SFT UK university fresher pack

Students for a Free Tibet

Photo: 2011 Uprising Day march in London

Fresher pack

SFT’s principles

Students for a Free Tibet UK (SFT UK) works in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle forfreedom and independence. The SFT UK network is part of the international SFT movement of youngpeople and activists around the world. Through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent directaction, we campaign for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom. Our role is to empower and trainyouth as leaders in the worldwide movement for social justice.

SFT UK’s vision is of an independent Tibet, as part of a just and equitable world, free of oppression, inwhich there is respect for the earth and all living things. We see a world where young people realise thatthey can and must take responsibility to change our world for the better, and are equipped with the skillsand knowledge to do so effectively and non-violently.

SFT UK is inspired by other successful non-violent struggles such as Gandhi’s resistance movement whichled to Indian independence, Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement in the US and Nelson Mandela’scampaign against Apartheid in South Africa. SFT UK believes that though China is powerful, there arecracks in its system, and that it is up to us to make the occupation of Tibet costly for the Chinese regime.SFT UK also stands in solidarity with other movements affected by the Chinese regime, such as theChinese democracy movement, the Uyghurs, the Inner Mongolians, the Burmese and the Falun Gong’speaceful opposition to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), though this does not necessarily mean SFTUK shares all of these groups’ views.

When SFT UK talk about Tibet, we are referring to ‘Greater Tibet’, not just what China calls ‘the TibetAutonomous Region’. The Tibetan cultural areas of Amdo and Kham were part of an independent Tibetbefore the Chinese invasion, and the people of these regions continue to stand up against Chinese rule.

We believe every individual has the right to be free. Those who enjoy freedom have the power and also theresponsibility to make positive change in the world. We seek to create opportunities to inspire, enable andmotivate all people to see that change is possible. We value creativity in every pursuit and we believe it isessential to have fun while working towards our vision of a just and equitable world.

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For more info, contact us at:sftuk.org

2More info - sftuk.org and studentsforafreetibet.org

Contents

Introduction

Aims and objectives

Ideas for Freshers Fair

Maintaining your membership

Fundraising

Tibet facts

Merchandise

Nomad campaign

Political prisoners

Lhakar and the Tibetan renaissance

Letter writing

Networking

Stay in touch

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Photos: SFT action camp, nomadic life,workshop with kids, Tibetans rise up, Hullgroup, SFT on the road at Glastonbury.

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3Contact us about anything relating to your group or Tibet - [email protected]

Introduction

Hello supporter!

This is a group pack for SFT UK university chapters.

In this pack there’s all kinds of ideas about how to keep your group together, expand membership,particularly if you are an individual member at a university without a group and ideas for effectivefundraising. Hopefully these ideas will serve as inspiration when holding your own events.

If you’re not part of a group and are thinking about starting one, please let us know and we can help withmaterials, advice and by listing your group. As long as groups agree to SFT’s mission statement andapproach, groups are free to organise events and protests and we’ll support you wherever we can,including with training. If you’re not at uni, there are still opportunities to start a group, whether in your localcommunity, as part of a club or social network. Or you may just want to organise a one-off event and seehow it goes. Either way, contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].

We hope you find this pack helpful and if you have any questions about the pack or anything else please donot hesitate to get in touch, all contact information can be found at the back of the pack!

Good luck!

Tom Prosser,Grassroots co-ordinator, SFT UK board

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Photos: The colourful Tibetan flag is a great way to draw attention at events and protests, and students protest for language rightsinside Tibet in 2010; they risk their lives and liberty to do so; we should use our liberty to promote theirs!


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Aims and objectives

As always one of the mains aims for your group should bemaintaining membership and securing your chapter’s status within the university. We hope you’ll find someuseful tips in this pack on how to do that.

Raising awareness is another key aspect of what we are trying to achieve at SFT. The more people thatknow about us and the situation in Tibet, the more people we can have working towards the same goals!

