references for all contributed information - or we cant use it for the finished product).

Other initial projects include contributing your ideas to the Welsh Drug Strategy, reviewing books, de-constructing articles, helping us to make build up a series of video resources, and distributing our newly translated leaflets into China. This is just the start to get you thinking. Ideas for new projects to help take the reform agenda forward to new audiences in new ways are welcome - thats the whole idea. You can discuss ideas and projects in the volunteers forum within the site. Log on to find out more.

This volunteer community project is still at an early developmental stage, a BETA version, so please let us know your ideas about how we can develop this site and give us any feedback that you have (positive or negative).

Thanks, and if you have any problems or questions please email us at: info@tdpf.org.uk



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

As I've told you and Danny before, if a problem cannot be solved with money, solve it with more money.

Fundraising is what you need not do-gooding. A full page ad in the FT costs £120,000. That gets the people who make the decision's attention. Remember the 1967 Times full pager "The law against Cannabis is immoral in principle and unworkable in practise"?

OK, you may not remember it but you know it was there as it is now part of drugs law reform history. Fundraise. Get some more of them and you might get somewhere. F**k voluntering. Money talks and bulls**t walks.

Owen

Steve Rolles said...

Believe me, We do A LOT of fundraising - I wish we could do less tbh. And anyway, effective volunteers are non distinguishable from financial resources. Transform would be nowhere today if it weren't for the efforts of volunteers over the years (trustees, office admin, pro bono legal support and consultancy, web support, campaigning, letter writing, envelope stuffing and so on). Not least in assisting with our fundraising!

I have no idea what point your trying to make - it seems pointlessly negative.

This project is set up by volunteers to help coordinate volunteers on a range of useful projects. Whats not to support about that?

If you want to send us a cheque for 120K you know the address and it would be more than welcome.

Anonymous said...

Sounds to me like a full page advert would be a waste of 120k then, since it clearly didn't work in the sixties.

Pre.........

Damian said...

Fundraising is what you need not do-gooding. A full page ad in the FT costs £120,000. That gets the people who make the decision's attention.

Derrick Jensen argues against this jejune idea that press coverage or even worse in your case press advertisments mean anything. Direct action works and volunteers are the way to go.

If Jensen is a bit too off topic and brusque then perhaps you might want to review Chris Rose's introduction to basic campaigning ideas before making further comments...

Now I'm off to check out the volunteer site - if its anything as good as the rest of Transforms work I will be happy to pitch in where I can.