Where should the money we raise go?

[beccy]

Some options:

- Humanitarian aid for Gaza.
- Collaborative grassroots peace initiatives that bring together Israelis and Palestinians in an effort to transform their societies and/or build a framework for peace and reconciliation.
- A scholarship fund for Palestinian students.

What do people think?

[digger1]

I don't think that any of our money going to scholarships is an option we should consider. We'd have to raise tens of thousands just for one student. the scholarship team are doing great work any way.
The scholarships should remain at the forfront of our demands of the university, it would be ridiculously easy for them to provide scholarships without even needing to raise new funds.

anarchists against the wall is in some financial difficulty so I would like to see some go to them. The students in gaza said that islamic Relief was doing some good work. But the most important thing to them is justice, apparently, so we might divide our monies accordingly.

[adam2]

Something I wondered at the gaza university video-conference; I would guess that the students at the university are wealthy by Gazan standards - since I presume that it costs money to get a good education, get into university, go there etc. Consequently the argument some of them put forwards that aid isn't particularly needed may reflect their situation rather than Gaza as a whole. So don't dismiss the idea of giving to large charities (like Islamic Relief or Red Crescent) - they're best placed to actually help people in Gaza.

Peace movements would be good, it might be difficult to find one that appeals generally, without commitment to a particular political viewpoint. This is important for two reasons; CGS has lots of different viewpoints, and our efforts should represent as many as possible. Moreover, we don't want to put non-CGS people off our fundraising day. However, that's a debate for a general meeting.