Also fundraising is forever on the agenda for SFT UK so it’s a really good idea to get to grips with thisCheck out the fundraising page in this guide for ideas on effective fundraising as well as the SFT UKwebsite. The best thing about holding fundraising events is that you can raise awareness not only about theTibetan cause but also your own chapter individually.

Everything you do when part of SFT should have some sort of focus on one or more of these things.

Ideas for Freshers fairOne of the most important days of the whole year for you and your chapter is Fresher’s Fair. In this sectionwe will give you some basic ideas about effective ways of drawing people to your table and ways to keepthem interested and curious long after they have gone.

A good way of doing this is to use small leaflets that people visiting your table can look at later on.. You canuse SFT leaflets and postcards or adapt them- just remember SFT’s objectives at the start of this pack!Making your own leaflet can give a more informal and fun feel whilst at the same time not detracting fromthe seriousness of the issue. It can also have your details on it so people can contact you direct.

To sell your chapter to students, it’s best to have some information on your own group. The approach youtake and which of SFT’s campaigns you concentrate on will be up to you, so tell people what kind of eventsyou hold and even have information on yourselves. This again is a great way to show that your chapter canbe lots of fun despite how serious we take the situation in Tibet.

Photos: SFT has used banner drops to push the issue all around the world, a stall at Beach Break

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Maintaining your membershipAfter fresher’s fair has come and gone you should hopefully have been able to add some more members toyour chapter. Whilst this is brilliant you shouldn’t rest on your laurels and keeping these members is vital toyour chapter having a big impact on your university.

A really good way to do this is to have an event or social as soon as possible. Something simple like ameeting, social or arranging a talk is a great way to keep members interested and boost the amount ofpeople wanting to join your group.

Turning your group into an active force within the union is a great way of maintaining membership.Organising events at regular intervals can improve student’s awareness of your group. Make sure thatwhen you are organising events that you include all members of your group and that you are not relying ona few people to organise and oversee the event or fundraising ideas you have. Play to each others’strengths and you will find that your events will become increasingly successful.

FundraisingOne of the most effective ways of raising money with very little need for planning or resources is toorganise a stall in your students union. With just a few members for a few hours, you and your group canraise lots of money. A good way of maximising the money that can be made from stalls is to co-inside yourevent with something that is in the news and don’t be afraid to be flexible with the content of your stall andmix things up to get yourself noticed. Maybe sell things there or have something interactive like a written orphoto petition and eye-catching posters to get people’s attention.

Make sure you account for your costs; you don’t want them overtaking the money you raise! Be realisticwith how much you can expect to raise to avoid overspending. Be careful with resources; things likeleaflets are great to build awareness but talking to people is more personal; best that you give a leaflet andhave a conversation.

Top TipDon’t be afraid to grab a donation bucket and move away from your area as this can be a great way ofreaching more people!

Photos: Tibetans call for independence at the Beijing Olympic torch relay in London and during the uprising in Tibet in 2008.


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I am sure that many of you have organised and held your own events in the past and have a good idea ofhow to do so. I am going to share some of the ways that I have found most effective in raising money.

Firstly, as discussed on the previous page is stalls in the university union. This worked well for our groupbecause we have many people with different skills who could come together and make it a success. Therewere people who would decorate our area and attract people to our stall. There were people who weremore confident asking people for money. If you can pool all your groups talents together it can make for areally effective fundraiser.

Another way is to hold events such as concerts with live music and comedians in a small venue. This kindof fundraiser can be difficult to organise but it is well worth the benefits and in my experience is a greatnight out too! Every event is different; if you want any more advice about what to do, get in touch with meand I can give you some pointers.

Hopefully you have been able to take something from this that can help you become a better group and feelmore confident about what you want to achieve this year. If you have any questions about anything don’thesitate to get in contact with me.

