Liz Cooper - design and NGO communications

Public/private partnerships in international development: Student Initiative Forum at King's College London with closing keynote address by Jeffrey Sachs

2011-12-06T16:39:00.001Z

On 3rd December 2011 a group of fifteen to twenty postgraduate students from my department (Social and Policy Sciences at Bath) attended a forum at King’s College London on “Dependent Development; Towards a Cross-Sector Approach” organised by the charitable company The Student Initiative. I was particularly interested in attending the day of lectures and seminars due to the focus on business

Beginning the MSc Business and Community, University of Bath

2011-11-12T10:02:00.001Z

In late September I moved to Bath to begin the MSc Business and Community programme at the University of Bath. The programme allows me to study various different disciplines and relate them to my specific professional interests. This semester I am taking units on: the history of corporations and how they interact with societies; the politics of policy - how social movements shape policy;

VSO RV Weekend and return to the UK

2011-09-11T12:34:00.000+01:00

Having worked in India for a year through VSO until July 2011, last week I attended a VSO RV Weekend at VSO's training centre Harborne Hall, Birmingham. The aims of the weekend are to allow those who have worked overseas through VSO for long periods of time to give feedback to the organisation, and to get advice on resettling back into the UK and planning for the future. Having lived in a lot

Visit to Avani in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India

2011-07-05T07:16:00.000+01:00

I am due to leave India this week after working here in Delhi for a year, so last week I took my last few days' leave to escape to the hills of Kumaon, Uttarakhand, in the Himalayan region of north India. I visited the NGO Avani (www.avani-kumaon.org) - keen to see their spinning, weaving and natural dye projects, and also to spend a few days in the beautiful countryside. I will be shortly

Fair Trade Forum India Summit on Sustainable Consumption and Social Responsibility 23rd June 2011

2011-06-24T05:38:00.001+01:00

I was invited to give a small presentation on Green the Gap at the Fair Trade Forum India summit on Sustainable Consumption and Social Responsibility yesterday - as usual the sample products (including wallets and pencil cases of juice cartons and milk packaging) went down well and many participants were interested to connect with the GtG initiative. Highlights of the day included:the screening

Update on my work at Swechha and Green the Gap

2011-06-21T15:01:00.006+01:00

I've begun the process of reviewing my placement at Swechha with VSO, which included writing a report on what I have managed to achieve here and the success of the partnership overall. Next week we'll have three-way discussions between me, VSO India and Swechha to look back on the year, and help define the future partnership between VSO and Swechha. Some of the work I've done over the year that I

Updates from May 2011

2011-05-29T12:43:00.001+01:00

Since I'll be finishing my role here in India in early July, these days I'm particularly busy trying to fit everything in. Here are a few updates on what I've been up to at work in May: made new product labels for Green the Gap: Co-faciliated a 1-day workshop on volunteering for HR and CSR personnel from the IT industry, with other VSO India representatives Worked on Green the Gap values and

My article on Green the Gap in Ethical Fashion Forum's The Source magazine

2011-05-05T12:30:00.000+01:00

I have been contributing to Ethical Fashion Forum's The Source magazine since 2009 - writing from Senegal and India. An article I wrote on Green the Gap is now online here (full version only available to EFF subscribers).

Green the Gap annual report

2011-05-01T15:04:00.000+01:00

Green the Gap (GtG) is a recycled textiles project run by the NGO I work for in Delhi (Swechha). In early 2011 I produced the first GtG annual report, which I have placed on www.greenthegap.com and www.swechha.in. Click to download a pdf.

Interview on New Art Exchange Nottingham European Voluntary Service blog

2011-04-27T14:13:00.002+01:00

Recently a friend currently volunteering through EVS at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham interviewed me for a blog - asking me questions about my experiences working and volunteering abroad. Find the interview here.

Product design and training people with disabilities with Equipindia in Hubli, Karnataka, India

2011-04-18T08:13:00.001+01:00

From 12th to 17th April I was invited by the NGO Equipindia (who found me through my website/blog) to offer new product designs and train people with disabilities on their handicraft and embroidery project in Hubli, Karnataka. Time was short - but I was able to suggest a few new product designs and we revamped some exisiting styles - including bags, purses, picture frames, coasters and cushion

Pagdandi slum kids' day out to the Red Fort and Nehru Museum, Delhi

2011-04-11T06:41:00.000+01:00

On 10th April Swechha's Pagdandi programme (environment and life skills education for slum kids of Jagdamba Camp) organised an excursion to a couple of Delhi sites chosen by the children - the Red Fort and the Nehru Museum. We met the 110 children in the morning in front of their community, and set off with 2 buses. The kids were excited to drive through Delhi's wide streets and chanted names of

Irish Television visit Swechha and Green the Gap to shoot for a VSO documentary

2011-04-06T14:21:00.000+01:00

On 5th April 2011 a crew from RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann), Ireland's National Public Service Broadcaster, visited Swechha with Clare Kambamettu, the current 'Rose of Tralee' (an Ireland-based beauty competition/festival). Clare is VSO Ireland's ambassador and the documentary follows her visit to India to trace her ancestry (her father is Indian and mother Irish) and to visit several VSO

