Author: ATD Ireland

On Wednesday 22nd of February, ATD Ireland was kindly invited by Sinn Féin’s TD Chris Andrews and Independent TD Violet-Anne Wynne to attend the debate about the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 — Second Stage in Private Members’ Business. This debate will tackle what the #Addthe10th alliance have been striving for. It is necessary for people with lived experiences of poverty to have protection in the Irish Equality legalisation. Prior to the debate, we were given a tour around Leinster House and learned about the efforts to include more women in the interior design, particularly the art work which was previously…

Walking, Thinking and Talking: An exploration of the lived experiences and hidden geographies of poverty as a participatory arts methodology On Friday October 6th Dr Joe Whelan from the Department of Social Work and Social Policy in Trinity College Dublin launched new research, website and animation 'Walking, Thinking and Talking: An exploration of the lived experiences and hidden geographies of poverty as a participatory arts methodology'.  The launch was held at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, with panel of Joe Whelan and ATD community activists Andrew, Paul, Jimmy and Christina who were among the participants in the research.  The launch…

Breaking the 'cycle' of poverty! ATD Ireland are organising a sponsored cycle from the Famine Museum in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon to the Famine Statues and Poverty Stone Customs House Quay Dublin. The cycle will take place from June 24th to 25th. It will cover 180 km and will take place over two days with one night camping right beside the beautiful Lough Ennell. This event is for competent cyclists only. 80km on Sat 24th and c.100km on the Sunday. Average cycling speed will be 20km+ approx. The route is a mixture of country roads, the Royal Canal Cycleway and some urban…

As we approach the end of 2022, we would like to pay reference to some of the highlights and main projects of the past year.  It was a time to rebuild after things began to open up again post Covid- 19 and was ultimately a much brighter time.  However, it is important to acknowledge this was still a difficult time for many families and individuals living in poverty.  We will continue to work towards our goals next year in supporting families and creating a more equal and just world for all.  See here to read ATD Ireland's strategic goals for 2022-…

On Thursday November 24th ATD Ireland were invited to the Dublin City PPN (Public Participation Network) plenary at the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun.The event was attended by various members of Dublin city PPN and it was an opportunity to get to learn about some of the work done by the different community and voluntary organisations around Dublin city. Roger Warburton, from the Rediscovery Centre, welcomed the PPN, and told us about their work, their plans for the future, and about the circular economy.  Mick Keegan spoke about being on the Secretariat, and the Disability Thematic Group.  Gary Kearney, Traffic and Transport…

My time at ATD Ireland was short but impactful. I was curious about working with an NGO, something I didn’t have experience in. I thought that it would inform me what I wanted to do next. I have always cared about human rights issues, and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to engage with them.It started with an interview that turned into a two-hour chat with board members, ATD employees, and community activists. It was such a lovely environment full of warm, thoughtful people. I didn’t want to leave.Once the internship started, I was writing articles based on…

On 23rd November the #Addthe10th alliance, presented the campaign at the Leinster House AV room.  The #Addthe10th alliance are a group NGO’s, community and voluntary organisations working together to have socio- economic status recognised as tenth ground of discrimination in the equality legislation.  Over the last couple of years, the alliance has expanded but currently includes ATD Ireland, EAPN (European Anti-Poverty Network) Ireland, INOU (Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed), AHEAD (Association for Higher Education, Access and Disability), CAN (Community Action Network), ILMI (Independent Living Movement Ireland) and FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres).  In 2019, the alliance came together for the…

On Wednesday the 30th of November, ATD activists Andrew, Gavin, Christina and Jimmy alongside ATD staff headed to Trinity College to present a two hour Poverty Aware Practice module to 15 masters social work students. The purpose of the module is to share lived experiences of the social care system and give students an insight into what good practice in social work looks like. “Poverty is not inevitable, human beings can end it” - Joseph Wresinski As this was a smaller class then usual and held in a seminar room rather than a lecture hall, it allowed for a different, more…

Dear friends of ATD Ireland,Thank you very much for your ongoing support and engagement with our work. It is greatly appreciated. This Christmas, we would like to ask you to please consider donating on a one- time or monthly basis to support our work alongside families and individuals struggling with poverty. ATD Ireland continue to work to support people enduring the worst effects of poverty and socio- economic discrimination. Creative projects such as Lockdown Liberties give people living in poverty an outlet to express their experiences The underlying goals of ATD Ireland are to offer people a platform for their voice…

On Thursday, November 17th, ATD Ireland headed to University College Dublin to teach a two-hour module to social work students. This module is called ‘Poverty Aware Practice’ and aims as always to center those with experience with poverty and social workers. Four community activists joined us: Paul, Gavin, Lorraine, and Andrew.  The purpose of the module is to give students an insight into what good practice in social work looks like.  This module has been designed to be structured to an extent, yet with some flexibility.  It consists of presentation slides which guided the conversation, however, it was not restricting. The…