Being the president of a society myself I know exactly what you are going through and it would be reallygood if we could all keep in contact with each other and share ideas and experiences about what worksand what doesn’t work . The rest of this pack contains more information about SFT’s campaigns and canhopefully give some ideas on what you could focus on at your uni, as well as contact information for me soplease don’t be afraid to get in touch even just to say hi!!

Whether small or large scale, you can get noticed! Students in Manchester do a sit-in action at the Chinese consulate and former SFT UK boardmember Iain grabs international headlines for Tibet with this daring banner hang outside the Birds Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing


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Ten Tibet facts

-Tibet is located to the West of China, and is the size of Western Europe.

-The country’s spiritual leader is the Dalai Lama who now lives in Dharamsala, India

Since the Chinese invaded and occupied the country in 1949, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans havebeen killed and many more have fled into exile. Tibetans are now scattered across the world.

-Around 86,000 Tibetan men, women and children were killed in the Tibetan Uprising of 1959; and sincethen China has imposed a huge military presence, strict controls and punishments for dissenters.

Various human rights abuses take place in Tibet today including torture, forced disappearence, lack ofreligious freedom, unequal education and employment opportunities for Tibetans, lack of freedom ofspeech, lack of internationally agreed judicial practices, lack of information access and forced relocation ofpeople into tenement-style ghettos.

Tibetan students are forced to learn in Chinese from the age of 13, competing for university places againstHan Chinese migrants in a language they do not properly understand. This leads to Tibetans missing out onmost university places and therefore on good careers.

-Lots of Tibetan parents take the heartbreaking decision to send their children on the dangerous trek acrossthe Himalayas into exile to receive a fair education and freedom. Some never see their children again.

-China invests huge resources in policing Tibet, with an armed military police officer for around every 20Tibetan civilians. This is to keep Tibetans in a state of fear, scared to speak up for their country.

-There were mass uprisings in Tibet in 1988-9 and in 2008, but peaceful protests occur every month inTibet. State controls prevent a lot of information leaving Tibet, making it important we share it.

There is a worldwide network of activists working towards a free Tibet of which Students For A Free Tibet isa key member, with chapters worldwide and growing.

Photos: Tibetan monks get a rare opportunity to protest in front of foreign press; some of these monks were arrested and a few are known to haveied since, and a military truck; these and snipers are common on the streets of Tibet’s capital, Lhasa.

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Photos: Some of the SFT merchandise which can light up your stall!


More at - sftuk.org/sft-online-storeYou can also get leaflets and other materials from us, or print our magazine and other publications from sftuk.org/about/sft-uk-publications

Merchandise

Wearing Tibet merchandise is a good way to get noticed, and itsalso a great way to raise funds for your group. We can get merchandise for your group and docheap deals on some items. Contact [email protected] or [email protected]

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New Tibet hoodies

Kids clothing

Other clothing

Bands

Bags

Greeting cards

Books

Nomad campaign

Tibetan nomads are under threat.

Tibetan nomads or drokpa (in Tibetan) are the guardians of Tibet's ancient culture. For thousands of years,they have lived sustainably on the grasslands of the Tibetan plateau.

But China wants to end Tibetan nomads' way of life by 2015. The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) isforcing 2.25 million nomads – one third of the entire Tibetan population – off their land into isolated,reservation-style concrete housing blocks. Over 1.4 million nomads have already been relocated.

Nomads traditionally live in tents and move with their livestock; sheep, goats, yak and horses; across theTibetan plateau with the seasons. This makes them hard to keep track of, and their lifestyle is distinctlyTibetan; a national and cultural identity which China is seeking to destroy. The concrete houses don’t lookthat bad at first, but quickly the nomads realise that their livestock has been confiscated or slaughtered,their agricultural skills are useless in an urban environment and they have no means to provide forthemselves and their families. Many slip into poverty, gambling, alcohol addiction or suicide.

