4. Campaign

While it is important to respond compassionately and practically to the symptoms it is just as important to deal with the cause of destitution. All the organisations in the Still Human Still Here campaign are available to help you do that, and here’s how …

Write to your MP

Wherever you live in the United Kingdom you have a member of parliament (MP) who is supposed to represent the interests of people in their constituency (the area they represent). You can write to your MP at the House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA. The support and response that MP’s give to letters can vary a lot.

You’ll find a template of a letter you can use here but it will make more impact if you personalise your letter.

To find out who your MP is, look at www.locata.co.uk/commons or ring 0207 219 3000.

Contact your MP in person

Personal visits can have more impact than a letter, so why not visit your MP – or if there are a couple of you from the same area, contact their constituency office to request a meeting? If there are a group of you, you can also lobby your MP whilst they are at House of Commons – you can find out more about how to lobby by going to www.parliament.uk and entering ‘lobbying’ in their search box.

How to find out details of your MP’s constituency surgeries

Most MP's have their own website with details of their constituency surgeries. So once you know their name you can follow the links on the House of Commons website or do a quick google search to find out where their surgeries are based. If you don’t have internet access, you should be able to find details of their surgeries at your local library or Citizens Advice Bureau.

How to get the most out of your meeting with your MP:

*  be realistic about how much you can cover in one meeting.

*  read this campaign pack carefully before your visit and contact us if you need more information.

*  pick out three main points that you want to get across.

*  be clear about what you want your MP to do as a result of the meeting, such as writing to the Home Office on your behalf, or asking a Parliamentary Question based on the extent and effects of destitution in their constituency.

*  try and predict some possible responses and rehearse your arguments.

*  use one of the short films that we can send you for free – let the DVD do the initial explaining.

*  organise a follow up visit in a few months to see what action they have taken.
 

What your MP can do:

A parliamentary motion is a way for MP’s to show they support change on a particular issue. If a lot of MP’s sign a motion the government might be more likely to tackle the problems. One sort of a motion is an Early Day Motion. Supporters of the Still Human Still Here campaign have supported several such motions, which have had the support of hundreds MP’s. If often takes just one constituent to write

If an MP is particularly interested in an issue they can try to have a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons. A relevant government minister is obliged to attend, so it is a useful way of raising issues with the Government. You can encourage your MP to hold a debate on the issues by writing and/or meeting them.

Many MP’s use parliamentary written questions to find out more and put pressure on the Government.

These three things tend to be done by back-bench MP’s – those not with official Government responsibility.

Protest

You can protest in many different ways – it doesn’t have to be big, it just needs to have a focus, a target audience and an impact.

Think about who you want to hear your message, and how they can bring about the changes you want. Are there other people who will be influenced by you?  How can you encourage them to get involved too? A soap box, a megaphone and a busy high street may be all you need!

Types of protest include:

giving out leaflets in a prominent place              picketing

information stall with petition                           marches

candle-lit vigil                                                    public meeting

publicity stunt                                                  street theatre

 or check out the list of 198 ideas here.

Sleep Out

In the last few years there have been a series of Sleep Outs in Scotland, England and Wales. They are a great way of raising awareness with the media and politicians locally. There is an excellent Check List to ensure a safe, effective and fun Sleep Out at here.

Endurance Challenge

Hundreds of people have tried the Endurance Challenge of living of a small amount of money (often £5) and a food parcel for a week - the same as those provided by destitution projects across the country. This is difficult - but it well help you, your friends and anyone you tell, to know how degrading destitution is. From experience we know the Challenge:

*  gives new personal realisations about the everyday hardship

*  provides new and everyday opportunities to talk to friends, colleagues and family about the reality of destitution

*  encourages people to campaign to end the immoral and ineffective Government policies that create the situation

*  is a visible act of solidarity with those who live like this all the time

*  is an excellent human-interest story for the local media

*  can raise some money for destitution projects and campaigns like ours that are trying to stop destitution happening in the first place.

There is lots of advice on how to take up the Endurance Challenge here.