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Reflections on the Trinity module On the 29th March 2022, a group from ATD Ireland brought a third instalment of the ‘poverty awareness practice’ for second year social worker students before going out on placement.  On the 21st of April, a group of ATD members came together who previously partook in the Poverty aware module to educate and share their experiences with social work students from Trinity College. ATD evaluated the Trinity module to see how this in the future could help to break barriers and possibly be a first step in creating more awareness on lived experiences of poverty. For…

Breaking Barriers On the 29th March 2022, a group from ATD Ireland brought a third instalment of the ‘poverty awareness practice’ for second year social worker students before going out on placement.  This was the first time the group had the opportunity to conduct such a session in person.   It was very important for the activists to be on Trinity campus and speak with students and professors as a way of breaking down barriers particularly noting the status that Trinity College holds in Irish society, “I never thought I’d get to see the inside of trinity college”.  Knowing the standing that…

On the 4- 6th March team members Ciara and Tara, along with community activist Gavin travelled to Wijhe, the Netherlands for to take part in a meet up for the ATD European Youth Dynamic.   The purpose of this trip was a preparatory weekend for a larger youth meet up in July which will hopefully lead to young people from this dynamic having their voices heard at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in 2023.  The weekend in Wijhe included countries from Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain. We stayed on the peaceful ATD farm Zwervel, which is ran by…

ATD Ireland are in the process of undertaking a new youth film project; 'Through Our Lens at Last: The stories untold'.  The aim of this project is to shine a new light on communities which are too often cast with a bad light and are subject to shame, stigma and socio - economic discrimination.  In particular the young members of these communities often carry the brunt of the blame and do not have the opportunity to share their views on the issues which impact them.  We also rarely get to hear the many positive traits and characteristics of impoverished communities and…

We are currently having an open office day every Tuesday 11- 3 pm.  Each week we will be doing a different free and fun activity together such as art & DIY, fitness, cooking, nature walks, singing, etc. We will also provide some lunch and a safe community space for nice chats to happen over a cuppa.  Take part in what you choose! Recently we have been colouring mandelas, singing and we have just began woodworking workshops making flower window boxes, and hope to soon go on some nature and cultural outings! All welcome and please let us know if you have…

This week the ATD Ireland team supported by the Presentation Sisters and the Christian Brothers presented a series of Understanding the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty workshops in collaboration with the Margaret Alyward Centre. See here to read about a workshop we carried out with 30 students from St. Mary’s Holy Faith Secondary School.   We completed these ‘dignity in dialogue’ workshops with an online zoom session on the evening of Thursday 18th February.  Attended by friends and members of ATD UK and Ireland, the Presentation Sisters and the Christian Brothers and the Margaret Aylward Centre, along with members of the general public, this…

"What I’ve learned from the workshop is that a lack of empathy is the most important thing that can happen to someone, and a lack of empathy is what people in power often have" - Student Workshop Participant This week the ATD Ireland team supported by the Presentation Sisters and the Christian Brothers presented a series of Understanding the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty workshops in collaboration with the Margaret Alyward Centre. These 'Dignity in Dialogue' workshops were designed to raise poverty awareness and offer participants an opportunity to learn first-hand about the various causes and hidden dimensions of persistent poverty. Input from people with…

Dignity for all in practice: Overcoming poverty based discrimination  On 11 February, ATD Ireland, including community activists Andrew and Gavin participated in a UN zoom event 'Dignity for all in practice: Overcoming poverty- based discrimination.  This was a side event to the United Nations Commission for Social Development 2022.  This event was attended by ATD Ireland, Professor Diane Roman, Professor Oliver De Schutter (UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights), Mr Gouba Ousseini (Permanent mission of Chile to the UN), and moderated by Professor Sandra Liebenberg.You can read a summary report of this workshop hereRead Andrew's full speech below:Presentation…

Two young people have recently completed internships with ATD Ireland and spoke about their experiences and the knowledge they have gained.  Initially, being drawn to ATD arose from a passion for human rights and equality and a desire to have more enriching experiences with people from diverse backgrounds.  “Attracted by diversity and fascinated by multiculturalism, I applied for an internship with ATD Fourth World”. Courage and generosity of activists An internship with ATD exposes the courage of community activists and those in poverty in sharing the intimate details of their stories and life experiences in the hopes that their honesty might…