Students Eager to Hit the Streets for PROSH Charity Drive

Students from The University of Western Australia will hit the streets of Perth this Wednesday 20 March to sell copies of the satirical newspaper PROSH and raise money for two charities.

This year marks the 93rd anniversary of PROSH, a longstanding tradition involving dedicated student volunteers who write the newspaper and student clubs rattling tins in outlandish costumes, all in the name of charity.

This year, the paper’s theme is ‘PROSHGate’ to mark 50 years since Watergate and the ensuing scandals.

This year’s charity recipients will be Thread Together, a program providing unsold clothing to support young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and Bears of Hope, a not-for-profit organisation supporting families after the loss of their baby during pregnancy, birth or infancy.

The funding will allow Thread Together, in partnership with Anglicare WA, to fund more mobile van visits to Perth’s northern suburbs, send clothing to regional clients in the Pilbara and Great Southern regions, and gain additional resources for the Mirrabooka clothing hub. Bears Of Hope will use the donations to continue to provide support resources and counselling services fee free to families in WA and Australia wide.

PROSH, a UWA Student Guild initiative, is the oldest and most successful single‐day charity event in the country run by students. Since its inception in 1931, PROSH has raised more than $2 million for more than 100 charities.

UWA Guild President Indi Creed said the generosity of the people of Perth would play a big role in a supporting the student-led initiative and the charities chosen to receive the funds this year.

“A group of dedicated student volunteers spend months putting together the satirical paper full of humorous articles, controversial advertisements and bold artwork,” Ms Creed said.

“The Guild is extremely proud of the charitable tradition and how it has flourished on campus over time and, as always, we are thankful for continued community support.”

On PROSH day, students will arrive on campus from 5am to collect the papers and hit the streets in the Perth CBD, Claremont, Subiaco, Mount Lawley and Fremantle, rattling tins for morning commuters from 7am to 11am.

Commuters without cash will still be able to buy a paper via EFTPOS machines and electronic copies will be available for purchase on the PROSH website after the event.