All Posts in ZOE Foundation Australia

February 12, 2022 - No Comments!

90% of People Quit Online Courses…

-Here’s why you should finish this one-

You heard about it. Initially, there was disbelief. 

But now, as you research further, you identify an overwhelming sense that you feel passionate about ending child trafficking

So late one night, as thoughts and questions race through your mind, making it hard to sleep, you grab your phone and start scrolling, looking for a way to engage and learn more about the topic. 

You click the link on the ZOE website and sign up to do the free, online, self-paced course… “How hard could it be?”... “I have a spare few hours,” you tell yourself. But 6 months later when an email reminder comes, and you recall being only halfway through the first module, you are left wondering why on earth was it so hard to get started - let alone finish.

Despite the statistics, the Pathway to Preventing Child Trafficking course 

is one that you can, and should, actually finish. 

Let’s look at some of the reasons why people might not make it through to the end of the course and brainstorm some possible solutions.

#1 The topic is too confronting.

Solution:

Child trafficking is indeed a very heavy topic. One suggestion is to have a friend or partner take the course at the same time as you so that you not only have some support to get through the hard parts, but you also have someone to discuss the content with and process the information at a deeper level. Take a moment to reflect and remember ‘why’ you started the course. What was your motivation for doing it and what do you need to do to take a step closer to seeing your goal met?  

#2 I got distracted or too busy

Solution:

Think about other areas of your life where you commit to someone else, whether it be picking up your child from school or attending your friend’s theatre production. When you commit to something, you schedule it in the diary, (if you’re like me) you set a calendar reminder and of course, you see it through. 

So, when you think about showing personal integrity, committing to doing something (for yourself) and seeing it through; be sure to also prioritise it. Set aside the time and schedule a weekly reminder to get through the content until you have finished. It could mean ½ hour each week or setting aside one Saturday and getting it all done at once. Ask someone to keep you accountable to your commitment and check in with you as you progress. 

#3 It’s not relevant! Child trafficking doesn’t happen in Australia, right?

Solution: 

“Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking.” By the end of this course you will begin to understand more about human trafficking, be able to define it, and see the important role Australians have in protecting vulnerable children. 

“As an Australian, I am absolutely shocked and appalled at the statistics I have just been informed of. I was never really aware of the involvement Australia had with child trafficking so this has really saddened me to learn this of my country. It raises the question of how our country got to this statistic and was able to harm this many children.” - course participant

So, why is the Pathway to Preventing Child Trafficking course one that you can,

and should, actually finish? 

One way that you can practically stand up for the rights of children is by learning about the problem so that you are equipped with the knowledge to fight it. Along with the online course we have videos, resources, toolkits, school curriculum and social media posts for you to remain informed and connected.  

After finishing the Pathways course you will get a certificate of completion. More importantly, though, you will add another tool to your ‘kit’ to help fight this huge problem.

For more information visit goZOE.org.au or sign up for a course.

November 15, 2021 - No Comments!

A Conscious Christmas

-5 ways Christmas giving can be different this year-

Recently, during one of our online updates, we learnt that Australians were expected to spend around $18 billion on Christmas shopping. We also discovered that there would be about $1 billion in unwanted gifts given. That’s like - approximately 7.3 million Australians receiving gifts that they will never use, or wear, this Christmas! (The Australia Institute, 2019)

I don’t know about you but for our team at ZOE, the driver to become more conscious consumers is to prevent, and end, child labour in industries like the clothing/garment industry, makeup, agriculture (food, coffee), homewares and electrical goods. But we also feel that the environmental and health factors are huge drivers for change too.     

In our last blog post, Reconciling Our Consumer Habits in the light of Child Labour, we wrote that Australians are connected to the issue of child labour through the products that they consume. “When we want our products to be free of child labour, but don’t take any consumer action, we tell our suppliers that as long as it is accessible and affordable, we will buy it.” 

Or as Albert Einstein once said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” 

So how do we develop a more conscious attitude this Christmas in light of what we know about child labour, the waste factor, our budgets, and the expectations of our families and friends?  And how do we give a gift that will be treasured rather than wasted? It feels like a lot to juggle all those things!

