The motion I put forward to the Amnesty International AGM in April has been accepted as valid. I sit in front of the Conference pack and see my words published in proceedings form. It instills a pleasure and panic, pleasure of having succeeded in bringing an issue close to my heart to the eyes of a large and committed audience, pleasure of the potential of actually contributing to a change in government policy if the motion is passed and AIUK acts upon it. Panic because I will have to get up in front of 500-700 delegates, walk up a stage, speak into a microphone, and present the motion succinctly in three minutes. Yet, I am seriously worried about both my vocal chords and bowel performance on 9th April.

I've been there before you see. Conferences, presenting academic papers, singing in choirs (and managing to deliver any song at about five times its natural speed), teaching. Now, I teach for a living, or at least used to, and strangely have managed to be ok with a group of up to 16 people whom I know. Meaning: I asmost run away in adrenalin infused pangs of fear at the start of a new class, but once that's done with, I actually enjoy teaching. I can cope with that. I still can't cope with addressing a large group of knowledgeable, opinionated, agendaed people who may give me a hard time, or simply laugh me off for being an insignificant twit.

However, I shall have to face my demons, because, let's face it, my personal insecurity and reluctance to speak in public is sweet nothing compared to the difference this motion can make. It calls on AIUK to lobby the UK government to consider more humane ways of removing "failed" asylum seekers, and to exercise particular care when children are concerned, abolishing dawn raids and the use of inappropriate force and threats, as well as working with children's services to insure that the wellbeing of the children involved is put first. The motion also calls for AIUK to support a family amnesty for all asylum seekers to be allowed to stay in the UK if they have been resident in the UK for at least three years, and if at least one of their children attends school/college. If AIUK can be brought on board on this campaign to end dawn raids and to enable families to stay if they have settled in the UK, rather than put children under the strain of resettlement twice in their young lives, a lot can be achieved. I'm positive that a family amnesty would be a realistic goal. And that surely must be on my mind and on my tongue in April. Then it's just up to opening mouth, forming words and getting on with it.