Who are we?
Amnesty International is a global movement of over 10 million people committed to a future where everyone's fundamental, universal human rights are upheld. Through meaningful collective action and organised campaigning, Amnesty International seeks to investigate and expose human rights abuses, mobilising the public to help transform societies and produce a safer, more just world. United by our shared humanity, we understand that the power to effect positive change lies within us all.
UCL's Amnesty International society remains the university's largest student charity, representing Amnesty International's mission and values amongst the student body. As a society, we provide a platform for students passionate about human rights to come together and make a difference through various forms of meaningful, engaging events. These run throughout the academic year, often in conjunction with other UCL societies and other London-based Amnesty International societies.
What we do?
The majority of Amnesty International Society events revolve around our objectives of: raising awareness about contemporary human rights violations, and providing support to their victims.
As such, many of our events revolve around awareness building and campaigns. For instance, we regularly:
- Organise informative sessions on contemporary topics,
- Coordinate and develop student campaigns,
- Run campaign focused workshops,
- Set up fundraisers and support groups.
We are also committed to developing the skills of our membership, with a particular emphasis upon those most relevant to human rights campaigning, though they are also very transferable into politics, business, and much more! For this, we often run:
- Speaker events with various key figures,
- Debates, or MUN style conferences,
- Outings to relevant businesses and institutions.
Finally, as balance is always important, we regularly organise great socials, such as picnics, pub crawls, or quizzes!
If you want to make a difference, meet new people and have some fun in doing so then this is the society for you!
WhatsApp Link 2024/25:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/DoucVEAznyK1PymWDT01RI
Additional Info:
- Our Journal: The Amnesty
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At the UCL Amnesty Society we are very proud to say we have our very own journal! 'The Amnesty' is a student-run press response to global events and infringements on human rights, where we recognise the importance of reasoned debate and conversation. We believe in the power of the written word for its ability to give people a voice, impact individuals and communities, and pressuring groups and institutions.
We are especially interested in providing UCL's student body with a platform where they can publish articles which:
- Raise awareness about a specific human rights abuse.
- Discuss the subtleties and complexities of a particular issue.
- Explore the forces driving controversial views and extreme opinions.
- Discuss potential approaches for the future.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in contributing to, we will be opening writing applications at the end of October, so keep an eye out for that! All the info will be announced on our social media channels.
We will also be taking on assistant editors later on in the year! This is a great opportunity to gain invaluable experience and build up your CV!
In the meantime, check out some of our past articles at 'The Amnesty' here:
https://theamnesty.wordpress.com/welcome-to-the-amnesty/
- 2024/25 Academic Year
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Our 2024/25 Academic Year is packed with impactful, fun, and educating events! Details will all be announced through our WhatsApp group, Society Newsletter and social media platforms! On top of 'focus weeks', where we focus on a specific human rights issue, and our many socials.
Term One:
During Term one, we will be running events around key dates and events in the human rights calendar! This means we will be covering a wider range of topics, offering something that should be of interest to everyone. Some key dates include:
- October 2nd: International Day of Non-Violence
- October 10th: World Day Against The Death Penalty
- October 17th: International Day For Eradication Of Poverty
- November 20th: Universal Children's Day
- November 25th: International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women
- December 1st: World Aids Day
- December 1oth: Human Rights Day
- December 18th: International Migrants Day
Outreach programme:
In Term 2 we will be running an outreach programme to teach local young people about human rights, and how we can fight to protect them! To do this, we organize weekly outings to a local school and run human rights workshops to inspire the next generation of activists! This is a great opportunity to first years to get involved in UCL Amnesty Internationals planning processes and prepare them for Year 2!
More details on this will be released in due time, and applications will open in December!