The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021 is once again upon us and the APLE (Addressing Poverty with Lived Experience) is marking this day by amplifying the voice of those who often feel silenced.
this year’s theme for #IDEP2021 is Building Forward Together: Ending persistent poverty, respecting all people and our planet.
So what does building forward together look like? It is about being part of making decisions that impact on our lives. It is recognising the importance and equality, of each and every builder and building block along the way. It means ensuring that everyone has the tools and skills to unlock their potential.
Our voice is only the beginning. It expresses our thoughts, ideas and hopes for the future. It is the medium by which we convey our knowledge, insight and expertise. It expresses our solutions for change, we want to build forward together and address the issues that prevent us from realising our potential.
During lockdown, we were a country united. Bonded by the social isolation and sometimes feelings of helplessness in the face of Covid-19. It is important to remember that isolation.
For those that live with the effects of poverty, this isolation has not ended. It did not start with the pandemic, it was here long before the government made it mandatory and it has always been with them. Now, as we did for Covid-19, we must stand united in the face of poverty.
By building forward together we will encourage the government and policy makers to harness our understanding of what it means to be digitally excluded and what solutions could make a difference.
We will seek the recognition of our distinct knowledge around precarious zero hours contracts and how these cause further hardship to families living on low incomes. We will invite others to listen and fully understand that the policy responses to government debt deductions don’t go far enough.
Building forward together will be about allowing a fuller, participatory debate that actively encourages a collaborate approach to policy making.
We will level up.
We will thrive.
And we will remain united.
As a society, we believe in the values of justice and empathy.
We can unlock the compassion and empathy within us all and come together and stand united for a common goal.
We will not tolerate rising levels of child poverty and destitution.
That human rights are being violated.
Building forward together will mean getting behind the changes needed to create a fair and just society, where everyone has the basic skills to unlock their potential. This will be truly transformative.
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, October 17th, is a day to highlight the importance of listening to the voices of lived experience. However, it is up to us all to review when and where we can truly listen to others in our personal lives, work lives and so on.
Co written by Tracey Herrington from Thrive Teesside and Darren Leighton from Hartlepool Action Lab.
We asked members of the APLE Collective what ‘Building Forward Together’ means for them and their community, here are some of the responses below:
