Taking the Temperature of AIUK

Owen Collins is standing for election to the Board of Amnesty International UK this year. Since April he has been visiting local groups across the country to ‘take the temperature’ of the movement. Be it organising new campaigns or fundraising initiatives, Owen has seen first-hand how activists are striving to make the world a better place. With another nine meetings in the diary, Owen is going strong in his determination to encourage more Amnesty members to cast their ballot in this year’s board election.

Owen said ‘I want to thank the Exeter, Frome, Hammersmith, Ely, Shrewsbury, Huntingshire, Taunton, Bristol, Chelmsford and Perth Groups for inviting me to their meetings. Amnesty is too important not to take an active role in its governance. I would ask everyone to get involved in this process’.

To see Owen’s election leaflet please click the link below

Don’t forget to vote

There are 200,000 members of Amnesty International in the UK but less than 1% of the membership vote in board elections. We at the Cardiff Amnesty International Group urge all members to exercise their democratic rights. We believe that it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the movement is fighting fit for the next 60 years and that involves a collective effort.

You can find more information about the election process by visiting the AIUK website here. Information on all of the candidates can also be found here. Ballot papers are now being circulated to all members and can be submitted by post. To vote online please go to www.amnesty.org.uk/boardballot and enter the Meeting ID: 149-041-016. You will then be prompted to enter your Voter Reference Number and PIN. The deadline for voting is 17^th June 2021.

The Conversation Continues …

Many local Amnesty groups are still meeting virtually because of the pandemic. Taking advantage of this situation, Owen would like to ‘take the temperature’ of the movement. He said:

‘I want to be sure that I understand what the local network needs from AIUK, especially given the effects of COVID-19. I would be really grateful if local groups could spare a few minutes to tell me what they want from their Board’.

Owen continued,

‘the new Global Strategy offers exciting opportunities, but I feel strongly that Amnesty must not lose sight of its founding principles. The core values of the charity – freeing prisoners of conscience, campaigning to abolish the death penalty, demanding an end to torture – are key to the organisation that I joined when I was in school’.

To invite Owen to one of your online meetings please email him at amnesty.cardiff@btinternet.com.

Biographical Note:

Dr Owen Collins has been Chair/Vice-chair of the Cardiff Group for a decade, winning AIUK’s Human Rights Activism Award in 2019 for campaigning in support of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. He was recently interviewed for the BBC Radio Wales documentary Imprisoned in Iran. Alongside Amnesty activism, Owen has held voluntary governance roles in two other charities.

At the start of 2019 Owen joined the Senior Management Team of the Archdiocese of Cardiff. His wide-ranging role includes fundraising and project development, most recently co-ordinating the charity’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a background in risk and financial management in the public and charitable sector, Owen previously worked for the National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales.

To see other posts relating to the Board Election please click here to read Cardiff Amnesty’s Anti-Racism Statement here.