International Day For The Eradication of Poverty – 17th October 2018
COMMUNITY campaigners including Thrive Teesside took over stalls in Stockton Market on October 17th 2018, to raise awareness of local poverty and to press for change.
Members of Thrive Teesside who have personal experience of the issue used the stall to talk to the community about the scale and impact of poverty in the town, we discussed ways to unlock the poverty trap and debunking some of the common myths.
Thrive Teesside used the Doric Column monument to hold a ‘Speakers’ Corner’, where various local residents gave their views on what needs to be done.
October 17th is the designated International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Many organisations around the world held events or demonstrations, and in the UK several teams of community activists teamed up to form a group called the APLE Collective. APLE stands for ‘addressing poverty through lived experience’.
Thrive has been working with groups called Dole Animators in Leeds, Community Pride in Salford, ATD Fourth World in London, Expert Citizens in Stoke, West Cheshire Poverty Truth Commission and Hope Rising in Bradford. They have worked with Dr Ruth Patrick from the University of York and staff from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, to share their experiences and insights and identify ways to tackle poverty.
Tracey Herrington, project manager at Thrive, said: “……
Nationally, APLE is calling for the Government’s flagship Universal Credit policy to be fixed, to prevent more people being swept further into poverty, and they are calling for people with first-hand experience of poverty to be given a role in making the policy work.
Dr Patrick said: “People who truly understand poverty and who are on Universal Credit have been excluded from the discussions, and we hope the DWP will see that groups like ours can bring valuable new insights and expertise. The Scottish Government has actively involved claimants in policy formulation, and the Westminster Government should do likewise. If the Government unlock the doors, then we can all unlock the problem.”
POLITICIANS seeking to unlock poverty in London must more actively involve people with personal experience, campaigners will tell MPs this week.
ATD Fourth World, based in Camberwell, held an event at the Palace of Westminster on on the day to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
A number of MPs from across parties attended a screening of the film The Roles We Play: Recognising the Contribution of People in Poverty and a panel discussion was held on how people with personal experience of poverty can more meaningfully participate in creating social change.
Moraene Roberts a member of the ATD Fourth World UK National Co-ordination Team and project participant, “Poverty takes away ownership of our own lives. Every agency we come into contact with has something to say about our lives as if we can’t speak for ourselves and are bound to fail. That’s why The Roles We Play Project and this film are so important.
“Full participation is more than just turning up; it means being involved as an equal partner at every stage from inception to conclusion. To be in control of the texts, the images and the concept behind it all means this project is ours and not just an attempt to shape us to meet someone else’s expectations. We own it and we are proud of it.”Many organisations around the world will be holding events or demonstrations to mark the International Day on Wednesday, and in the UK several teams of community activists have teamed up to form a group called the APLE Collective. APLE stands for ‘addressing poverty through lived experience’.
Patricia Baily a grassroots activist from ATD Fourth World UK said: “The people we meet from the other groups are like us: they live in poverty and they want better lives. Getting together is a good opportunity to see what all of us can do to make life better for everyone suffering from poverty and exclusion. Like us, many members of this collective are all supporting other people in their lives. Most of us also know what it’s like to live in poverty and have problems with the benefits system. We also have ideas and expertise on how to improve things”
ATD Fourth World has been working with groups called Thrive Teesside in Stockton-on-Tees, Dole Animators in Leeds, Community Pride in Salford, Expert Citizens in Stoke, West Cheshire Poverty Truth Commission and Hope Rising in Bradford. They have worked with Dr Ruth Patrick from the University of York and staff from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, to share their experiences and insights and identify ways to tackle poverty.
Nationally, APLE is calling for the Government’s flagship Universal Credit policy to be fixed, to prevent more people being swept further into poverty, and they are calling for people with first-hand experience of poverty to be given a role in making the policy work.
Dr Patrick said: “People who truly understand poverty and who are on Universal Credit have been excluded from the discussions, and we hope the DWP will see that groups like ours can bring valuable new insights and expertise. The Scottish Government has actively involved claimants in policy formulation, and the Westminster Government should do likewise. If the Government unlock the doors, then we can all unlock the problem.”
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