Under a false claim of "environmental protection," China is clearing the land to make way for destructivedams and lucrative mining operations. Scientists have shown that nomads' traditional grazing patternsactually help to mitigate the impact of climate change on the plateau. But aimed at tightening its colonialgrip over Tibet, China's policy of forced resettlement is a death sentence for Tibetan nomads and the land.

Even at the risk of arrest, imprisonment, and torture by the Chinese government, Tibetan nomads havespoken out against the forced resettlement. As they fight to save their way of life, we must act to alert theworld to this growing crisis. This is what happened to the Native Americans and to the Aboriginal people ofAustralia. We said we’d never let it happen again but it’s happening now to Tibet’s nomads.

Students for a Free Tibet has joined forces with the International Tibet Network and other concerned groupsto launch a new campaign to support Tibetan nomads' rights. We need your help to push this issue, to endforced resettlement and save the Tibetan nomads. It’s one of SFT’s main focuses in coming years.

Photos: (Top) a young nomad, photo by Vincent Van den berg, the regimented complexes are close-packed with little room to move and noagricultural opportunities; very different to the freedom to move and graze which the nomads depend on.

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More info - nomadrights.org10

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TAKE ACTION: STAND WITH TIBETAN NOMADS

1. Watch & share the ‘Nomads to Nobody’ or nomadrights.org videos, educate your friends and familyabout the issue and share it online. You can get a copy from us or watch it at www.wildyakfilms.com2. Get fellow students/friends/family to sign the petition and demand Chinese leaders stop their policy offorcing Tibetan nomads off their land.3. Read more about nomad rights and how you can get involved in this campaign.All of the above are available at the new website www.nomadrights.org

Your group can encourage people to take the three actions above, and you can link up with other groupswho care about environmental issues to make our call for nomad rights louder. You can also get nomadrights postcard campaign cards from us for people to sign, and get people to take part in ‘Wish I wasThere’; a photo campaign which gets Tibetans and supporters to stand in run-down urban settings holdingpictures of the Tibetan plateau, dreaming of still being there. More at sftuk.org/wish-i-was-there

Not many people know about the plight of Tibet’s nomads. When you show people pictures of Tibetannomads, they’re always taken by their distinctive clothing, their colourful adornments and their sustainablelifestyle, but they’re surprised to know that this is all under severe threat; such a severe threat that by 2015it may all be gone completely.

So your group can reach out to people and get the word about nomad rights out there. There are somegreat tools you can use to draw interest; amazing photos of nomads and the beautiful Tibetan plateau,nomadic clothing and decorations, dress-up yaks or yak masks, DIY handicrafts at information stalls andTibetan foods like momos, popular with nomads. And you can use the environmental issues which nomadscare about to get a broader range of people interested as well.

The resettlement of nomads isn’t just a human rights issue; Tibet houses the third largst store of ice on theplanet (after the poles) and that ice is melting fast, meaning billions of people in India, Bangladesh andChina downstream are at risk of flooding. They’re also at risk of lack of water, since China is continuing tobuild mega dams in Tibet which can block water getting down rivers like the Brahmaputra and Ganges.There’s also the issue of China’s quickly expanding factories polluting that water, and the fact that climatechange is speeding up on the Tibetan plateau as nomads are taken off the land so that it can be used fordestructive mining practices and other industrialised processes Its all about the exploitation of Tibet’snatural resources, which fuels China’s economy. Without the nomads, we’re all at risk.

Photos: Tibetans in the UK sign Nomad Rights petition postcards and unarmed Tibetan villagers face off against Chinese soldiers in a protestagainst the pollution being caused by a new factory; environmental protests are becoming more and more common in Tibet.


More info - nomadrights.org

Political prisoners

Nobody knows how many political prisoners are in jail in Tibet today.

