Yorkshire and Humber Green Party
Shan Oakes for EU 2009
Shan Oakes, EU 2009 candidate
Biographical details
With a background
in education, Shan is committed to environmental and development work.
Candidate's Statement
Since the 70s I have been deeply concerned about human effects on the planet.
I became a teacher to try to address this, then, to make a wider impact, I moved into LEA strategic work in Humberside, then York.
Living in Uganda (2001-2004) widened my perspective. Intermittent power and water supplies and no refuse collection focuses thinking on western greed, consumption and waste.
We set up Voice International to challenge the western model of education for unsustainability at local, national and international levels through partnership and networking.
I am standing for MEP because I am totally committed to radical social, economic and political change from local to global levels.
I am a person of vision and experienced in national and international advocacy and policy development, confident in my principles and in voicing them, and feel that my energy and skill-set could best be used in this way.
I would hope to be actively engaged the whole constituency in dialogue, drawing on my professional experience in whole-systems working and parent partnership over a large geographical area.
My top two aims would be for European countries to pursue disarmament and sustainability as core areas of policy and of our education systems.
ACTIVITIES AND POSITIONS HELD (with dates) OUTSIDE OF THE PARTY.
Voluntary Sector:
Development Education Centre (Hull) – chair of the trustees (2006/7) trustee since 1990
Development Education Association – trustee since 2004 and member of the Business, Organisation and Planning committee
Forum of Education NGOs of Uganda (FENU) - Acting Director: 2001 - 2002. I represented FENU on several national Education Sector reviews
Action Aid Uganda – gave keynote speech at a national conference for traditional leaders on equalities
Voice International- founder and undertook research into education in Uganda (commissioned by ActionAid UK and DFID).
Trustee: Norwood House Beverley Ltd (since 2004)
Trustee and Secretary: China Green Coalition (Newly established, seeking charitable status. Chair: Dr Richard Lawson)
Trustee: Indigo Moon Theatre Co. (2006)
Coordinator (and joint founder) of Beverley Friends of the Earth
Chair of Beverley Green Fair Committee
RSPB, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth - member (since childhood).
Sustrans, - member
Triodos bank -investor
Academic:
BA, 1974; PGCE, Leicester University School of Education (1975).
Postgraduate diploma in Leadership and Management of change (Leeds Met Uni)
MSc in Education for Sustainability at London South Bank University (April 2007). Research into the gap between the views of children in Hull and East Yorkshire about sustainability and the school system’s approach.
Professional:
Teacher of English (secondary) (1975 – 1988)
Local Education Authority senior policy posts (City of York & Humberside) (1988 – 2001) All aimed at promoting sustainability (curriculum, child welfare, special needs, parent partnership, community safety). I was a founder member of the regional (Yorks and Humber) forum for education for sustainable development held in Leeds.
Contributor of professional papers to the Annual Conference of the Society of Education Consultants in 2004 and 2005, to the Africa Commission (2005), to the inaugural meeting of the Development Education academic network at the Institute of Education in December 2006 and to the Centre for Comparative Change and Development at Hull University (2006)
Run an eco-holiday house in York to finance our activities and to promote awareness of environmental and cultural issues.