Economics as if poverty mattered?

FORMER Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling has given evidence to the Church of Scotland’s economics commission.

Mr Darling was one of a number of experts to give evidence to the Special Commission on the Purpose of Economic Activity - alongside those who have direct experience of poverty, in accordance with the recommendations of the Poverty Truth Commission.

After giving evidence to the commission Mr Darling took part in a question and answer session with journalists.

The Church of Scotland set up the commission following the credit crunch in 2008. The 13-strong commission chaired by Professor Charles Munn will report to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May 2012. Commission members come from a range of backgrounds and bring specific skills and interests to the group.

STV appeal raises over £1.2 million

This year's STV Appeal has raised £1,229,497 for children affected by poverty in Scotland - and the final total is expected to be even higher as the cash continues to pour in.

An hour-long TV special anchored by Lorraine Kelly and broadcast from STV's studios around the country was the culmination of a week-long campaign and fund-raising, with all the money raised going to children and young people in Scotland.

Those answering the phones during the live show on Friday evening included First Minister Alex Salmond, businessman Sir Tom Hunter and TV presenter Michelle Watt.

By the time the programme went off air some £614,748 had been pledged - a figure that will be doubled with cash from the Scottish Government.

The government has pledged to match the first £1.5m raised from donations to the appeal, which is in its first year.

STV will announce the final total raised later in the year.

Making child poverty history

SCOTLAND'S continuing and historic struggle against child poverty was highlighted in a feature as part of the STV Six O'Clock News this evening - connected with the company's high-profile appeal.

Shelter Scotland and the Poverty Truth Commission were among those interviewed, with PTC's Elaine Downie pointing towards the damaging impact of deprivation on children at school, in the family and amongst peers.

Pioneer and visionary Robert Owen's New Lanark Mills social experiment, including the world's first infant school in Scotland, was a key part of the feature - illustrating the long-running effort to work for equality and to change and improve the conditions of ordinary people.

Owen felt education was vital. He built two buildings for the adults and children of New Lanark. They held evening classes, school lessons and social events. There were also bathing machine. Young children went to the nursery while their mothers were at work.

Catch up with STV Appeal programmes

THE 2011 STV appeal, which focuses on children living in poverty, features a variety of programming from entertainment and news features right through to serious documentaries, like One in Four.

Elaine Downie from Scotland's Poverty Truth Commission is on the Six O'Clock News tonight

If you miss anything, you can catch up with it later at your convenience via the STV Player, available on the internet. Sunday night's programme with Lorraine Kelly is already available in four segments, to make it easier to upload and view.

Watch out for Elaine

POVERTY Truth Commissioner Elaine Downie will be on the STV Six O'Clock News tomorrow night (13 September 2011) in connection with the STV appeal, which we reported on recently.

Elaine has a long track record of anti-poverty action. Back in 1999 she told the BBC on behalf of Church Action on Poverty: "Poverty is not an act of God. The existence of poverty in a great city like Glasgow diminishes the lives of everybody, not just the poor."

The week of programmes for the STV Appeal 2011 began this past weekend, and aims to support children affected by poverty across Scotland.

STV appeal will focus on child poverty

A WEEK of programmes will begin this coming weekend for the STV Appeal 2011, which aims to support children affected by poverty across Scotland.


The programming begins on 11 September 2011. It will conclude with a live studio show on 16 September. Though the series will feature popular programming and celebrity hosts, it does not eschew serious issues. On Thursday 15 September the documentary One in Four will be shown at 7.30pm. This examines how 250,000 children are officially living in poverty in Scotland - one in four of the child population.

Elizabeth Partyka, deputy director of channels, commented: “We have a fantastic week of programmes lined up for viewers, mixing pure entertainment with a thought-provoking and often shocking documentary, which I hope will open the public’s eyes to the horrific extent of child poverty right on our doorsteps.”

The 'Big Launch' on Sunday 11 September at 7pm, to be presented by Lorraine Kelly, will highlight the major fundraising opportunities and hear from some of the young people and local projects who will benefit from STV Appeal. The Poverty Truth Commission has consistently argued that the voices of those living at the sharp end should feature in both our understanding and policy-making.

What kids feel about growing up poor

A NEW documentary called 'Poor Kids' is being shown on BBC One on 7 June at 22.35 BST. It can also be viewed for a while after then on the BBC iPlayer service. 

More than 3.5 million children live below the poverty line across Britain. This is one of the worst child poverty rates in the rich, industrialised world.

The programme looks behind the statistics towards the lives, voices and experiences of children and their families. It is powerful and moving, say those who have seen advance tapes. You can find out more here and reda some of the comments the kids are making.

Scotland's Poverty Truth Commission and its partners are committed to ensuring that people with influence and decision-making power hear directly from those living at the sharp end of poverty - and include them in the process of making change. That certainly has to include 'poor kids'.

BBC Scotland debate on poverty issues

THE BBC Scotland documentary series, The Scheme, has sparked a wide range of comment since the first two episodes were aired last year.

The Scheme is an observational documentary series following "the dramatic and often emotional highs and lows of daily life for six families living in a large housing scheme in Kilmarnock." It can also be viewed on BBC iPlayer.

Following the transmission this month of all four original episodes plus an update programme, BBC Scotland is hosting a debate to focus on the social issues which the series raised.

Among those taking part are Poverty Truth Commission members John Carnochran (on the panel) and also Blair Green and Donna Barrowcliffe (in the audience).