Tibetans can be arrested for a huge variety of reasons, and the terror they experience doesn’t end there.The United Nations states that torture is both ‘widespread’ and ‘routine’ in Tibet today, and China refusesattempts by UN human rights experts to visit Tibet’s jails. China’s judicial system is also a hotbed ofcorruption and abuse, where prisoners are systematically denied legal representation, prevented frombeing visited by their families, given disproportionate sentences for vague ‘crimes’ such as ‘splittism’ andare often convicted solely on their own confessions- confessions which they only make while they are beinghorrifically tortured, or because state officials threaten to arrest and abuse their families if they do notcomply. Torture also takes place during their sentences, as does food, sleep and sensory deprevation.Another common practice is for Tibetans who have been tortured to the point of death to be ‘released’ intohospitals to die so that it cannot be said that they died in jail.

All of this creates a system where Tibetans are scared to speak their minds. Things which we do every daycan lead to lengthy sentences, torture and death, such as:

-Taking part in a peaceful protest -Shouting ‘free Tibet!’-Owning a Tibetan flag -Owning a picture of the Dalai Lama-Starting a political group -Fundraising for Tibetans or human rights work-Complaining about state corruption -Speaking up against environmental damage-Writing news articles in magazines -Interviewing people for a documentary-Creating websites about Tibet’s culture -Refusing to denounce the Dalai Lama-Sending email to friends outside Tibet -Downloading an MP3 of a song about freedom

Yet despite these harsh controls and punishments, Tibetans continue to protest against Chinese rule intheir thousands every year. The last big Tibetan uprising was in 2008, where over 100 separate proteststook place across a two month period. China tries to paint a picture of a ‘harmonious’ Tibet, and often bansreporters and tourists and cuts phone and internet lines to stop people exposing the truth; that Tibet isan area of serious unrest and that the Tibetan people risk their liberty to reject Chinese rule.

Your group can make a real difference to political prisoners by highlighting their cases, collecting petitions,writing to local MPs and asking them to take up individual cases with their Chinese counterparts and bringthem up in parliament. And personal cases can attract people to your group- when people put themselvesin the shoes of Tibetan prisoners, they realise how awful the situation is and are compelled to act. Byraising awareness of prisoners’ cases, you are making sure the Chinese government is being watched, andthat it has to be careful how it treats them or face embaressment and criticism worldwide.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, The Panchen LamaAge at arrest: 6 Sentence: None Missing since abduction in 1995Abducted by Chinese authorities aged just six, he and his family have not been seen orheard from since. Seen as the reincarnation of Tibet’s 2nd highest religious figure, theChinese state abducted him to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama.SFT UK markhis birthday every 25th April with a vigil outside the Chinese Embassy. You can also get‘where is he?’ Panchen Lama stickers from SFT UK.

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Organise a vigil on the Panchen Lama’s birthday! And contact SFT UK for Panchen Lama stickers - [email protected]

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Dhondup Wangchen, film makerSentence: 6 years Arrested in: 2008 For: Making a documentary about Tibet TorturedDhondup was arrested after filming interviews with Tibetans, talking about their views on lifeunder Chinese rule. He has been denied medical care when ill and forced to do hard labour.You can get more copies ‘Leaving Fear Behind’ from SFT UK, and ask us if you’d likeDechen Pemba, who helped smuggle the film out of China, to present the film at your uni.

Norzin Wangmo, cadreSentence: 5 years Arrested in: 2008 For: Talking about Tibet on phone & email TorturedWhen protests errupted around Tibet in March 2008. Norzin talked to friends on the phoneand net about what she saw and was arrested. She has been tortured and denied the right tosee her young son. Her sentenced was reduced by 8 months in 2011 and we are continuingto campaign for her release.

Karma Samdrup, environmentalistSentence: 15 years Arrested in: 2010 For: Complaining about brothers’ arrests TorturedAward-winning environmentalist Karma was popular with the Chinese state until he spoke outwhen his brothers Rinchen and Chime were arrested for criticising state officials for poachingendangered wildlife. Karma was tortured to extract a confession to dubious charges relating toantiques dealing. His case is a good one to use to engage with environmental groups at youruni- it shows Tibetans are prevented from protecting the fragile environment of the plateau.

Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, Buddhist monkSentence: Death (reduced to life imprisonment) Arrested in: 2002For: Human rights & environment work TorturedOne of the most influential religious and community leaders in Tibet, TDR was charged withbeing involved in a bomb plot in an attempt to counteract his influence- no evidence has beenproduced. His co-accused Lobsang Dhondup was executed in 2002. Tenzin Deleg is one ofTibet’s best known prisoners, and even today Tibetans in Tibet continue to risk their ownlliberty by signing large scale petitions for his release. Campaigning led to his death sentence

being reduced to life in 2005. It shows highlighting cases can work. The campaign to release him continues.

PenkyiSentence: Death Arrested in: 2008 For: Alleged arson during a protest

21-year-old Penkyi is awaiting execution after being convicted of starting a fatal fire. She wasdenied legal representation and no evidence has emerged from the trial. It is thought hersentence will be commuted to life, but two other young Tibetans given similar convictionsaround the same time, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, were executed in 2009

.Wangdu, NGO health workerSentence: Life imprisonment Arrested in: 2008 For: Sending emailWangdu worked promoting AIDS awareness in Tibet, and emailed friends outside Tibet to tellthem about military crackdowns he witnessed in 2008. Three others received 8-14 yearsentences on similar charges but Wangdu’s is thought to be the longest for such aninsignificant ‘crime’. Using this case, you can show people that even something they do everyday; sending email, can lead to life in jail in Tibet, and how China fears social networking.

Paljor Norbu, printerSentence: 7 years Arrested in: 2008 For: Printing Tibetan flags

81-year-old Paljor was denied legal representation in a closed trial, and his family were nottold of his arrest. His age and frail condition coupled with the abuse that takes place inChinese jails has made his family fearful for his survival. His case shows how China stopsTibetans using the arts, and if they are prepared tojail vulnerable old men, they’ll jail anybody.


These are only a few of the hundreds, if not thousands of political prisoners held in Tibet today. You can read more about these cases andothers at - www.sftuk.org/campaign/political or www.freetibetanheroes.org

Lhakar and the Tibetan renaissance

Lhakar is a homegrown people’s movement that has emerged in Tibet recently. In spite of China’sintensified crackdown, Tibetans have embraced the power of strategic nonviolent resistance. Lhakar,meaning ‘White Wednesday,’ (the Dalai Lama’s ‘soul day’) is about resisting China’s occupation and thepressure to become ‘sinicised’ by making the effort each Wednesday to speak the Tibetan language, wearTibetan clothes, eat Tibetan food and shop at Tibetan merchants. Lhakar is about Tibetans being Tibetan.

There are lots of different ways to mark White Wednesday, and Tibetans are continually thinking of newinitiatives. For example, as the Chinese authorities attempt to further marginalise the Tibetan language byreplacing it with Chinese in schools, Tibetans in Sershul Monastery have hit upon a brilliant idea to protecttheir language from Chinese invasion. Everyone makes an effort to speak in pure Tibetan in the monastery,and every time someone utters a Chinese word, they get fined a yuan! It keeps people thinking; whileChina pumps countless yuan into propaganda which tells Tibetans that Tibet is part of China and thatTibetans have been ‘liberated’, initiatives like this remind them that they have their own language, cultureand nationality, and it remind the Chinese state of that too!

Other examples of Lhakar activities include a movement to buy only vegetables sold by Tibetan sellers. AsChinese migrants are often paid more for the same jobs, Chinese sellers had been charging more, makingit hard for Tibetans to afford basic stocks. By getting together to purposefully buy from Tibetan sellers (whodropped their prices to help Tibetan buyers) the Tibetans have started to push Chinese sellers out ofbusiness, giving Tibetans more economic power in their own country. The Chinese state has even had towarn Chinese police to not buy from Tibetan sellers themselves- they want to as their goods are cheaper!

