Join this online meeting to add your voice to the campaign to end poverty in Leeds.
Over the past 12 months an alliance of organisations, institutions and individuals has developed nationally under the banner ‘Let’s End Poverty’. They are united by a vision of a UK where poverty can’t keep anyone down believing that, for too long, poverty has trapped people and communities in hardship. In the medium term, it wants to place poverty on the political agenda during the election calling leaders to commit to tackling poverty.
Several people in Leeds wondered if this national initiative gave a good excuse to develop a Leeds-wide conversation ‘Let’s End Poverty in Leeds’. We recognise that organisations, institutions, faith groups, business and citizens within Leeds everyday do many remarkable things to tackle poverty. The good people of Leeds are not short on supplies of compassion for those facing hardship. Neither are they unaware of the injustices that mean for some people and communities it is a struggle to survive let alone thrive. So, this conversation is not about starting something new because we are lacking people who care. Neither is it a way of controlling what everyone individually is saying and doing. Rather, it’s about bringing unusual and usual suspects to talk, think and feel together about how we might make Leeds a city where everyone thrives regardless of their bank balance or postcode.
What’s the Plan?
We are not going to look too far ahead. If a movement that is seeking to end poverty in Leeds is to develop it needs to build slowly ensuring that relationships are at the core rather than an organisational structure. That said, there should be clear steps marked on the way. The first of these steps is to hold a Leeds-wide conversation event about poverty on 17th October. We have chosen that day because it is the UN Day to Eradicate Poverty and so, in some small way, we join with others across the globe. It hasn’t passed our attention that this might also be in the run up or just after a General Election. Either way, it’s an opportunity to put this issue on the agenda for either candidates or newly elected politicians.
Our hope is that there will be a wide range of people attending this event. Alleviating poverty is not only the responsibility of one organisation or group in the city. It’s everyone’s responsibility. So, our hope is that there will be a wide range of people at the event including people from all sectors of Leeds and those with direct experience of the struggle against poverty. Our belief is that when we all come together, we might start to discover how Leeds might become a city where poverty is a thing of the past.
Currently we are looking for people who will champion this approach. With this in mind we have an online meeting on Monday, June 3rd at 2-3:15pm for you to find out more and to begin to shape this idea. If you would like to attend this conversation then please register.