As we mentioned in the last blog, there are tools available to assist us. There are ethical shopping apps such as ‘Good on You,’ ‘End Poverty,’ ‘Sweat and Toil’ and ‘Shop Ethical’ available for download. But there are other creative alternatives to curb our shopping habits too such as buying less, buying second-hand, reusing existing Christmas decorations rather than buying new ones, and considering what the people we’re giving to already have.

This quote speaks volumes to this topic, “This is not about being a Grinch, canceling Christmas or trying to pass a minimalist purity test. It’s about breaking out of a consumer mind-set that demands we constantly buy things — things that we then must care for and eventually dispose of.” (Annaliese Griffin, How to Buy Nothing New This Holiday Gifting Season, The New York Times, Nov. 7, 2021)

Using an online audience interaction platform at our last online update, we asked participants to contribute some of their creative ideas to be more conscious as we all step into the Christmas season.  We’re hoping that these suggestions will help equip you with some fresh ways to be more conscious as you plan your Christmas giving this year. And as ACRATH reminds us it’s about, “Placing the person at the centre of our Christmas shopping” because it is our actions and spending that impacts workers all around the world.

Idea #1

Make it a challenge*. Just like Annaliese Griffin says in, ‘How to Buy Nothing New This Holiday Gifting Season’, “Every year my husband and I set a holiday challenge for each other: Find a gift at the local thrift store, something delightful that is a reflection of our individual aesthetics or obsessions.” 

*And how about trying not to buy any new wrapping paper this year either. Reuse wrapping paper and cards, and get creative using fabric or other materials to wrap gifts.

Idea #2

Buy a plant, or something ‘living’. For people who love nature, gardening and flowers, there are Australian businesses that help to sustain people, land and culture through the propagation of native plants.

Idea #3

Support 100% Australian owned businesses. Find out about buying from local producers. Share with your family when you find ethical brands that have positive social impact.

Idea #4

Give a voucher (to cook a meal, babysit, mow the lawn, garden make-over, Op-shop voucher

etc.) Or make a home-made/ handmade gift. 

Idea #5

Give an experience (movie vouchers, day outing, restaurant, theatre tickets etc.) Or make a donation on behalf of a person to a cause you know they support.

It may take a little more effort on our behalf to get started, but when we truly care about the people who make our gifts - and the ones who we’re gifting them to - then it’s totally worth it. 

Remember that this is a journey. Developing a more conscious attitude towards purchasing at Christmas takes us from a place of ‘not knowing’ anything about what we’re buying, where it comes from, or who made it … and moves us towards ‘good’, ‘better’ and then ‘best’ choices. 

Let’s accept that it’s not about getting it ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, but more about using our awareness, and the information available, to make the most informed decisions we can - knowing that no one has all the answers on this topic to tell us exactly what we should do.

If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a conscious consumer, keep a lookout for our NEW upcoming course in 2022!

January 11, 2021 - No Comments!

What We Want For 2021

Happy New Year to all our wonderful ZOE supporters. If you’re a first time visitor to this blog - welcome! 

After some time to relax and regroup, our team is refreshed and ready to take on 2021 with more passion, determination and hope than ever before. 

So what do we want for the New Year?

We want to be part of the generation who ended child trafficking! 

We want our love for people to increase so that it’s what drives us to fight slavery and bring life for our fellow human beings - men, women & children.

We want to truly believe that nothing is impossible and one person can make a difference. 

We want to live in a way that shows that if bondage, slavery and oppression are not okay with God, then they’re not okay with us.

We want hearts that continue to break for the lost, the vulnerable, the marginalised, the ones who need people to be fighting for them and those without freedom.

We want to be bold and brave to speak up against injustice.

We want to choose love. Every time. 

We want to stand in solidarity with those who face challenges that we may never fully understand and with people we may never meet.

We want to keep advocating, keep learning and keep praying.

We want to show that love, awareness and support do make a difference. 

We want you to join us this year to help prevent trafficking through awareness, education and advocacy.  

It's 2021 and we’re excited to see what's in store... more children rescued, more love given, more hope, more restoration, more healing and more new LIFE!

- ZOE Australia Team