You can follow the Lhakar movement at www.Lhakar.org and see how exiled Tibetans are joining theLhakar movement at www.Lhakardiaries.com

Another new strand of the Tibetan movement to come out of Tibet itself is what we call the Tibetanrenaissance. People are shocked by the kind of things that are banned in Tibet. Websites like YouTube andTwitter, pictures of key Tibetan figures like the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama, symbols of Tibetannationality like the Tibetan flag and national anthem and MP3s and ringtones of music by Tibetan artists.Since the Tibetan uprising of 2008, the younger generation of Tibetans inside Tibet have become energisedand are using clever new ways to get around state controls and call for freedom. They’re aren’t justmarching and protesting, they’re using music, art, poetry, films, books, blogs, anti-censorship software forthe web and the Chinese state have no idea how to deal with them. They can arrest some people who getcreative, but jailing people for listening to music or reading booksmakes the Chinese state look backward while it tries to convincethe world it’s advanced.

SFT is standing in solidarity with the new generation byorganising the Renaissance Series; social and fundraising eventswhich aim to amplify their voices by celebrating all the things thatare banned in Tibet. This opens up great opportunities for fun,engaging group events based around music, film and the arts.The Tibet movement inside Tibet is quickly becoming a youthmovement and its the same for us!

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watch some banned music videos at http://vimeo.com/hpeaks/videos14

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Letter writing

Letter writing is an easy way to get politicall active, and its something you cando either as an individual or as a group.

Your MP is directly responsible to you, so they have a duty to respond when youwrite to them about a political issue. A lot of people are wary of writing to their MP; they feel it won’t makeany difference and that their letter will be ignored. But nine times out of ten, MPs respond, and MPs tell usthat it only takes around 3 letter from constituents about an issue for them to consider it important.

If you don’t know who your MP is, you can check easily on websites like www.writetothem.com, and theyare responsible to you whether you’ve voted or not. You can write about any Tibet issue and they shouldwrite back. Remember they may not know much about the issue, so briefly outline what your concerns are,and remember to ask them to act in some way. That may be to raise the issue with their Chinese counter-parts, to write to the Foreign Office or to sign an early day motion (EDM) about Tibet. (EDMs are created byMPs and if enough members of parliament sign them, it sparks a political debate about the issue). If a UKstatesperson is about to visit China or if a Chinese statesperson is due to visit the UK, its a good idea toask your MP to raise the issue during this visit.

The first letter is always a bit daunting, but its rewarding to get a reply, which you can share with your groupto encourage them to write as well. Though your group are a small minority when it comes to the populationof the UK, a tiny amount of people take the time to write to their MPs, so you’re influencing their opinionsmore than you might think! And in time you can build a good relationship with your MP through writingletters and by meeting them at the mass lobby for Tibet, which takes place at Westminister every March10th. The MPs are the people meeting Chinese leaders and businessmen face to face; if you can makethem Tibet supporters, it’s having a real impact! Below is a sample letter to an MP on the case ofimprisoned nomad Runggye Adak:

<MP NAME HERE>House of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA

Dear ................................................MP,

I am writing to you to express my deep concern for Runggye Adak, a Tibetan nomad currently serving aneight year sentence in Mianyang Prison, Sichuan Province for “provocation to subvert state power.”

His 'crime' was to call for the return of the Dalai Lama and the release of Tibetan political prisoners during ahorse racing festival in August 2007. Subsequent protests against his arrest have been violently broken upby the Chinese authorities. I am particularly alarmed by recent reports the Runngye Adak is suffering with illhealth and that he may not be receiving the necessary medical attention. His continued detention is a clearviolation of numerous human rights including freedom of speech and international standards for thetreatment of prisoners.

