Together Podcast | A conversation about faith, justice and how to change the world

It’s October, which means students all over the UK are settling into university for a new term. Whether you’re a fresher, a returner, or know someone who is, what pearls of wisdom do you need to know? We asked the UK director of Campus Awakening, Ralph Pedley, who spends his time equipping students to make the most of their time at uni. Join Chris, Dan, Hannah, Kat and Shehani as they listen in and share their own top tips.

Join us again for part 2 of our interview with Jonny Mellor, leader of the Christian art collective, Sputnik. We discussed everything from how Public Enemy shook up Jonny’s world, to whether or not Ezekiel would be welcome in your church. Join Chris, Abby and Kat as they offer their thoughts and also discuss the upcoming student climate strike.

The post Ep 13 – World changing art with Jonny Mellor (pt 2) appeared first on We Are Tearfund.

Have you ever had a piece of art move you? Perhaps a beautiful painting, a rousing melody, or even a cliffhanger on Hollyoaks? Ok maybe not the last one… but whatever you enjoy, there’s no hiding art’s ability to impact us. So could art positively impact the world around us too? We asked Jonny Mellor, who as well as leading a Church in Birmingham, also leads a collective of Christian artists called Sputnik. Join Dan, Chris, Emma and Abi as they dive deep into the art world and also discuss the recent fires in the Amazon.

We’re back with part 2 of our interview with Bryn Frere-Smith, the founder of Blue Bear Coffee Co. After a career spanning the police, private security and more, Bryn followed the call to start an ethical coffee company that donates profits to charities tackling human trafficking. Find out his top tips for ethical entrepreneurship and also join Dan, Emma and Chris as they share why bad exam results aren’t the end of the world.

What do you get when you take an ex-copper and place them in the middle of the Dominican Republic? Blue Bear Coffee Co. of course! We met up with Bryn Frere-Smith, the founder of the ethical coffee company working to end human trafficking. He shared the journey that led him to start Blue Bear and what he’s learnt in the process. Join Dan, Abi and Chris as they share their thoughts and also discuss what the recent heatwave means for the climate.

Spend enough time around Christians and you’re likely to hear the phrase ‘worship is a lifestyle’ at some point… But does anyone know what that actually means?! We spoke to songwriter, worship leader and event director for David’s Tent, Rich di Castiglione about exactly that. He shared his thoughts on worship and how it connects with justice. Join Dan, Emma and Chris as they share their thoughts and also explore how we can use social media to speak truth to power.

It’s national volunteering week! So it’s only right that we talked to three people who recently spent time volunteering overseas. As the summer months roll in and college and uni come to an end, you may be thinking about doing the same. But what’s a volunteering trip like? Join Chris, Abby, Chuma and guests as they discuss the nitty-gritty of volunteering – the highs, the lows and everything in between!

Have you ever been part of a rubbish revolution? No, not a bad one. Did you know every 30 seconds, the UK produces 2 busloads worth of rubbish! We’re using our voices to call for an end to our waste problem. Join us for a special spoken word episode of the Together Podcast, where we get to hear from some of the UK’s leading experts on rubbish. Will you join the revolution?

Here are the words to Chris’ spoken word:

It’s all a load of rubbish right?

We say out of sight, out of mind.

But what’s done in the dark will come to the light.

We keep flooding the world with the carcasses of our capitalism,

And hoping the earth’s metabolism will just swallow it.

But if you follow it, it doesn’t appear to disappear like evaporation.

Instead it stares in the faces of those who can’t afford the evasion.

We’re a generation built on a plastic foundation,

And the more we use, the more we hear the groans of creation.

Mountains of rubbish leaving the earth quaking,

Pollution steering a poisonous invasion.

What will it take to make us change our ways,

And how we’re living, with this plastic fixation?

We know nature suffers at the hands of our waste,

Oceans full of plastic, leaving animals displaced.

We’re killing off species at an alarming pace,

And you can even add to that the human race.

People living in poverty surrounded by what we don’t want to see.

We ship off our rubbish to countries with no responsibility,

And it comes to be just another part of the landscape,

That can’t be escaped, till it reshapes the earth.

Giving birth to polluted water and toxic air,

Till people grow sick and die in despair.

And do we care?

Or maybe we’re unaware?

Either way we continue our rubbish problem, while looking elsewhere

Our rubbish problem is narcism, masked within our want to consume.

We only care about serving ourselves, who cares if the world is doomed

Multinational corporations keep producing our tombs,

In the shapes of bottle and packets, which we continually use.

But what if we refused?

What if we demanded a change?

What if we looked to other ways of doing things and broke the cycle, broke the chain?

Alternatives to plastic may seem drastic, but it’s what’s needed.

The only way we’ll survive, is if this message is heeded.

So together let’s all say no.

The rubbish we make, has got to go.

Whether it’s Coca Cola, Nestlé, Unilever or PepsiCo,

We need to let them know,

We wont stand for anymore waste,

And their role in this rubbish is something they must face.

Join the rubbish revolution, there’s no time to waste.

The post Are you ready for a revolution? appeared first on We Are Tearfund.

Students all over the globe striking school to call for an end to climate change. With pressure coming from multiple directions, here has never been so much attention on the issue. So why now? We went to the recent London youth climate strike to talk with protestors and find out why they got involved. We also spoke to Tearfund campaigns expert, Sarah Edwards, who shared her thoughts on the protests, Greta Thunberg and why climate change demands urgent action. Join Emma and Chris as they investigate what it takes to stop climate change.

As the Brexit saga continues, it can feel pretty daunting to get involved in politics. But we met two experts at speaking truth to power: Zoe Anderson from IJM and Hazel MacIver from Tearfund Scotland. They shared their top tips for influencing government and connecting ethical lifestyle choices to political change. Join Dan and Chris as they listen in and find out what it means to be an advocate for change.