A few weeks ago I started blogging about the “Get Lippy” Campaign introduced by ActionAid. The campaign hoped to not only raise awareness to International Women’s day, but to allow the world to send their messages of support after women from across the globe shared their traumatising stories. The Get Lippy Campaign was a huge success from ActionAids point of view, and now I have come across another success story come from International Women’s Day.

I have recently just agreed to help promote the “Act for Iraq” Campaign in the Leeds area. The campaign is run by The Iraqi Charity Forum, and it is their fundraising officer who has just made me aware of this story.

Zahra Al Bassam, a woman from Iraq, has won the Most Inspiring Story award; from the United Nations Women Make it Happen Award. Her story is below and can be found, along with other nominees here:

http://endpoverty2015.org/en/women-make-it-happen-awards

 

 “Since she was a child, Zahra Sahm Al-Bassam has been devoted to charity work and championing the cause of the needy, underprivileged, orphans and widows. Her father, an officer in the Iraqi army, was executed under Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime when Zahra was only six.

Growing up without a father and facing a life of hardship only strengthened her. She would think constantly about her society and how to improve it. Her only concern was how she could help her widowed mother, whom she used to watch working tirelessly to provide food for Zahra and her younger sister.

Seeing her mother hunched over her sewing machine, turning out the most exquisitely made pieces of clothing, at the age of nine she decided to try it out herself! She later learned how to make her own clothes and started taking the pressure off her aging mother. It wasn’t long before she was spending all her time, including her holidays beavering away non-stop at her sewing machine.

Banned from finishing secondary school she had no choice but to educate herself. Even after having her own family, she set about devouring whatever books she could so that she could dedicate her life to helping the poor and oppressed in Iraq.

She was forever thinking about ways she could serve society’s vulnerable groups such as widows, orphans and the poor. Eventually she organised study sessions at her house to encourage women to educate themselves, and develop their skills. She helped them set up microenterprise projects such as jewellery-making and running crèches.

Following the recent war in Iraq, Zahra went back to education and was finally able to complete her studies, and embarked on a Law degree in Cairo.

The four years she spent there were among the most productive of her life: She worked on a charity tailoring project and volunteered in a women’s centre she helped refugees from Chechnya and Sudan to save them from a life of poverty and prevent their children being deprived of an education. She was especially concerned with helping victims of persecution or domestic abuse. As well as this she used to run dress-making workshops to raise funds for orphans and the poor. She helped young orphaned girls by running projects to make wedding clothes, and decorate the orphans’ bridal cars.

For Zahra, it makes no difference how strong or self-reliant female victims may appear; she offers her support to all. After returning home she became even more determined to spend her life alleviating the plight of the millions of orphans and widows in Iraq. So when she read about the Charity Bank for Small Businesses, a scheme being run in Baghdad by the Iraqi Charities Forum, she wasted no time in signing up to teach a tailoring course to a group of Iraqi widows.

The women who enrolled said that they had noticed a real improvement in their skills. They had increased their self-esteem, got over their phobia of using machines and learned how to make marketable products.
The Iraqi Charities Forum has provided 43 widows and women in need with sewing machines, fabrics and other materials via interest-free loans. In this way, the project has given women the opportunity to earn their livelihood and work their way out of poverty independently and with dignity. Zahra continues to support the project!”

Story written by: Sara Atia, UK

http://endpoverty2015.org/en/women-make-it-happen-awards

GET LIPPY!

On 8^th March 2011, International Women’s Day (IWD) will celebrate 100 years of being in practise. Women across the globe will come together and fight for their rights. For this next week I will be blogging about the horrific circumstances some women find themselves in, because if we aren’t equal everywhere, we aren’t equal anywhere. 

Today, Neela’s story is told..Commonly seen in Cambodia, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, acid attacks are a vicious way of assault. It sees the attackers throwing acid onto their victims, usually leaving them with damaged skin tissues and sometimes dissolving bones. 

Statistics show that 80% of victims are female and almost 40% are under the age of 18. Would you find this acceptable for your child? Neela is a survivor of these dreadful attacks, and plans to speak out against the ruthlessness some countries deem acceptable on IWD. However, Neela needs your support.

