Discover below a visual report of events around Ireland marking the International UN Eradication of Poverty Day – 17 October 2023.
For more information on these events you can view the Irish 17 October Committee’s National 17 October 2023 Programme Booklet. The 17 October Committee is grateful to all the stakeholders and volunteers who made all of these events possible. Thank you to the Department of Social Protection for funding all these projects.
THIS YEAR’S THEME
‘Let Dignity Be Our Compass: Working Together Towards Change’.
This theme was inspired by the international theme and in particular the end of the international concept note which says we should use dignity as the compass to ensure human rights and social justice are at the heart of national and global decision making. We are using dignity as a guide point to achieving these four markers of equality set out on the next page. We adapted the idea of ‘work’ to mean ‘working together for change’. The idea of work can mean different things to different people, and we must ensure the inclusion of everyone when creating change. This moral compass, with its four axes, highlights four relevant and inter-connected issues identified by people with direct experience of poverty as being of critical importance for Irish society in order to achieve the full realisation of human rights,equality and social justice envisaged by the founders of our State. These include; “Dignified work and opportunities to participate”, “A minimum standard of income”, “Affordable accommodation” and “Zero discrimination”.
BLANCHARDSTOWN CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING
Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living hosted their event in Mulhuddart Community Centre in Dublin 15. They hosted speakers from local and national groups and recorded this event for future reference. Speakers included VDP, Fingal Councillors, a member of the Travellers development group and a local food bank who spoke at the event along with members of BCIL peer support group.
BARNARDOS
Barnardos have painted a community mural on the side of their large, purpose-built Early Years centre in Knocknaheeny, Cork city, painted by an established muralist with experience of creating collaborative community art. The design was co-created with locals, both those who avail of the service and their immediate neighbours in this disadvantaged council estate. The co-creation was achieved through workshops in the week preceding the painting. This included a children’s workshop, and local children took part in the painting. The design was informed by the aims of the UN Day, the importance of solidarity, and by the different elements of this year’s theme. Their main focus is local – this building is part of the daily landscape for the Knocknaheeny community, and they wanted to give it colour, vitality and meaning.
LUS NA GRÉINE FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE
Lus na Gréine Family Resource Centre Clg in Granard, Co. Longford worked with the local community to develop plans for a sustainable community garden.
The garden will be located at the new FRC base on Main Street in Granard. The initiative included working with 40 local people, local schools and voluntary organisations. Workshops as part of the initiative included cost savings ways to minimise household budgets. Teaching gardening skills and encouraged the swapping of home grown fruit and veg. Workshops also included information on the nutritious aspect of fresh produce on mind and body wellbeing. The initiative also emphasised the many benefits and joys of sustainable gardening, its benefits and the positive impact on the environment.
The project encapsulated inclusivity and empowerment, taught new skills and impacted positive action towards the attainment of the global goals. Through this endeavour North Longford stood in solidarity with all people who experience global poverty by vividly portraying and discussing the challenges of poverty and the lives of those experiencing it.
TULLAMORE COMMUNITY AND FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE
This year, Tullamore FRC designed a spiral desk calendar with photos of their groups, events & activities & information regarding poverty statistics, along with some quotes.
Kid’s Own Publishing Partnership Sligo
Kids’ Own developed and facilitated creative workshops in partnership with Foróige’s Big Brother Big Sister programme in Sligo. Responding creatively to the theme young people aged 10-18, and their mentors, they worked collaboratively with Associate Artist Andy Parsons and Associate Writer Sarah O’ Keeffe. Their youth-led youth-centred approach allows young people to engage in conversation and creative activities and to consider the overall goal of ending poverty.
In line with Kids’ Own work on supporting social equality and providing a platform for marginalised communities, they promoted the value of collaboration, listening and creativity when addressing social issues and change.
As an outcome of the project Kid’s Own have created a digital publication. Click to download the PDF here.
ATHLONE FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE
Athlone FRC hosted a series of Mosaic Workshops to develop two collaborative community art murals in recognition of the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The murals symbolise the theme of ‘Let dignity be our compass’ and are displayed outside their facility on O’Connell Street. Athlone FRC would like to thank the Department of Social Protection for supporting them in bringing awareness to this important issues and in our commitment to ending poverty in all its forms.
CONNECT FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE
Footsteps Youth Project attended the graduation of Connect Family Resource Centre ‘Nourish Together’. They gave out Resource Packs to 25 families including affordable recipes, cooking utensils, food vouchers & information on resources available to the community that provide food & additional support. The aim of the project was to empower young people living in poverty & address the impact of poverty in the community.
DORAS BUI
Doras Bui for the International day for the eradication of Poverty created a short film about Ireland’s socio-economical crisis.
The community were directly involved in the realisation of the short movie, from the redaction of the script, to the acting and the behind the scene work, as they wanted to create a space in which peer support and dialogue are pillars.
It aimed to bring visibility to problems that affect people in their everyday life, and raise awareness about Ireland’s situation.
You can view the short movie “The Broken Compass” here.
OFFALY TRAVELLER MOVEMENT
Offaly Traveller Movement Youth Project proudly presents “Dressed to Kill!” – a unique fashion show with a powerful message, promoting health and equality for all. This innovative project engages young people to express themselves, encouraging them to blend their passion for fashion and arts with a socially conscious mission focused on inclusion. Through this event, their goal was to raise awareness about the interconnectedness of social exclusion, poverty and health challenges while emphasising the urgency of addressing both for sustainable community development.
The key component of the project is the youth led design of outfits that vividly depict pressing health issues within our community, fostering confidence, self-identity, and inspiring positive action towards eradicating poverty and improving community health. The show also included several other diverse categories including “Dressed to Impress” and “Cultural Couture”. The event also featured several artistic performances including song and dance.
CITYWISE EDUCATION
Citywise Education’s project involved a publication of story booklets created by young people in their local community. Students in Citywise Education programmes engaged in an informative workshop explaining the true meaning of poverty and what it means for the community they live in. Following this, they were challenged to illustrate their own experiences of poverty and create a booklet detailing that story. The key message through this activity was to help young people become more aware and cognisant of poverty as an issue in their local community. This project aimed to inspire them to become local role-models in their own area to help eradicate the examples of poverty they see. All written stories by students were combined to create a publication on the ‘Eradication of Poverty Day’.
17 October Committee
The 17 October Committee, in cooperation with ATD Ireland hosted an event on Sunday the 17th of
October to mark the annual commemoration of the UN International End Poverty Day at the Human Rights and Poverty Stone, Dublin. Central to this event was 7 personal testimonies of people with lived experience of poverty, including one testimony which was shared with us from Haiti. This year the audience heard about the how the four points of the compass relate to the lives of people with disabilities. We heard about the stark inequalities faced by the Travelling community and the struggles faced by migrants living in Ireland. They also heard about the discrimination experienced by those living in poverty, and the lifelong consequences of childhood poverty. We also heard one person’s story about the path to recovery from addiction. Music from the wonderful choirs of St Mary’s Secondary School Holy Faith Glasnevin, St Laurence O Toole CBS and St Laurence O Toole National school, along with songs from SAOL and instrumentals from Naoise Griffiths really aided in creating an uplifting atmosphere on the day. Read more about the day here.
