To think that schools should NOT be promoting Operation Christmas Child?

[girlinacoma]

Given the charities medieval and hateful stance on homosexuality?

www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/01/25/christian-charity-head-declares-gay-people-are-the-enemy/

Yanbu!

Regardless of issues surrounding the charity and certain of its supporters, I believe it is entirely inappropriate for a non-denominational school to get involved with an evangelical organisation.

Yanbu
That article is awful and it's so depressing because my kids used to love doing those boxes

I just wish someone would get the message to Head Teachers. I always refused to do it.

YANBU

I complained and sent some links to our HT a few years ago. He had no idea about the issues with this organisation. As a result of my email the school stopped doing it and I ended up getting roped in to be a governor and giving up hours and hours of my time

The point is that "someone getting the message to head teachers" can be parents, and it makes a difference.

My school and my daughters school do shoe box appeal every year. As a family we do two, one for a boy my sons age and one for a girl my daughters age. However, the (RC) schools do not use operation christmas because of their methods. They both use different companies. There are other options than operation christmas child, so why not approach the PTA and suggest alternative companies?

I complained to our HT about this a couple of years ago and he was horrified and they stopped doing it. Last Christmas they asked for donations to local food bank instead, but I'm afraid the take-up on it was a lot less than the shoeboxes. Sadly I think people prefer the idea of buying toys.

I complained to school, and they carried on doing it! This year I posted an alternative shoebox charity (a local refuge for victims of domestic violence) - on the school website for anyone who didn't want to get involved with operation child.

Even if the charity has all views, giving shoeboxes is not the same as giving money; the charity doesn't take anything from the box donations to help it run. Don't see the problem with it.

*Awful, not all views

Did the school give a reason why they were carrying on with OCC Hazeyjane?

Apparently it is very popular with the children and they liked having a faith based charity (I had suggested 2 alternative faith based, shoe box like charities) - in reality, I think it is because a governer at the school has it has her personal 'thing' that she does.

Several families in the school did shoebox's for the refuge though, so I was pleased I suggested an alternative, as there were obviously other parents who felt the same way.

Jesus Hazeyjane, some people are ignorant fuckers when faced with irrefutable evidence.

I got into a Facebook row with a woman who defended OCC/SP.
Even when shown articles stating evangelical homophobic twattery all she could say is 'it does so much good for the children. We'll have to agree to disagree'

OMG that is awful. Our school did this at Xmas and I complained on the grounds of combining evangelism with aid... It is a CofE school but still inappropriate and there are other faith based charities that don't have the issues associated with OCC. The head was sympathetic to the issue and promised to discuss with the chair of the governors; however OCC still went ahead :(. This reminds me that I need to follow up in good time for them to find a better charity to support for next Christmas.

entirely agree, although strange thread for late January.

lugging tat round the planet makes no sense anyway. The most efficient way is to send cash to a reputable local organisation.

but that doesn't spread the fairy stories, does it?

I've always been wary of this organisation but I saw something on TV (or might have been on U Tube) of African boys about 10 years, opening these boxes and they were unbelievably excited, calling out to each other and holding up things to show their friends what they had. SO I dunno??

Strange thread for January??

The charity concerned are vile, homophobic little shits all year round I would imagine.

of course, and it should be flagged up. But the particular time to flag it up is when the begging starts.

tatmas starts about August, hopefully it isn't year-round as that's bad enough.

My school collects shoe boxes for Project Shoebox to distribute toiletries & gifts to women's refuges. That's always very popular as it's local & provides much needed support instead of right wing views.

Again the time to raise awareness has passed.

I'm with you OP, I saw a Facebook post from a friend saying her DC were so happy their school were doing OCC and I thought that they'd - OCC - had been banned because of their evangelical stance. Then I was should I tell her?? Does she not read the news go on Mumsnet or even google it?

I wish I had now.

I think bringing this up now IS perfect timing, anyone whose school is still doing it, can draw the schools attention to it and tell them why it's a terrible way to be doing things in the 21st Century. Hopefully, stop doing it in time to find a better different charity to send their shoe boxes to.

I've just read your link, and as a practising Christian, I'm even madder now!

Its nut jobs people like him who give Christians/people of faith a bad name.
We aren't all like him. People tend to go to Church/have a faith based belief system to improve themselves, to draw closer to a higher being. The crap he's spouting draws him closer to a 'lower' being. Awful man.