The consequences of such attacks include blindness and permanent scaring.
No woman, no man, no person should experience these traumatising attacks. So why let it happen? 

 

Action Aid are asking you to send your support to these women. Just a simple message can go a long way in restoring women’s rights across the globe. It is the courage and determination of these women that should not be gone unnoticed. 

Send your messages to Neela at: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/102779/get_lippy.html?utm_source=shortcut&utm_medium=print&utm_content=getlippy&utm_campaign=multiple

Get behind and celebrate 100 years of IWD.

 

GET LIPPY!

On 8^th March 2011, International Women’s Day (IWD) will celebrate 100 years of being in practise. Women across the globe will come together and fight for their rights. For this next week I will be blogging about the horrific circumstances some women find themselves in, because if we aren’t equal everywhere, we aren’t equal anywhere. 

Today, Mina’s story is told..
Unlike usual 6 years old playing in the park, young girls such as Mina are forced to face the reality and strain that we as adults cannot even think about. At just 6 years old Mina was forced into an arranged marriage by her parents, where she was abused by her husband. 

It is forced marriage such as these that lose women and young girls their basic rights of humanity. Although it is seen as a cultural practise in Afghanistan, Mina and other women, who have managed to run away from the life they have been forced into, plan to fight against the tradition on IWD.

It is marriages such as these that are used to boost a family’s status or to settle debts. Is it really fair for women to lose their rights over reputation and finances? 

Action Aid are asking you to send your support to these women. Just a simple message can go a long way in restoring women’s rights across the globe. It is the courage and determination of these women that should not be gone unnoticed. 

Send your messages to Mina at: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/102779/get_lippy.html?utm_source=shortcut&utm_medium=print&utm_content=getlippy&utm_campaign=multiple

Get behind and celebrate 100 years of IWD.

 

GET LIPPY!

On 8^th March 2011, International Women’s Day (IWD) will celebrate 100 years of being in practise. Women across the globe will come together and fight for their rights. For this next week I will be blogging about the horrific circumstances some women find themselves in, because if we aren’t equal everywhere, we aren’t equal anywhere. 

 

Today, Florence’s story is told..
Florence was captured 20 years ago by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the horrendous experiences Florence endured throughout that time were things we as a society today couldn’t even comprehend.  

The LRA, in their fight to overthrow the Ugandan Government, inflicted brutal violence to the innocent civilians of Uganda. In their quest for victory they abducted young girls as sex and labour slaves, also capturing children, mainly girls, and reportedly selling and trading them to arms dealers. 

It is the ruined lives of Florence and many other women that has given her the strength to stand up for what is right. On 8^th March Florence will be asking her Government to stand strong and stop the violence to young women and girls. 

Action Aid are asking you to send your support to these women. Just a simple message can go a long way in restoring women’s rights across the globe. It is the courage and determination of these women that should not be gone unnoticed. 

Send your messages to Florence at: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/102779/get_lippy.html?utm_source=shortcut&utm_medium=print&utm_content=getlippy&utm_campaign=multiple

Get behind and celebrate 100 years of IWD.

 

Is Public Relations Just Publicity?

For an industry so influential, it’s surprising to realise that there is no set definition for PR. Therefore, it can be debated that PR is simply another word for publicity. This is argued by the life-style of Hollywood. A general PR practitioner, who has ‘celebrity’ clients, can be seen as a publicist generating media attention for their client. However, other practitioners claim that PR is a strategic way of promoting and selling. It is undeniable that publicity is a part of PR, but how much of an influence does it have on the industry?

With industries such as Hollywood, celebrity PR is rife, with publicists in competition to gain attention for their clients. According to Borkowski (2008: pp 5) publicists have a clear definition:“The publicist’s skill is to proactively find, tell and sell the stories that make their clients news, and it’s a skill that’s more relevant now than ever.”Borkowski states that publicists “find, tell and sell” linking the traits of a publicist to that of a PR practitioner; therefore it is arguable to suggest that publicity if a big part of PR. For a client to be continuously in the limelight is good PR, showing that publicists are effective. However, publicity is arguably a success, good or bad. In that sense, how much can this be linked this to PR:“There’s no such thing as bad publicity” (Barnum: 1850: pp 12)
Bad press can be good for celebrities, as they are still being talked about. However, can bad press help all people? Press such as sex scandals can ruin careers, therefore how much of Barnum’s opinion can be seen as true? If there is no such thing as bad publicity, is there no such thing as bad PR? 

