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Beginning on the 12th July ATD, with the help of artist Katherine Sankey, has been holding a series of art workshops in Mountjoy Square Park which are designed to create clay sculptures as a means to reflect the issue of socio-economic discrimination. These workshops aim to bring to the fore the creative potential of those with direct experience of living in poverty, allowing them to depict what socio-economic discrimination means to them. ATD is currently campaigning to have socio-economic discrimination recognised as the tenth ground of discrimination in the Irish Equal Status Act. ATD community activist Andrew, who has been an…

理解各种形式的贫困：英国贫困的参与性研究 Abstract Backed by an international research team from the University of Oxford and the International Movement ATD Fourth World, ATD Fourth World UK(link) has produced an inspiring report ‘Understanding Poverty in All its Forms: A participatory research study into poverty in the UK’. (link)  This report is about the experience of poverty in all its forms in the UK. Although there have been many reports about poverty, this one is different. Instead of being led by policy makers or academic experts, this research has involved those experiencing poverty throughout the process. People with experience of poverty have led, shaped and written…

On 16th June, the working group on introducing socio-economic status into Irish equality legislation, of which ATD Ireland is a member, met over Zoom with Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman. the logos of the working group The working group is made up of ATD Ireland, the European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland (EAPN Ireland), the Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI) and the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU). The working group has been campaigning for the introduction of socio-economic status as a ground for discrimination in Irish equality legislation for several years. In their letter with Minister…

On 24th June 2020, the Irish Times printed an article featuring long term friend of ATD Mark, about our campaign to have Socio-Economic Discrinmination recognised in Irish equality legislation. Find the original article here.   Following on from this, Mark writes below about how the campaign has been informed by our report, 'Does It Only Happen To Me?'. Last summer, ATD Ireland released a devastating report documenting how people in poverty experience discrimination simply because they are poor. In early October, the Irish government announced that the Children and Equality Department will begin a public consultation on making “socio-economic discrimination” illegal under…

ATD General Assembly 2021: ATD Fourth World is a human rights movement dedicated to the eradication of extreme poverty and which works in over 30 countries in the global south and north. To help oversee and support this worldwide engagement, ATD Fourth World has an international Board of Directors which has a unifying and governance role. ATD Fourth World International highly recommends to read our uplifting annual report 'Reinventing Our World Starting from People Living in Poverty'. (click here to download the full report.) The Board Directors, together with representatives from the different countries in which ATD Fourth World works, meet…

On 28th May, the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland's Working Group for Basic Necessities, which ATD Ireland is a member of, published a briefing note, “Addressing the Problem of Income Inadequacy and Meeting Basic Needs”, highlighting the link between income inadequacy and the increasing demand from people for basic necessities as provided by the Community and Voluntary sector. The briefing note reveals how low-income households are being forced to make difficult choices, such as paying rent and utility bills, leaving little remaining income for other expenses. As a result, people are having to rely on supports provided by charities and community organisations…

Click here to read our Annual Report 2020 :)

On Monday 12th April, we ran an online workshop for second year Social Work students at Trinity College Dublin. It was facilitated by ATD members Andrew, Ciara and Dann, and Professors Erna O’Connor, Sinead Whiting and Robert Gilligan from Trinity’s School of Social Work and Social Policy.

ATD community activist Andrew speaking to the students over Zoom

The workshop began with a discussion about what poverty meant to the students. We then showed our ‘What Does Poverty Mean?’ film, made for 2020’s 17th October World Poverty Day, which was followed by a discussion on how the film relates to Social Work. You can watch the film here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNFqUHVfgxg. The facilitators highlighted positive practice by social workers, as we did not want to exclude the many positive experiences that people have with social workers. 

The second half of the workshop focused on statements from ATD community activists with direct experience of social work, including Gavin and Lorraine. They also read poetry they had written on the subject. Socio economic discrimination was discussed as an issue many faced when dealing with social workers. The unequal power dynamic between parents and social workers was highlighted, as well as the fear that many people feel towards social workers.

ATD community activist Gavin recording his section of the workshop

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On Wednesday 10th February, we held an online demonstration of our new educational resource, The Hidden Dimensions of Poverty. This tool is based on the international participatory research project ‘The Hidden Dimensions of Poverty’ by ATD Fourth World and the University of Oxford. It aims to educate people of all ages about the findings of this report and the process of participatory involvement of those with experience of poverty. Both the report and the educational resource focus on the aspects of life in poverty that are often overlooked. Those attending the online demonstration came from a diverse range of backgrounds, including…