Soundcheck

Soundcheck, February 2005

Soundcheck is the annual meeting of people from across the national SPEAK network. We pray, worship, learn, network and socialise, and have a big 'Day of Action' on the Monday.

The Day of Action in 2005 was the launch of the Big Dress - a creative petition, aiming to raise awareness about injustice in the garment industry.
As part of the Big Dress, thousands of small squares were decorated by people across the country, and then sewn together.

One of the aims of the Big Dress campaign is to improve the accountability of multinational companies for the conditions of their workers.

Soundcheck, 2004

Soundcheck is an annual conference in London for the whole Speak network. As with the Northern Forum, it gives you a chance to build relationships at a group and network level. The last Soundcheck saw people from as far as Africa and the Netherlands. At soundcheck, there is intense teaching on justice issues. This teaching is theological and highly practical, giving you a chance to inform yourself on justice issues at considerable depth. Soundcheck 2004 was between 20th-22nd February, and several members of Leeds Speak took part. We also stayed for the Day of Action, which featured a protest outside the offices of the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), a part of the Ministry of Defence (see the arms trade in the UK page). We marched through London under a police escort, raising the profile of the issue of the arms trade. We petitioned those at DESO from a makeshift trench. This trench symbolised the gap between our nation and God, a gap that can only be breached by the forgiveness of Jesus. So we prayed in this gap, repenting on behalf of our nation for the wickedness we have done and continue to do. We took communion to show that it is only through Jesus' blood that we will see change. Our action was shown on BBC 2, and we hope it will have impacted decision makers.

Soundcheck 2003

Here is a photo of some of the Leeds Speak group who went to Soundcheck in 2003.