Resources to fight poverty

According to my colleagues at Faith in Community Scotland, there are Scots who don’t believe that poverty really exists in Scotland, imagining that the extensive network of charities and the governmental benefits have solved the poverty problem. And there are others who say to themselves that their own hard work has brought them prosperity and therefore those who don’t share similar material benefits are to blame for their own situation (often overlooking the head start or the lucky breaks they have had, or not realizing that for many young people today there are simply not enough fair wage jobs for everyone.) For the most part, Scottish citizens are not only aware, but determined that the scourge of poverty shall be eliminated from the land. As I’ve written before in these pages, there is a very comprehensive anti-poverty here sponsored by the churches and other voluntary agencies as well as by the government. There is scarcely a day when the daily papers do not address the issue of poverty. And I was impressed by the most recent newsletter from our own group that identified a substantial list of programs and resources that are of interest to poor people. Here follows a sample from our monthly publication Poverty News In each edition we will try to share just a little bit of the many news stories affecting people living in poverty in Scotland and the organisations working alongside them. Drama at the Service of Poverty The women’s drama group has been running workshops in Pollokshields helping women to explore issues of poverty through drama techniques. This initiative is being co-facilitated with Fablevision with involvement from Roshni Women’s group from Pollokshields. A DVD release of the performance will showcase the hard work and effort being put in by the women, who are extremely vibrant and innovative in highlighting their concerns. Government Launches £10m Global Volunteering Programme Starting in summer 2008 with placements to Ghana and South Africa, over the next 3 years, 2500 young adults (18-25 yrs.) of “all faiths and none” will be sponsored to do 10 weeks of voluntary work in a developing country working on local community development projects such as environmental conservation or HIV / Aids awareness and raise awareness of development issues back home in the UK. The £10 million global volunteering scheme is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and will be run in partnership by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC. The scheme expects to offer young adults from less advantaged backgrounds the opportunity to live, work and learn about life in poor countries while making a real difference to people’s lives. For more information, read www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6852 Impact of Glasgow’s Antisocial Behaviour Task Force With an estimated 170 gangs in Glasgow (compared to only 169 in London!), the city’s antisocial behaviour task force, established in 2005 has acknowledged that limited progress has been made in reducing acts of poor conduct in task force areas (www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/30141010/0). The study added that most of the problems were caused by young people, gangs and others abusing alcohol. The government meanwhile has launched a new initiative – using money seized from criminals to fund opportunities discouraging young people from taking up to crime. Inspiring Scotland Fund A new funding initiative is bidding to change the face of charity finance in Scotland and beyond. Inspiring Scotland has been developed by Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland and will seek to invest between £70m-£100m in a selected number of charities over the next seven to 10 years, by assembling money from a combination of private individuals, trusts, foundations and the public purse. With promises of long-term funding, support for core costs, minimal bureaucracy and the investment of time, energy and skills - as well as cash - Inspiring Scotland reads like a wish-list for voluntary sector funding. Read on at www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.2000722.0.New_fund_aims_to_change_Scotlands_charities.php. Scots Third Sector Coalition Campaigns for Community Empowerment A coalition of third sector organisations has urged Scottish ministers to adopt a range of measures including creation of local budgets where communities would have control over a percentage of public spending in their areas. The Scottish government is expected to publish a community empowerment strategy in March. Scottish Government Consultations Over the last month the Scottish Government has issued two major consultations which will be of interest to people living and working in our poorest communities. At the very end of January it published A Discussion Paper on Tackling Poverty, Inequality and Deprivation in Scotland (www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/210689/0055711.pdf) and in February it published Glasgow 2014 – Delivering a Lasting Legacy for Scotland (www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/212495/0056525.pdf). Tackling Obesity in Scotland The Scottish Government has earmarked £40m, including £15m to tackle obesity, in health improvement initiatives over the next three years. Initiatives include free fruit for pregnant mothers, pre-school children and adults who are severely overweight. The government also has plans to ban the sale of sugary fizzy drinks in schools. Urban Forum Chair Quits to Take Empowerment Message to Government Ed Cox has stood down as chair of Urban Forum, an umbrella body for voluntary and community sector groups involved in urban regeneration across the UK, to become a special adviser to Communities Secretary Hazel Blears. Ed is an ordained minister in the United Reformed Church and helped develop the Community Pride Initiative, a voluntary organisation enabling people to have a greater say in neighbourhood regeneration.