Performers Without Borders need our money.

First I should explain to you what the UK charity Performers Without Borders (PWB) is all about before I ask you to dip your hand into your pocket for them, and how better to do that than just copy and paste their vision and values from their website.

Vision

Performers Without Borders (PWB) works towards giving disadvantaged children the opportunity to explore their potential. We understand that, through teaching performance skills an individual's learning, creativity and team working skills are developed. Further, it helps to build confidence, develop empowerment and overcome social barriers. PWB’s methodology of following the tradition of travelling show, and the principle of fostering long-term relationships, is ideal in not only engaging children, but also ensuring community trust in the project.

PWB envisages a world where all children are able to realise their full potential, and have an understanding of different cultures, the complexity of development issues and the importance of personal action.

PWB will work to establish performance schools around the world, which will work in their communities with disadvantaged children. These schools will act as means by which international development issues are explored and cross cultural understanding is promoted.

PWB's values

Education should provide the child with a wide range of life skills...
UNICEF promotes life skills based education and describes it as “an interactive process of teaching and learning which enables learners to acquire knowledge and to develop attitudes and skills”

and contain aspects of fun and playing.
"Play is essential to development as it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional wellbeing of children and youth." From the American Academy of Pediatrics, 9 October 2006.

Self confidence development is key for the disadvantaged.
Removing social and economic barriers is only one part of helping the disadvantaged; with increased self confidence those who have been oppressed are more able to take advantage of new opportunities.

Learning and developing performance skills has great rewards.
The rewards can be broken down four areas:
- learning physical skills,
- working as a team,
- artistic creation, and
- performing experience.

Fostering cross-cultural community links benefits all involved
In a increasingly Interconnected world it is important that there is greater understanding across communities, especially where there are major cultural differences.

Sustainability of the work through long-term contact with communities
The best way to ensure the maximum benefit from community development it is key that the effort must been sustainable and work over the long-term.

The community is the main actor in development
The state has the majority of resources for development, however the resources are used most effectively when the community has the greatest say on how they are used.



I'll also embed the video footage that this years volunteers filmed of their adventures in India, so you can see what they do, how it impacts on the lives of the people they visit and see the relationships that PWB form with communities and how it benefits the people in those communities.

Now we come to the money part

Without money PWB cannot continue to do this brilliant work. They are a small charity that spreads a disproportionate large amount of joy compared to the relatively small amount of money that they spend. Volunteers that go on the project pay to join the tour (Last year a sum of £500) and pay for their own travel costs to India. Additional funds need to be raised for equipment and transportation to India. This money is made by fund raising and donations. This is where I hope we as a club come in. I'd like to make PWB a charity that Elephants Not Included supports. I'm open to ideas how we do this, be it fund raising events, a percentage of our weekly takings from attendance at the weekly meetings or any other suggestions you can come up with, but before I can organise any of that I need to know if you, as a club member, agree to us doing this. To that aim I would like to give you notice that at the regular club meeting on Thursday 30th June 8pm I will be holding a vote to agree or disagree to us doing this. If you are unable to attend that meeting, but still wish to have your say, please contact me and let me know how you feel about it and I will convey your opinions to the group on that night and add your vote to the totals.

Thank you!