The book swap took place in the Swiss Cottage Library. Every person could bring up to 5 books to exchange.

My Role

• I contacted the library to book the space for the event.
• I set up the online ticket booking system to track ticket sales.
• I managed the social media team, which advertised the event on our social media accounts.
• I obtained the books for the initial stock we needed. As a volunteer group, the budget was limited, so getting the books for free was essential. I got most of the books from the Olio app - where people can give away things they don't need anymore for free. The rest I borrowed from book swap libraries - and made sure to return the same number of books - or larger - after the event concluded.
• On the day of the event, I set up the desks for the books, engaged with the participants, chatting and asking them to follow us online so that they stay informed for future events.

Results

• 56 participants
• 163 items swapped

This community swap took place in the Swiss Cottage Library. We organised it to raise awareness for sustainability and to help people not only declutter their spaces, but also get their Christmas gifts for free. The allowed items for swapping were clothes, books, accessories and decorations.

My Role

• I created the leaflets and poster to advertise the event.
• I came into contact with businesses in Camden and asked them to advertise the event to their customers.
• I set up the online ticket booking system to track ticket sales.
• On the day of the event, I helped set up the space, arranged the items, engaged with the participants and informed them about upcoming campaigns of Friends of the Earth.

Challenges & Solutions

Two were the biggest challenges for this event. One, the initial stock for the swap. Two, what we would do with the amount of items we would be left with at the end of the event - as we knew from previous events that many participants would bring more items than they would get.

To solve the first challenge, the team decided that the easiest solution is to declutter our spaces and ask friends to do the same. That was the main point of the event, anyway. We also had a few bags of clothes from a previous clothes swap, so we used those, as well. To solve the second challenge, we searched for charity shops around the area, and contacted them to let them know in advance we would bring a decent amount of things at the end of the event, and to make sure they'd be open when we got there.

Results

• 32 participants
• 96 items swapped

The York Rise festival is an annual community event in Camden with music, crafts, food, art and many activities. We participated in this event to talk to people, raise awareness about the ongoing campaigns of Friends of the Earth, and let them know how they can get involved.

My Role

• I researched and planned interactive activities and craft ideas for children and adults.
• I prepared the materials for these activities and crafts.
• On the day, I helped set up the stand, the materials and the informative leaflets regarding the campaigns.
• I talked to people about ongoing campaigns and discussed with them potential actions they could take to get involved.