The programme airs on Tuesday 31 May 2011 at 22:35 on BBC One (Scotland only).

Although the programme focussed on families and groups of residents on two estates in one particular area, the themes which came under the spotlight resonate in communities all across Scotland, says the BBC.

Glenn Campbell hosts the debate from BBC Scotland's centre in Glasgow and it will feature the views of front-line people who work in similar communities facing economic and social challenges from across Scotland.

Time for the truth

AMONG the many recent reports of the work of the Poverty Truth Commission in Scotland has been an article in Third Force News, the voice of Scotland's voluntary 'third sector'.

Here are some excerpts:

After two years, the commission has created a report of its discoveries. Mindful that it could be seen as just another talking shop, the recommendations look to build on the evidence it has heard from people living in poverty over the last two years.

Because, it states, despite hundreds of other reports and government strategies, poverty continues to worsen in Scotland.

One recommendation is that civil servants could be sent to stay in some of country’s most deprived neighbourhoods to experience the reality of those living with little money.

The idea is that decision makers would be brought closer to poverty and its effect on communities in a fresh approach to tackling spiralling deprivation and the gap between rich and poor in the form of a new mentoring scheme.

Scottish Government workers would forge a direct relationship with those living at the sharp end of poverty, with hopes that they will spend time on the home turf of their project partners.

Commissioner Donna Barrowcliffe, a community worker from Ruchazie in Glasgow, called the process “revolutionary”.

She said: “We need to keep letting people in power know that it’s worth their while to listen to us – because not only will our ideas on poverty be better than anything they come up with at their desks, but because we need to be recognised as equal human beings.”

The Rev Dr Martin Johnstone, secretary to the commission, said: “One of the ongoing things that people have said over and over again is that the real experts on understanding the issues of poverty are the people who experience it. The rest of us can be incredibly well-intentioned but much better policy will be made if we are drawing on the wisdom of those who are experiencing it.

“In so many walks of life we ask the experts. In this environment, what we say is that the experts are those who live in poverty.”

Read the whole article here.

Latest Updates

On 21st March the members of the Poverty Truth Commission came together at City Chambers for the first time. Fourteen “Commissioners”, leaders from Parliament, academia, the religious community and the media came together to hear the stories of a dozen people (“Testifiers”) from some of the poorest communities in Glasgow. These were more than stories of the struggle to survive. Using dance, drama, poetry, rap, dialogue and monologue, the Testifiers demonstrated their creativity and insights and advocated for change that would greatly improve their lives and their communities. Many of the audience of 400 were deeply moved by the testimonies – perhaps the majority having shared some of the same struggles themselves.

After conferring together the Commissioners proposed that the group keep meeting in the days ahead. “We would want a number of testifiers to join us ...as together we tackle the issues which [the testifiers] have so wonderfully and eloquently raised.”

Since that time the whole Commission has met twice with plans to continue meeting for 18 months and to then report back to the public on the progress that has been made. The Commission is co-chaired by Tricia McConalogue (Bridging the Gap, Gorbals) and Jim Wallace (Former Depute First Minister of Scotland).

The commissioners have divided into work groups that meet regularly around the following issues:

KINSHIP CARERS
When the parents are unable to care for their children (because of addiction or disease) a social worker often asks a grandparent to raise the children. But there are no benefits available to help. What can be done so that grandparents caring for their grandchildren receive benefits similar to what foster parents receive?

Caring and supporting children is a heavy burden for grandparents many of whom are themselves struggling to survive. In many cases the children have been traumatized (some are methadone babies) and need counselling. These are children who deserve the best. What can be done so that grandparents caring for their grandchildren receive benefits similar to what foster parents receive?

Reaching a solution is a complex challenge requiring action by the UK, Scottish and Local Governments. The working group on Kinship Carers is striving to cut through the red tape to assure that the grandparents receive adequate financial assistance and children receive the support they require.

YOUTH VIOLENCE
On 21st March, William, Nicola, Loki and Carol all spoke about violence – violence in the home and violence on the streets. A work group is meeting to consider what can be done.

The root causes of violence run deep. These include: an education system that does not adequately equip youth for productive lives; an economy that provides fewer and fewer employment opportunities for young people; and broken and violent homes.

This violence work group, including Detective John Carnochan who leads the Violence Reduction Unit of Strathclyde Police, is looking for fundamental ways to free the neighbourhoods, especially in the poorest places, from the grip of violence.

THE MEDIA
The mass media seems to thrive on stories of failure and violence. Poor neighbourhoods are often described in negative terms. The courage, originality, resilience and generosity of people struggling with poverty doesn’t often make the news, yet there is so much that is positive in these communities.

The Church of Scotland speaks of these neighbourhoods as ‘good places to be.’ What can be done to assure that the media adopts a more balanced approach to its reporting – recognising the quiet heroes and heroic acts that occur on a daily basis in often forgotten neighbourhoods. This is the task of the media working group.

In introducing the Testifiers on 21st March, the Chair of the Poverty Truth Commission, Tricia McConalogue, compared those who know about poverty because they observe it from afar with the real experts who live in it day in and day out.

Despite their expertise, the voices of poverty have often not been heard where policies affecting life in poor communities are made. If no one is going to listen, then those who have a lot to say are not motivated to speak and soon lose their confidence. When we are overlooked and ignored we begin to feel like objects rather than subjects. The Poverty Truth Commission is dedicated to changing this. “Nothing about us without us is for us.”