Although publicity is highlighted as the key area of PR in some areas, other practitioners argue against the idea. According to Levinson, Frishman and Lublin (2008: pp xv): “Public Relations (PR) is the overall planning, approach, and strategy for dealing with the media in general. While PR encompasses publicity, it goes beyond merely publicizing what you are selling.”
The idea that publicity is one tactic used in PR is presented in Grunig’s (1984) 4 models of PR, which is designed to distance publicity from professional PR. Therefore it can be seen that the strategies used by PR practitioners are more than that of a publicist. The CIPR (2005) also state that PR is a planned and sustained effort that builds an understanding between organisations and the public. This debatably contrasts with the view of Barnum, if a strong relationship with a client is a fundamental need for good PR, then surely putting out bad publicity is seen as damaging. 

Publicity can be seen as the main driving force in some areas. The celebrity world thrives upon continuous attention, which could damage the credibility of a client. Although not acceptable to some, it is an effective way of promoting and selling. Nevertheless, there is debatably more to PR then just publicising:“They say publicity is seven times more effective than advertising. But it is just one tactic of an overall Public Relations plan.” (Currie: 2007)
It seems that practitioners outside of celebrity PR have different views to those within it. Therefore, PR in some areas is simply publicity, but outside of this, becomes much more as it’s harder to maintain a loyal public. The amount of definitions given to PR shows that there are many different ways in which it can be successful. For PR to just be publicity is not a bad thing if it is succeeding, but in terms of what PR is really about, it’s more likely that publicity is just a part of something much bigger.

Interview with PR Practitioner

Leeds Metropolitan graduate Laura Miller has landed herself a top job after studying a four year course in Public Relations.

After graduating in July 2010, Laura is working in her first PR job, where she is the Communications Officer for South Yorkshire Police. In this role, Laura works to undergo all communications, both proactive and reactive, within Barnsley. She plans and implements campaigns, as well as working with South Yorkshire Police partners. Working within the police calls for a lot of crisis and internal communications, allowing Laura to put into practise the skills she learnt at University.

To date, Laura is particularly proud of the Christmas alcohol campaign in which she led across all public sectors within Barnsley. The campaign, that is making the public aware of the problems alcohol can bring, is continuing to be a success.

Laura enjoys that fact that not one day is the same within her job, especially in the police, there is no way you can predict what jobs will you have day in and day out. However, Public Relations isn’t for everyone. It was only until Laura researched the course after visiting open days that she decided it was what she wanted to do. She claims the placement opportunities she gained, particularly her year out in the NHS, were what cemented in her mind that this was the career for her.

Working in in-house Public Relations, her clients are mainly her work colleagues which can be from different areas of the organisation. People such as SNT staff, CID and response officers are members of the Police in which are useful to Laura’s work. The public sector is much different from the private. Laura stated that her placement within University, where she worked for the NHS, decided that this is the area in which she could see herself working. However, Laura does have experience in other fields which she gained at University.

Laura doesn’t believe she was lucky in obtaining her position so soon after gaining. She believes with the right experience, along with a good degree, a recent graduate stands a good chance of getting a future job. She does firmly believe however that it is a combination of both experience and knowledge, and argues that without experience working in the PR industry people will struggle.

According to Laura, it is not the case that you get paid more if you live in London when working within PR. Salaries can vary from £16,000 to £25,000 for graduates, a good sum for those who have the experience and knowledge to work well within the roles.

It is debated today by practitioners in the PR world that Public Relations has overtaken Journalism. Laura believes they are two separate industries, but without one and other they would not succeed. She believes journalism is changing as it is now easier to publish anything. However, she believes PR has shifted from concentrating on traditional media to more blogs and social media sites. It is this shift that keeps the industry more exciting than others.

In the future Laura hopes to become a recognised and successful PR practitioner. Her advice to anyone studying Public Relations is to get as much experience as possible.