Please call on the Foreign Secretary to fulfill his government's manifesto commitment of "standing firm onhuman rights" and to raise Runggye Adak's case with the Chinese government as a matter of urgency.I look forward to hearing from you.Yours Sincerely,


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For more info on letter writing and to get your group involved in the annual mass lobby, email - [email protected]

Networking

If you want your group to grow, it’s important to network. It’s as simple as this; the more people who knowabout Tibet, the stronger the movement becomes. A lot of people are hard to win over; they may not beinterested in human rights, in politics or in the campaigns SFT runs. But there are groups who you can findcommon ground with, and by working with them you can quickly expand your outreach, get more people toattend your events and grow your group.

Take environmental groups for example. There’s probably a Greenpeace group, a Friends of the Earthgroup or a climate change action group on your campus, and those groups are probably bigger than yours.Students who are in those groups may not be interested in political prisoners or the occupation of Tibet, butthey probably will be interested in the nomadic campaign. So if you’re doing a nomadic event, like a filmscreening of ‘Nomads to Nobody’, make sure to invite the environment groups and tell them how forcedresettlement is having a negative effect on the plateau and contributing to climate change globally. They’llcome along because of the environment issue but may also join your group too.

Many causes... One Struggle

What is One Struggle? An outreach campaign by SFTUK. We recognise that as well as occupying Tibet,the Chinese government is responsible for propping up dictatorships around the world from Burma toZimbabwe. It also abuses the people of China; particularly those campaigning for democracy or those fromgroups such as Falun Gong. One Struggle aims to build links between freedom struggles against theChinese government and against the regimes it supports.

Why is it important to link-up with other causes? Because victory for one will help all the others in someway. For example, a democratic Burma on Tibet's border can only be good for the Tibetan movement,whilst a strong Chinese democracy movement will weaken the Chinese government, making it harder for itto hold onto the occupied territories of Tibet, East Turkestan and Inner Mongolia.

What can we do to help? Log onto sftuk.org/onestruggle where you'll find a whole bunch of informationand campaign letters for a whole range of causes. Then spread the word, get campaigning and join in theOne Struggle!

For more info e-mail [email protected]

Photos: Those who think non-violent resistance doesn’t work only need to look at Egypt and Tunisia in 2011, meanwhile protesters have beentaking to the streets in Chinese-occupied Inner Mongolia in 2011; an example of a cause with a common opponent; the CCP

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More info - www.sftuk.org/onestruggle16

Stay in touch

Thanks for being part of SFT; every individual and every group strengthens our movement!

Contact me anytime;Tom Prosser- [email protected]

Feel free to add me on Facebook as well; at SFTUK we really feel that if we can all keep in contactand share our experiences we can improve the awareness of Tibet amongst the studentpopulation and push the cause forward!

Don’t forget there’s lots more information about running a group and organising fundraisers as wellas up to date news concerning Tibet and the movement at: www.sftuk.org. Overleaf is a basicleaflet called a Fresher’s Guide to Tibet and can be a great way of introducing people to Tibet.Feel free to use that one or create your own!

Tashi delek!Tom, SFT UK grassroots co-ordinator

Useful linkssftuk.org Students for a Free Tibet UK’s websitetwitter.com/sftuk Follow SFT UK on TwitterSearch for Students for a Free Tibet UK and ‘like’ our page on Facebookstudentsforafreetibet.orgStudents for a Free Tibet’s international websitenomadrights.org Website for the nomadic campaigntibetnetwork.org International network site for all Tibet support groups (TSGs) worldwidehighpeakspureearth.com Translations of Tibetan blogs & news and media from Tibetfreetibetanheroes.org Take action for political prisonerstibetactioninstitute.net SFT’s groundbreaking online projectslhakar.org and lhakardiaries.com Websites for supporters of the Lhakar movementtchrd.org Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracyphayul.com Tibetan newswire site

Photos: Tom (left) and other students at SFT UK’s 2010 conference and always remember; Tibet will be free!

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Students for a Free Tibet UKFresher pack

Documents

SFT UK university fresher pack