Launching E-newsletters for Swechha

2011-03-30T15:17:00.000+01:00

Based on feedback given by Swechha supporters in an online communications survey I carried out recently, in which people stated that they want to hear from the organisation more regularly, I have initiated e-newsletters to be sent out monthly. They will offer short updates on programme activities, events coming up and volunteering opportunities. I discovered an e-marketing provider called

Connecting Youth Organisations Nationwide newsletter designed for Swechha

2011-03-24T13:36:00.000Z

Connecting Youth Organisations Nationwide is one of Swechha's core programmes - I designed the March edition newsletter last week, which will be available soon on www.swechha.in.

Visiting traditional block printers in Sanganer, Jaipur

2011-03-24T13:23:00.001Z

This month I took a few days off to visit Jaipur - the 'Pink City' capital of Rajasthan, and was excited to be able to meet traditional hand block printers in the district of Sanganer, which is famous for this traditional craft. Patterns are carved into blocks of wood by hand, and printed in layers on cloth to create intricate designs. I visited a 4th-generation block printing family with a

P.K. Women Society in Manipur, North East India

2011-02-08T13:36:00.001Z

Recently I was contacted by Raina, founder and director of P.K.Women Society in Manipur, about joining the Green the Gap Collective (sharing marketing opportunities with other crafts groups in India) and was fascinated by her work with rural women weavers in the North East. I would really love to take up her offer to go and visit the weaving project, but unfortunately Manipur is a restricted area

Postcard from India article in University for the Creative Arts alumni magazine November 2010

2011-01-21T13:00:00.000Z

A few weeks after beginning work at Swechha I was asked by UCA to write a "postcard from India" for the November issue of their alumni magazine:

New things designed for Swechha and Green the Gap

2011-01-17T13:51:00.003Z

Recent designs for Swechha include two emailers: A sign for the Green the Gap workshop door: A new bag for Green the Gap:

Green the Gap on sale at German Christmas Market, Delhi

2010-12-11T07:02:00.003Z

On 4th and 5th December 2010 we set up a stall, courtesy of the German Embassy, to sell Green the Gap recycled products at the German Christmas Fair in Delhi (German House). We stocked a range of bags, wallets, purses, and coasters made from recycled materials such as car tyres, juice cartons and cloths discarded by factories. The response was very positive - especially from expats looking for

Yamuna River Walk in Delhi

2010-11-16T05:21:00.000Z

On 13th November 2010 the Swechha staff, some GTZ staff, and some interested local schoolchildren went on a Yamuna River Walk to witness the pollution firsthand. We stopped off at three different points along the river in the Delhi area - to compare the cleaner stretch of water which hasn't yet reached the city, and the filthy state of the water that flows out of the city - caused by poorly

Dastkar crafts fair in Delhi 2010

2010-10-28T16:59:00.000+01:00

From 21st to 31st October 2010 a large crafts fair called the Nature Bazaar by Dastkar is being held in Delhi (Janpath). Crafts from all over India and other bordering countries can be found. There is also food from different Indian states, dance and theatre for children, festival processions and a puppetry and storytelling festival taking place next door. Green the Gap is sharing a stand with

Waste cloth market in North East Delhi

2010-10-28T16:44:00.000+01:00

This week I visited a waste cloth market in North East Delhi with colleagues from Swechha, to select fabrics for Green the Gap products. The market stocks and sorts all types of cloths discarded as waste by textiles factories. You can find whole rolls, ends of rolls, smaller offcuts, and even small scraps swept up from factory floors. We bought a variety of weights and colours of cloths to use to

Credibility Alliance National Conference, India Habitat Centre, Delhi

2010-10-22T15:55:00.004+01:00

On 22nd October 2010 I attended the Credibility Alliance National Conference on "Mainstreaming Good Governance in Voluntary Organisations in the next decade", organised in partnership with Oxfam India, VSO India and the Public Affairs Centre. Representatives from government and international and national NGOs gave talks on accountability for non-profits, and how volunteering can enhance

Communications materials designed for Swechha

2010-10-18T17:38:00.000+01:00

Some of the communications materials I have designed for Swechha so far: Folding leaflet

New designs for Green the Gap

2010-10-18T16:17:00.002+01:00

A few new designs for Swechha's Green the Gap project - all made from recycled materials (old tyres and cloths) in our small Delhi workshop:

Pagdandi kids at Balakalakar 2010

2010-10-18T15:57:00.002+01:00

On Saturday 16th October 2010 I joined Swechha colleagues on a day out for children from disadvantaged communities around Delhi, organised by AIESEC. The event is called Balakalakar, and takes place every year. Around 1,000 children took part, with almost 70 from the Jagdamba camp community in which Swechha works. The day included a dance competition, a painting competition, and a health talk

Visit to Swechha office from UK MPs and philanthropists

2010-10-06T16:45:00.000+01:00